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| Pope Francis, in Washington, Offers Vision for Church, and World | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| WASHINGTON — Pope Francis quietly but forcefully made his priorities clear during his first full day in the United States on Wednesday, urging in a pair of speeches a renewed emphasis on tackling global poverty, confronting climate change, caring for migrants and providing a welcoming church that is pastoral rather than doctrinaire. | |
| President Obama welcomed the spiritual leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics with the fanfare of trumpets and a show of solidarity, escorting him onto a red-carpeted stage at the South Portico of the White House and praising his moral authority that “comes not just through words but also through deeds.” | |
| The pope arrived at the White House in his modest Fiat and later drove slowly in his open-air popemobile past a jubilant crowd of 11,000 people assembled behind metal barriers on the Ellipse, juggling small flags of the Holy See and mobile phones as they craned for a glimpse of the pontiff or a brief touch on the head. The papal motorcade later made its way to the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, where Francis was to speak to a gathering of nearly 300 bishops from around the country. | |
| In remarks delivered in English at the White House and in a speech in Italian to the leaders of the American Catholic Church, the pope kicked off a six-day American visit with a message that praised the country’s devotion to freedom of liberty and religion even as he cautioned that the nation’s vast resources demanded a deep sense of moral responsibility. | |
| Speaking to his “brothers” at the cathedral where John F. Kennedy was eulogized in 1963, the pope was warm and encouraging, but also spoke clearly and with simple language that was unmistakable in its emphasis. He praised the bishops for their work on behalf of immigrants and for the first time praised their “courage” in handling the church’s sex-abuse scandals. | |
| “I am also conscious of the courage with which you have faced difficult moments in the recent history of the Church in this country without fear of self-criticism and at the cost of mortification and great sacrifice,” the pope told the bishops. | |
| Like his predecessors, he urged the bishops not to remain silent toward the “innocent victim of abortion.” But he mentioned the highly charged issue only as the first in a long list of other matters, including children who die of hunger and bombings, immigrants who “drown in the search for a better tomorrow,” the elderly or sick, the victims of terror, war and drug trafficking, and an environment “devastated by man’s predatory relationship with nature.” | |
| Earlier, at the White House, the pope waded into two of America’s most highly charged political debates, praising the United States as a nation of immigrants and offering a strikingly explicit endorsement of Mr. Obama’s regulatory program to fight climate change. With Mr. Obama sitting next to him on the stage, the pope skirted lightly past disagreements about abortion and same-sex marriage. | |
| Ahead of the pope’s visit, some wondered whether he would dwell on the excesses of capitalism and the role that free enterprise plays in economic inequality and poverty. He did not, spending much more time offering a robust endorsement of the president’s policies on the environment. | |
| “Mr. President,” Francis said, speaking in English despite his discomfort with the language, “I find it encouraging that you are proposing an initiative for reducing air pollution. Accepting the urgency, it seems clear to me also that climate change is a problem which can no longer be left to a future generation. When it comes to the care of our common home, we are living at a critical moment of history.” | |
| Devoting more of his address to that issue than to any other topic, the pope said there was still time to heal the planet for its children. “To use a telling phrase of the Rev. Martin Luther King, we can say that we have defaulted on a promissory note and now is the time to honor it,” he said. | Devoting more of his address to that issue than to any other topic, the pope said there was still time to heal the planet for its children. “To use a telling phrase of the Rev. Martin Luther King, we can say that we have defaulted on a promissory note and now is the time to honor it,” he said. |
| In welcoming the pope for his first trip to the United States, Mr. Obama thanked him for his help in facilitating the restoration of diplomatic relations with Cuba and hailed him for speaking out for the world’s most impoverished. Facing stiff domestic resistance to his plans to crack down on power plants and other sources of greenhouse gases, Mr. Obama welcomed the pope’s focus on climate change. | In welcoming the pope for his first trip to the United States, Mr. Obama thanked him for his help in facilitating the restoration of diplomatic relations with Cuba and hailed him for speaking out for the world’s most impoverished. Facing stiff domestic resistance to his plans to crack down on power plants and other sources of greenhouse gases, Mr. Obama welcomed the pope’s focus on climate change. |
| “Holy Father, you remind us that we have a sacred obligation to protect our planet – God’s magnificent gift to us,” he said. “We support your call to all world leaders to support the communities most vulnerable to a changing climate and to come together to preserve our precious world for future generations.” | “Holy Father, you remind us that we have a sacred obligation to protect our planet – God’s magnificent gift to us,” he said. “We support your call to all world leaders to support the communities most vulnerable to a changing climate and to come together to preserve our precious world for future generations.” |
