Pope Francis meets with bishops after White House visit with Obamas
WASHINGTON -- Cheered by jubilant crowds across the nation's capital, Pope Francis forged common cause Wednesday with President Barack Obama on climate change, immigration and inequality, as the popular pontiff signaled he would not sidestep issues that have deeply divided Americans.
On his first full day in the United States, the pope also reached out to America's 450 bishops, many of whom have struggled to come to terms with his new social justice-minded direction for the Catholic Church. He gently prodded the bishops to forgo "harsh and divisive language," while commending their "courage" in the face of the church's sexual abuse scandal - rhetoric that angered victims he may meet with later in his trip.
The 78-year-old pontiff's whirlwind day in Washington enlivened the often stoic, politically polarized city. Excited crowds lined streets near the White House to catch a glimpse of the smiling and waving Francis as he passed by in his open-air "popemobile." He seemed to draw energy from the cheering spectators, particularly the children his security detail brought to him for a papal kiss and blessing.
In keeping with his reputation as the "people's pope," Francis kept Obama and other dignitaries at the White House waiting so he could spend time greeting schoolchildren gathered outside the Vatican's diplomatic mission where he spent the night.
With flags snapping, color guard at attention and a military band playing, Francis stepped from his modest Fiat onto the South Lawn on a crisp fall morning that felt as optimistic as his own persona. Pope and president stood on a red-carpeted platform bedecked with red, white and blue bunting for the national anthems of the Holy See and the United States.
The pope's remarks were brief, yet pointed.
Speaking in soft, halting English, Francis said that as the son of an immigrant family, he was "happy to be a guest in this country, which was largely built by such families." The Argentine pope was born to Italian parents who left their home country before he was born, and he has been a forceful advocate for humane treatment of migrants.
Francis was enthusiastic in his embrace of Obama's climate change agenda, specifically praising the president for taking steps to reduce air pollution. In a firm message to those who doubt the science of climate change, he said the warming planet "demands on our part a serious and responsible recognition" of the world that will be left to today's children.
Earlier on Wednesday, President Obama welcomed Francis to Washington. The Obamas looked positively charmed when Francis' tiny Fiat pulled up, perhaps the smallest car that has ever brought a visiting dignitary to their lawn.
Pope Francis and the Obamas wave from the White House balcony:
The pope praised Obama for focusing on the environment and the need to cut air pollution, calling it "encouraging." Francis cast climate change as a peril to what he called our "common home" in a speech that also called for safeguarding religious liberty and rejecting discrimination.
On climate change, he says time remains to make changes that are needed but also warns that "we are living at a critical moment of history."
Pope Francis is greeted by the public on the way to the White House:
Just before the pope arrived, Obama had tweeted to the Holy Father: "Welcome to the White House, Pontifex! Your messages of love, hope, and peace have inspired us all."
Obama, joking that his backyard is not typically so crowded, told the pope during the welcoming ceremony that the excitement surrounding his visit was a reflection of Francis' "humility, your embrace of simplicity, the gentleness of your words and the generosity of your spirit."
Hear Pope Francis' remarks:
After opening remarks on the lawn, the two headed inside to the Oval Office for a one-on-one meeting where each hoped to find common cause with the other on issues they hold dear. Afterwards, thousands gathered for a morning parade on streets near the White House, which ended at the cathedral.
The cathedral is best known as the site where Washington mourned the death of the first Catholic president, John F. Kennedy. He is memorialized with a marble plaque in the cathedral floor at the site of the 35th president's funeral. The parish dates to 1840 as the fourth Catholic church established in the District of Columbia.
Later Wednesday, Francis celebrated a Mass of Canonization, the first ever on U.S. soil, for Junipero Serra in Spanish. Several thousand of the 25,000 tickets to the event were set aside for Spanish-speaking people, many from California. The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception erected a temporary sanctuary outdoors for the Mass, which lasted into the evening.
On Thursday, Francis planned to deliver the first papal address ever to Congress, speaking to Republican-majority legislators deeply at odds with Obama on many of the same issues the leaders addressed at the White House.
The Obamas greet Pope Francis at the White House:
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Francis is the fourth pope ever to visit the United States.
