In
an unprecedented welcome for a foreign dignitary, President Barack
Obama, first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters, along with Vice
President Joe Biden and his family, traveled to Joint Base Andrews
outside Washington to greet the pontiff, who arrived from Cuba.
The
flags of the United States and the Vatican flapped from the cockpit
windows of the pope's chartered Italian jet as it rolled to a stop near a
line of priests in black and red robes and a group of children from
local Catholic schools.
13 photos: Pope Francis in the United States
The
Argentine-born Pope appeared at the top of the stairs of the plane in a
white cassock, smiled and removed his skullcap so it would not be blown
away by the wind. Obama greeted him at the foot of the steps with a
handshake and a warm smile.
The crowd
chanted "Ho Ho, Hey, Hey Hey, Welcome to the U.S.A." as Francis became
the fourth head of the Catholic Church to visit the United States,
nearly 50 years after Paul VI made the first visit by a pontiff to the
country in October 1965.
On
the plane en route to the United States, Francis told reporters,
including CNN's Rosa Flores, that he was happy to make his first U.S.
visit. He dismissed suggestions that he was a socialist or a "lefty,"
saying that despite his warnings of the inequities in the global
economic system, his beliefs were consistent with the established social
doctrine of the Church.
After a brief
private meeting with Obama in a VIP suite, the pope climbed into a black
Fiat hatchback car with the number plate SCV 1, which was much smaller
than the limousine foreign visitors normally take in Washington -- in
keeping with his rejection of much of the pageantry that accompanies the
papacy and his desire to live a humble life. After a busy few days in
Cuba, Francis has no scheduled events on Tuesday night and will remain
at the residence of the Apostolic Nuncio or Vatican ambassador to the
United States.
Obama will roll out an
official welcoming ceremony for Francis on the South Lawn of the White
House on Wednesday. The pope will then parade through downtown
Washington in his Popemobile, with thousands of people expected to line
the sidewalks. He'll hold a canonization later in the day at the
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
8 photos: Catholics in politics, by the numbers
Thursday
could be the most politically significant day of his trip, with the
first-ever joint address to Congress by a pontiff. He'll then head to
New York, where he will host a religious service at the ground zero site
of the September 11 attacks in 2001 and address the United Nations. His
trip ends Sunday in Philadelphia.
The
highly anticipated visit is triggering one of the largest security
mobilizations in U.S. history, jointly run by the U.S. Secret Service
and the F.B.I. and involving federal, state and city law enforcement.
Officials have said, however, that they have not detected any specific
terrorist threat to the pope while he is in the United States.
While
he is certain of a warm welcome, Francis' trip will include
uncomfortable moments -- as is typical of a pontiff who has disrupted
the status quo and questioned the morality of modern society.
He
is certain to emphasize one of the central themes of his papacy -- that
the unfettered capitalism practiced in the United States and the West
is fostering income inequality and creating an economic culture where
the poor are simply discarded.
In a
highly symbolic moment, Francis will pass on lunch with lawmakers after
addressing Congress and will dine instead with homeless people in
Washington.
The role of Pope Francis in 2016 politics 01:54
While
he is expected to praise U.S. founding ideals of democracy and freedom,
Francis could also wade onto dangerous political ground. He told
reporters traveling with him that he would likely not raise the issue of
the U.S. embargo on Cuba, which is still in place despite Obama's
lifting of some restrictions on U.S. contacts with the communist island.
Francis'
past calls for migrants to be respected could draw him into the heated
debate on illegal immigration that is roiling the 2016 presidential
campaign. Warnings by Francis of the need to tackle climate change have
angered some Republicans. The Catholic Church's opposition to same-sex
marriage and abortion meanwhile puts him at odds with many Democrats and
the Obama administration.
Papal
experts say that rather than openly rebuking the U.S. way of life,
Francis will seek to persuade America that its great wealth confers
special responsibility.
Francis, 78,
has never visited the United States before. He will encounter a nation
where Catholic church attendance is on the decline, fallout over abuse
scandals continues and longtime religious institutions erode amid an
increasingly secular way of life.
Still,
Catholicism is gaining ground among Hispanic immigrants to the United
States -- a community for which his calls for humane treatment of
migrants are especially significant.
Francis
landed in Washington as a new CNN/ORC poll found that nearly half of
Americans and 78% of Catholics were looking forward to his visit.
Francis
made only veiled criticisms of the regime in Cuba during his stay,
perhaps in an attempt to preserve the opening he helped broker between
the United States and the communist island after more than half a
century of estrangement.
But he did
tell Catholics during an open air Mass on Monday that religion requires
"missionary activity" and service, a subtle nod to the many restrictions
his communist host country places on church activity.
The
humility with which which Francis has lived his faith is key to his
popularity in the United States and around the world and is firing up
anticipation for his visit.
"He is my
hero. He lives the Gospel in the way I want to live it myself ... he
tries to make sure that people all feel they are included," said
Monsignor John Enzler, CEO of Washington Catholic Charities, on CNN's
"Wolf." "When I have a chance to meet him, and frankly just be with him,
I am going to be lifted up myself. I am really psyched."
This story is sourced from www.cnn.com
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