| The president also associated himself with the pope’s focus on the needy, the sick and the dispossessed. “You shake our conscience from slumber,” he said. “You call on us to rejoice in good news and give us confidence that we can come together, in humility and service, and pursue a world that is more loving, more just and more free.” | The president also associated himself with the pope’s focus on the needy, the sick and the dispossessed. “You shake our conscience from slumber,” he said. “You call on us to rejoice in good news and give us confidence that we can come together, in humility and service, and pursue a world that is more loving, more just and more free.” |
| The ceremony brought together two men with starkly disparate backgrounds and yet commonalities that have united them at this moment in history, a community organizer from Chicago and a priest from Argentina, both presenting themselves as champions of those without any. While they first met last year at the Vatican, their appearance together on Wednesday carried a visual and possibly a political power that solidified the impression of a secular-theological alliance. | The ceremony brought together two men with starkly disparate backgrounds and yet commonalities that have united them at this moment in history, a community organizer from Chicago and a priest from Argentina, both presenting themselves as champions of those without any. While they first met last year at the Vatican, their appearance together on Wednesday carried a visual and possibly a political power that solidified the impression of a secular-theological alliance. |
| The pope, whose sometimes strident critique of global capitalism has drawn rebukes from Catholics in the United States, seemed intent on demonstrating affinity for a country he has never before visited in his 78 years. He praised the United States for its defense of religious freedom and ended his remarks by declaring “God bless America.” | The pope, whose sometimes strident critique of global capitalism has drawn rebukes from Catholics in the United States, seemed intent on demonstrating affinity for a country he has never before visited in his 78 years. He praised the United States for its defense of religious freedom and ended his remarks by declaring “God bless America.” |
| With unmistakable meaning, the pope also noted the country’s origins at a time when critics of illegal immigration are pushing to build a wall at the border. “As the son of an immigrant family, I am happy to be a guest in this country, which was largely built by such families,” Francis said. | With unmistakable meaning, the pope also noted the country’s origins at a time when critics of illegal immigration are pushing to build a wall at the border. “As the son of an immigrant family, I am happy to be a guest in this country, which was largely built by such families,” Francis said. |
| He did not mention issues that divide him and Mr. Obama, most notably abortion, but he did note that he would travel to Philadelphia for a meeting intended to “celebrate and support the institution of marriage and family at this, a critical moment in the history of our civilization.” | He did not mention issues that divide him and Mr. Obama, most notably abortion, but he did note that he would travel to Philadelphia for a meeting intended to “celebrate and support the institution of marriage and family at this, a critical moment in the history of our civilization.” |
| With a vast crowd teeming across the South Lawn as well as the Ellipse outside the White House gates, the ceremony offered a majestic kickoff to the pope’s events in the capital. An arrival ceremony on the South Lawn ranks among the most regal of pageantries that Washington has to offer, reserved usually for the most important of visitors and even then for special occasions. | With a vast crowd teeming across the South Lawn as well as the Ellipse outside the White House gates, the ceremony offered a majestic kickoff to the pope’s events in the capital. An arrival ceremony on the South Lawn ranks among the most regal of pageantries that Washington has to offer, reserved usually for the most important of visitors and even then for special occasions. |
| As it happens, in a historical aberration, Mr. Obama will host such a ceremony twice in one week, with President Xi Jinping of China visiting the White House on Friday. But the pope has generated a wave of excitement in a normally jaundiced capital that ordinary national leaders rarely produce. | As it happens, in a historical aberration, Mr. Obama will host such a ceremony twice in one week, with President Xi Jinping of China visiting the White House on Friday. But the pope has generated a wave of excitement in a normally jaundiced capital that ordinary national leaders rarely produce. |
| After he left the White House, the pope went to the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, where the crowd swelled so deep that for many the only sign of the pope’s arrival was a loud cheer echoing through nearby streets. | After he left the White House, the pope went to the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, where the crowd swelled so deep that for many the only sign of the pope’s arrival was a loud cheer echoing through nearby streets. |
| “I think I saw some white — hard to tell,” one man said moments later, as he left Jack’s Fresh, a salad bar and grill near the cathedral. A crowd of more than 50 people inside pressed against windows facing the cathedral and stood eagerly on chairs to get a better view. | “I think I saw some white — hard to tell,” one man said moments later, as he left Jack’s Fresh, a salad bar and grill near the cathedral. A crowd of more than 50 people inside pressed against windows facing the cathedral and stood eagerly on chairs to get a better view. |
