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Pope Francis urges action on climate change on visit to US Pope Francis urges action on climate change on visit to US
(35 minutes later)
Pope Francis has called for further action on climate change saying that it was "a critical moment of history", on the first day of his visit to the US.Pope Francis has called for further action on climate change saying that it was "a critical moment of history", on the first day of his visit to the US.
Speaking to a crowd of more than 11,000 people on the White House South Lawn, the pontiff said the problem could "no longer be left to a future generation".Speaking to a crowd of more than 11,000 people on the White House South Lawn, the pontiff said the problem could "no longer be left to a future generation".
President Barack Obama said the Pope reminded people "that we have a sacred obligation to protect our planet".President Barack Obama said the Pope reminded people "that we have a sacred obligation to protect our planet".
The Pope will later conduct the first canonisation on US soil.The Pope will later conduct the first canonisation on US soil.
The canonisation will be part of a Spanish-language Mass to be held at the largest Roman Catholic church in North America, and will elevate to sainthood the Spanish missionary who brought Christianity to what is now the US west coast. Following the speech, the two leaders met behind closed doors in the Oval Office.
Speaking in English - one of the few times the Argentine pontiff is expected to do so during the week's many events - Pope Francis praised President Obama for recent proposals aimed at tackling air pollution.
Time remains to make the changes required, the Pope said, in a speech that also called for protecting religious liberty and stamping out discrimination.
The environmental issue is a divisive one in US politics, with one Republican congressman boycotting the Pope's speech to Congress on Thursday because of the pontiff's stance.
All the leading Republican presidential candidates oppose action to tackle climate change because they say it will hurt the economy.
Five tricky issues for the Pope in the US
The morning began with the pontiff emerging from the Apostolic Nunciature - the Holy See's equivalent of an embassy - around 0900 local time (1400 BST).
Clad in his traditional white cassock, Pope Francis spent several minutes greeting well-wishers who had assembled behind temporary fencing in front of the diplomatic complex.
After shaking hands and giving hugs and kisses to the largely young crowd, the pope boarded a modest hatchback trailed by a convoy of large security vehicles and made the 15-minute drive through Washington on streets that had been cleared of traffic for the occasion.
At the White House large crowds gathered on the South Lawn to greet the pontiff. Officials said over 11,000 tickets had been issued, but noted that the crowd was even larger.
A cadre of Obama administration officials and a military colour guard flanked a stage set up outside the South Portico - among the most rare and respectful diplomatic ceremonies that the US government can offer visiting dignitaries.
Following a military colour guard and the playing of the Holy See and US national anthems, President Obama welcomed the pope with brief remarks.
The canonisation on Wednesday will be part of a Spanish-language Mass to be held at the largest Roman Catholic church in North America, and will elevate to sainthood the Spanish missionary who brought Christianity to what is now the US west coast.
At the afternoon Mass, Junipero Serra, a Spanish Franciscan who founded a mission in California in the 18th Century, will become the first Hispanic saint in the US.At the afternoon Mass, Junipero Serra, a Spanish Franciscan who founded a mission in California in the 18th Century, will become the first Hispanic saint in the US.
But the decision to canonise the missionary has been criticised by Native Americans, who view him as someone who aggressively imposed Catholicism on their ancestors. But the decision to canonise the missionary has been criticised by some Native Americans, who view him as someone who aggressively imposed Catholicism on their ancestors.
Pope Francis has in the past apologised for the treatment of indigenous people.Pope Francis has in the past apologised for the treatment of indigenous people.
The BBC's Gary O'Donoghue in Washington says the Pope's outspoken views on issues such as capitalism and immigration have made the visit as much a political event as a spiritual one.
Earlier this year, he termed unbridled capitalism "the dung of the devil".
But on his arrival in the US, he said he wasn't really "a lefty" and that in his many statements on the economy, he had never gone against the Church's social doctrine.
His first public comments will come at the White House and on Thursday he will become the first Pope to address a joint session of Congress.
On Friday, he will attend the UN General Assembly in New York and hold an open-air Mass in Philadelphia on Sunday.
The US authorities have launched one of the biggest security operations in US history to ensure the Pope's safety.
Federal employees have been urged to work remotely while the Pope is in the capital.
The pontiff is very popular in the US and is expected to draw massive crowds in all three cities.
Profile: Pope Francis
Five tricky issues for the Pope in the US
The pontiff's scheduleThe pontiff's schedule
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