The pope of the poor arrived for his first-ever visit to the world's wealthiest superpower. Striking a political tone on his first visit to the United States, Pope Francis urged its government to help tackle climate change and called on Americans to
There, he will canonize 18th century Spanish missionary Friar Junipero Serra over the objections of critics who say that Serra suppressed Native American cultures in what is now California.
The pope speaks to US bishops on Wednesday then celebrates Mass at the one of the most important Roman Catholic churches in the United States, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.
"She handed the pope a letter asking him to support the drive to legalize undocumented migrants living in the United States," the parish said.
For her trouble, she got a gentle hoist, a hug and a kiss from Pope Francis himself.
Guards nabbed her about half-way there, but the pope waved for them to bring her to him.
In a flash, Sofia clambered over a metal barrier, darted out onto stately Constitution Avenue and headed straight for the pontiff Secret Service agents be damned.
Her name was Sofia Cruz, and her story soon went around the world: how a five-year-old had the bravado to deliver a message to the pope on behalf of the United States' millions of undocumented migrants.
As Francis drew nearer and nearer in his open-sided popemobile and the crowd in Washington whooped, squealed and quivered, the little girl with black pigtails spotted her chance.
The Vatican has said an eventual meeting would be announced after it takes place in order to protect the privacy of the victims.
During his six days in the United States, the pope may meet privately with victims of sexual abuse.
In the remarks, delivered at Saint Matthews Cathedral in Washington on the first full day of his visit to the United States, the pope did not utter the words “sexual abuse” but referred to the scandal by talking about “difficult moments” and
Pope Francis told US Roman Catholic bishops that crimes of sexual abuse of minors by clergy should never be repeated, acknowledging the damage caused by years of scandal in the US Catholic Church.
The first Latin American pope, Francis has electrified liberal-leaning US Catholics, Democrats and many non-Catholics with a shift in emphasis toward concern for the poor and immigrants and his appeals to combat climate change.
Thousands of the faithful gathered ten deep at places to greet him on a parade through the streets of downtown Washington later in the day.
Adoring schoolchildren cheered the pontiff when he left the Vatican Embassy on Wednesday morning.
“We love you Pope Francis!” one person shouted as the White House ceremony ended. The crowd of invited guests erupted in cheers. “No words can describe it. It’s just awesome,” said Maria Manzo, 79, of New Jersey who attended the event.
The leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, Francis sprinkled some stardust in a city that is not unduly impressed with important foreign visitors.
Francis is a frequent critic of the damage caused to the world’s poor and the environment by capitalism’s excesses.
He again made a gesture of simplicity, pulling up beside the South Lawn in the small black Fiat car he used for his arrival in the US capital.
As Washington streets were closed and federal workers stayed home, about 15,000 people gathered in bright sunshine on the South Lawn. They heard the 78-year-old pope depart from his usual practice and give a speech in English.
In an era of renewed racial tensions in the country, he invoked America’s best known civil rights leader, the late Rev. Martin Luther King, to make points about the environment and equality.
Obama, whose plans for a climate change bill were thwarted in Congress early in his presidency, said he shared the pope’s concerns about the environment.
Apart from the environment, Francis touched on several issues on the US political agenda in the run up to the November 2016 presidential election, such as immigration, inequality and religious freedom.
“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,” the pope said at a welcoming ceremony.
In a speech on the White House South Lawn, the Argentine pontiff lauded President Barack Obama’s efforts to reduce air pollution, months after he made the environment one of his top issues by issuing a landmark “encyclical” letter.