| As the pope entered the cathedral, the rector, Msgr. W. Ronald Jameson, who greeted him at the door threw his arms open wide. As he walked down the church’s center aisle between rows of bishops in pink zucchettos, some of them held up phones and cameras to take pictures. | As the pope entered the cathedral, the rector, Msgr. W. Ronald Jameson, who greeted him at the door threw his arms open wide. As he walked down the church’s center aisle between rows of bishops in pink zucchettos, some of them held up phones and cameras to take pictures. |
| Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland posted on Twitter from his seat in the pews: “Pope Francis has arrived!” | Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland posted on Twitter from his seat in the pews: “Pope Francis has arrived!” |
| The pope made his way to a smaller chapel on the left, the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, where he stood in prayer for a minute, before taking a seat on the altar. Inside, about 300 American bishops waited for him to deliver remarks. | The pope made his way to a smaller chapel on the left, the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, where he stood in prayer for a minute, before taking a seat on the altar. Inside, about 300 American bishops waited for him to deliver remarks. |
| The pope was supposed to address the bishops in Spanish, but instead spoke in Italian – an acknowledgment that relatively few of the bishops know Spanish, but that many more know Italian, having studied and worked in Rome. | The pope was supposed to address the bishops in Spanish, but instead spoke in Italian – an acknowledgment that relatively few of the bishops know Spanish, but that many more know Italian, having studied and worked in Rome. |
| The vast majority of the bishops were appointed by Francis’ predecessors, Benedict XVI and St. John Paul II. During these two pontificates, the American bishops threw their weight behind the battles against abortion and same-sex marriage and became increasingly identified with conservative political causes and candidates. They also became mired in the scandal over the priests who sexually abused children. | The vast majority of the bishops were appointed by Francis’ predecessors, Benedict XVI and St. John Paul II. During these two pontificates, the American bishops threw their weight behind the battles against abortion and same-sex marriage and became increasingly identified with conservative political causes and candidates. They also became mired in the scandal over the priests who sexually abused children. |
| Downtown Washington was wrapped in an expansive security blanket Wednesday morning, with roads near the White House blocked by police vehicles, snow plows and other vehicles, while security officers in police and military uniforms turned away morning traffic and patrolled every block. In the predawn darkness, a stream of Catholics and non-Catholics alike surged on foot toward checkpoints in hopes of catching a glimpse of the 266th pope. | Downtown Washington was wrapped in an expansive security blanket Wednesday morning, with roads near the White House blocked by police vehicles, snow plows and other vehicles, while security officers in police and military uniforms turned away morning traffic and patrolled every block. In the predawn darkness, a stream of Catholics and non-Catholics alike surged on foot toward checkpoints in hopes of catching a glimpse of the 266th pope. |
| As they waited to pass through metal detectors at Lafayette Square, they could hardly avoid the blaring words of a lone protester a sign declaring “The Pope is an Antichrist” and a working bullhorn. “There is no peace for the wickedness,” he shouted. “The end has come.” | As they waited to pass through metal detectors at Lafayette Square, they could hardly avoid the blaring words of a lone protester a sign declaring “The Pope is an Antichrist” and a working bullhorn. “There is no peace for the wickedness,” he shouted. “The end has come.” |
| The White House itself was more welcoming, with Vatican flags flying alongside American ones and row after row of folding chairs set up on the South Lawn for guests. Among those on hand were Joseph R. Biden Jr., the nation’s first Catholic vice president, and a host of dignitaries from the church, cabinet and Congress as well as everyday believers. | The White House itself was more welcoming, with Vatican flags flying alongside American ones and row after row of folding chairs set up on the South Lawn for guests. Among those on hand were Joseph R. Biden Jr., the nation’s first Catholic vice president, and a host of dignitaries from the church, cabinet and Congress as well as everyday believers. |
| Francis, who ascended to the papacy in 2013, has infused the church with new energy and purpose. He has earned the nickname “the people’s pope” with a message focused on helping the poor and the disadvantaged even as conservatives worry that he has diluted Catholic commitments toward ending abortion and defending traditional marriage. | Francis, who ascended to the papacy in 2013, has infused the church with new energy and purpose. He has earned the nickname “the people’s pope” with a message focused on helping the poor and the disadvantaged even as conservatives worry that he has diluted Catholic commitments toward ending abortion and defending traditional marriage. |
