Pope Francis opens first U.S. visit
WASHINGTON — Pope Francis landed to a red carpet welcome here Tuesday afternoon as he opened his first visit to the United States determined to press the world’s last superpower to do more to care for the planet and its most marginalized inhabitants.
The papal jet swooped out of cloudy skies to touch down at Joint Base Andrews, the iconic post still better known as Andrews Air Force Base and home of the presidential air fleet. The pontiff was greeted by President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and their wives, Michelle Obama and Jill Biden.
The pope’s arrival started a six-day journey that will take him from here to New York and Philadelphia and feature several Masses celebrated before huge crowds, the first canonization on American soil, an address to Congress and not a small degree of tension over his message. Many of his themes coincide with those of Obama, but they also diverge in significant ways that could flavor the visit.
Francis becomes only the third pope to visit Washington, and the capital was abuzz over his arrival. A vast security cordon was established from the Capitol to the White House to the Apostolic Nunciature where he will stay, including road closures and pedestrian limits. Tens of thousands of residents and visitors from out of town prepared to converge at his various planned stops and politicians of all stripes were busy claiming his moral authority for their particular causes.
“The pope is a singular figure, and he has really stirred the souls of people all around the world,” said Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary.
Francis arrived here from Cuba, where he wrapped up a four-day visit Tuesday morning in the country’s heartland of religion and revolution, visiting the shrine of the country’s patron in El Cobre and delivering his final words to the Cuban people in the nearby city of Santiago de Cuba.
He celebrated Mass at a church near the mountains of the Sierra Maestra that houses the 19th century shrine of the Virgin of Charity. The shrine holds the country’s most venerated Roman Catholic icon: a small wooden statue of the Virgin Mary that was found in the nets of local fishermen more than 400 years ago.
Afterward, he delivered an ode to the family as his final address at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Santiago de Cuba, drawing a parallel between the lessons of God and lessons of the home. “Without family, without the warmth of home, life grows empty, there is a weakening of the networks which sustain us in adversity, nurture us in daily living and motivate us to build a better future,” he told those in attendance.
The White House sought to highlight the alignment between the president and the pope, while de-emphasizing areas of discord.
“Both President Obama and Pope Francis have over the course of their careers demonstrated a commitment to values related to social and economic justice,” said Earnest, the spokesman.
Several liberal House Democrats released three short videos on Tuesday beseeching Francis to address immigration, climate change and poverty in his address to Congress. On the other side of the ideological divide, abortion opponents were hoping Francis would boost their bid to impose new limits on the procedure and cut off federal financing of Planned Parent- hood. Just hours before his arrival, Senate Republicans tried and failed to break a filibuster on legislation banning abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Francis is scheduled to attend a pomp-filled arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on Wednesday morning, complete with a 21-gun salute, a Marine band playing the pontifical anthem and about 15,000 people gathered on the grounds and the nearby Ellipse. Afterward, Obama and Francis will meet for about 45 minutes alone in the Oval Office while Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry, who is also Catholic, meet separately with the Vatican secretary of state.
After leaving the White House, Francis will lead a brief parade in his popemobile around the Ellipse and hold prayers at St. Matthews Cathedral. Later in the afternoon, he is scheduled to celebrate Mass for about 30,000, including Biden, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at the Catholic University of America.
During the Mass, Francis will canonize Rev. Junipero Serra, a Spanish-born Franciscan friar known for starting nine Spanish missions in California in the 1700s, the first canonization on U.S. soil. To the church, Serra is seen as a hero who spread the gospel to the New World. But Native American groups condemn him for harsh treatment of the indigenous population.