| Surveys show broad support among Americans for the direction he is taking the church. A New York Times/CBS News poll found that 41 percent of Americans had a favorable view of Francis, compared with 8 percent who had an unfavorable view, a higher level of support than his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, ever had among Americans in that survey. The same poll found that 63 percent of American Catholics approved of Francis, about 20 percentage points higher than Benedict’s rating at his peak. | Surveys show broad support among Americans for the direction he is taking the church. A New York Times/CBS News poll found that 41 percent of Americans had a favorable view of Francis, compared with 8 percent who had an unfavorable view, a higher level of support than his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, ever had among Americans in that survey. The same poll found that 63 percent of American Catholics approved of Francis, about 20 percentage points higher than Benedict’s rating at his peak. |
| In a way, though, with so many undecided, Francis is still introducing himself to his American flock, using his six-day, three-city tour to showcase his priorities and take the measure of parishioners in this country. | In a way, though, with so many undecided, Francis is still introducing himself to his American flock, using his six-day, three-city tour to showcase his priorities and take the measure of parishioners in this country. |
| Francis is only the fourth pope to visit the United States while in office and the third to visit Washington. Indeed, presidents and popes rarely met until recent decades. Woodrow Wilson became the first sitting president to meet a pope when he visited Pope Benedict XV at the Vatican in 1919. | Francis is only the fourth pope to visit the United States while in office and the third to visit Washington. Indeed, presidents and popes rarely met until recent decades. Woodrow Wilson became the first sitting president to meet a pope when he visited Pope Benedict XV at the Vatican in 1919. |
| Since Dwight D. Eisenhower, however, every president has met a pope while in office. Jimmy Carter was the first to host one at the White House when Pope John Paul II came in 1979. George W. Bush became the second when Benedict XVI visited in 2008. Mr. Bush, who met with popes inside and outside the White House more than any of his predecessors, also was the first president to attend a papal funeral when John Paul died. | Since Dwight D. Eisenhower, however, every president has met a pope while in office. Jimmy Carter was the first to host one at the White House when Pope John Paul II came in 1979. George W. Bush became the second when Benedict XVI visited in 2008. Mr. Bush, who met with popes inside and outside the White House more than any of his predecessors, also was the first president to attend a papal funeral when John Paul died. |
| Mr. Obama first met Francis at the Vatican last year, and the two share similar outlooks on income inequality, climate change, immigration and criminal justice changes. But they disagree on traditional social issues like abortion and same-sex marriage, as well as on policy in the Middle East and the virtues of capitalism. | Mr. Obama first met Francis at the Vatican last year, and the two share similar outlooks on income inequality, climate change, immigration and criminal justice changes. But they disagree on traditional social issues like abortion and same-sex marriage, as well as on policy in the Middle East and the virtues of capitalism. |
| After the South Lawn ceremony, Mr. Obama and Francis were scheduled to meet alone in the Oval Office for 45 minutes while Mr. Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry, the administration’s highest-ranking Catholics, were scheduled to meet with the Vatican’s secretary of state. | After the South Lawn ceremony, Mr. Obama and Francis were scheduled to meet alone in the Oval Office for 45 minutes while Mr. Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry, the administration’s highest-ranking Catholics, were scheduled to meet with the Vatican’s secretary of state. |
| On leaving the White House, the pope plans to lead a brief parade around the Ellipse in his popemobile, then head to St. Matthew’s Cathedral for midday prayers. In the afternoon, he will celebrate Mass for 30,000 people at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at Catholic University of America and canonize the Rev. Junípero Serra, a Spanish-born Franciscan friar known for starting nine missions in California in the 1700s. | On leaving the White House, the pope plans to lead a brief parade around the Ellipse in his popemobile, then head to St. Matthew’s Cathedral for midday prayers. In the afternoon, he will celebrate Mass for 30,000 people at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at Catholic University of America and canonize the Rev. Junípero Serra, a Spanish-born Franciscan friar known for starting nine missions in California in the 1700s. |
| On Thursday morning, Francis will become the first pope to address a joint meeting of Congress, at the invitation of Speaker John A. Boehner, a Catholic Republican from Ohio. The demand for tickets has been so high that congressional officials imposed unusual limits on many who normally have rights to the House floor, and about 50,000 people are expected to watch on large televisions on the West Lawn of the Capitol. | On Thursday morning, Francis will become the first pope to address a joint meeting of Congress, at the invitation of Speaker John A. Boehner, a Catholic Republican from Ohio. The demand for tickets has been so high that congressional officials imposed unusual limits on many who normally have rights to the House floor, and about 50,000 people are expected to watch on large televisions on the West Lawn of the Capitol. |
| After a meeting with indigent, homeless and other disadvantaged people served by Catholic Charities, the pope will head to New York for a two-day visit and later to Philadelphia. | After a meeting with indigent, homeless and other disadvantaged people served by Catholic Charities, the pope will head to New York for a two-day visit and later to Philadelphia. |