pope francis visit to the usa

Transcript: Read the Speech Pope Francis Gave to Congress

Pope Francis addressed a joint meeting of Congress in a historic speech Thursday morning.

Here’s a full transcript of his remarks.

I am most grateful for your invitation to address this Joint Session of Congress in “the land of the free and the home of the brave”. I would like to think that the reason for this is that I too am a son of this great continent, from which we have all received so much and toward which we share a common responsibility. Each son or daughter of a given country has a mission, a personal and social responsibility. Your own responsibility as members of Congress is to enable this country, by your legislative activity, to grow as a nation. You are the face of its people, their representatives. You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics. A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk. Legislative activity is always based on care for the people. To this you have been invited, called and convened by those who elected you. Yours is a work which makes me reflect in two ways on the figure of Moses. On the one hand, the patriarch and lawgiver of the people of Israel symbolizes the need of peoples to keep alive their sense of unity by means of just legislation. On the other, the figure of Moses leads us directly to God and thus to the transcendent dignity of the human being. Moses provides us with a good synthesis of your work: you are asked to protect, by means of the law, the image and likeness fashioned by God on every human face. Today I would like not only to address you, but through you the entire people of the United States. Here, together with their representatives, I would like to take this opportunity to dialogue with the many thousands of men and women who strive each day to do an honest day’s work, to bring home their daily bread, to save money and – one step at a time – to build a better life for their families. These are men and women who are not concerned simply with paying their taxes, but in their own quiet way sustain the life of society. They generate solidarity by their actions, and they create organizations which offer a helping hand to those most in need.

Selfies of People Celebrating Pope Francis's Journey Across the U.S.

I would also like to enter into dialogue with the many elderly persons who are a storehouse of wisdom forged by experience, and who seek in many ways, especially through volunteer work, to share their stories and their insights. I know that many of them are retired, but still active; they keep working to build up this land. I also want to dialogue with all those young people who are working to realize their great and noble aspirations, who are not led astray by facile proposals, and who face difficult situations, often as a result of immaturity on the part of many adults. I wish to dialogue with all of you, and I would like to do so through the historical memory of your people. My visit takes place at a time when men and women of good will are marking the anniversaries of several great Americans. The complexities of history and the reality of human weakness notwithstanding, these men and women, for all their many differences and limitations, were able by hard work and self- sacrifice – some at the cost of their lives – to build a better future. They shaped fundamental values which will endure forever in the spirit of the American people. A people with this spirit can live through many crises, tensions and conflicts, while always finding the resources to move forward, and to do so with dignity. These men and women offer us a way of seeing and interpreting reality. In honoring their memory, we are inspired, even amid conflicts, and in the here and now of each day, to draw upon our deepest cultural reserves. I would like to mention four of these Americans: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton. This year marks the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, the guardian of liberty, who labored tirelessly that “this nation, under God, [might] have a new birth of freedom”. Building a future of freedom requires love of the common good and cooperation in a spirit of subsidiarity and solidarity. All of us are quite aware of, and deeply worried by, the disturbing social and political situation of the world today. Our world is increasingly a place of violent conflict, hatred and brutal atrocities, committed even in the name of God and of religion. We know that no religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism. This means that we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism, whether religious or of any other kind. A delicate balance is required to combat violence perpetrated in the name of a religion, an ideology or an economic system, while also safeguarding religious freedom, intellectual freedom and individual freedoms. But there is another temptation which we must especially guard against: the simplistic reductionism which sees only good or evil; or, if you will, the righteous and sinners. The contemporary world, with its open wounds which affect so many of our brothers and sisters, demands that we confront every form of polarization which would divide it into these two camps. We know that in the attempt to be freed of the enemy without, we can be tempted to feed the enemy within. To imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place. That is something which you, as a people, reject. Our response must instead be one of hope and healing, of peace and justice. We are asked to summon the courage and the intelligence to resolve today’s many geopolitical and economic crises. Even in the developed world, the effects of unjust structures and actions are all too apparent. Our efforts must aim at restoring hope, righting wrongs, maintaining commitments, and thus promoting the well-being of individuals and of peoples. We must move forward together, as one, in a renewed spirit of fraternity and solidarity, cooperating generously for the common good. The challenges facing us today call for a renewal of that spirit of cooperation, which has accomplished so much good throughout the history of the United States. The complexity, the gravity and the urgency of these challenges demand that we pool our resources and talents, and resolve to support one another, with respect for our differences and our convictions of conscience. In this land, the various religious denominations have greatly contributed to building and strengthening society. It is important that today, as in the past, the voice of faith continue to be heard, for it is a voice of fraternity and love, which tries to bring out the best in each person and in each society. Such cooperation is a powerful resource in the battle to eliminate new global forms of slavery, born of grave injustices which can be overcome only through new policies and new forms of social consensus.

See Photos of Every Papal Visit to the U.S. in History

[ Editor’s Note: The following section, which was in the prepared remarks, was not included in the speech .] Here I think of the political history of the United States, where democracy is deeply rooted in the mind of the American people. All political activity must serve and promote the good of the human person and be based on respect for his or her dignity. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (Declaration of Independence, 4 July 1776). If politics must truly be at the service of the human person, it follows that it cannot be a slave to the economy and finance. Politics is, instead, an expression of our compelling need to live as one, in order to build as one the greatest common good: that of a community which sacrifices particular interests in order to share, in justice and peace, its goods, its interests, its social life. I do not underestimate the difficulty that this involves, but I encourage you in this effort.Here too I think of the march which Martin Luther King led from Selma to Montgomery fifty years ago as part of the campaign to fulfill his “dream” of full civil and political rights for African Americans. That dream continues to inspire us all. I am happy that America continues to be, for many, a land of “dreams”. Dreams which lead to action, to participation, to commitment. Dreams which awaken what is deepest and truest in the life of a people. In recent centuries, millions of people came to this land to pursue their dream of building a future in freedom. We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners. I say this to you as the son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you are also descended from immigrants. Tragically, the rights of those who were here long before us were not always respected. For those peoples and their nations, from the heart of American democracy, I wish to reaffirm my highest esteem and appreciation. Those first contacts were often turbulent and violent, but it is difficult to judge the past by the criteria of the present. Nonetheless, when the stranger in our midst appeals to us, we must not repeat the sins and the errors of the past. We must resolve now to live as nobly and as justly as possible, as we educate new generations not to turn their back on our “neighbors” and everything around us. Building a nation calls us to recognize that we must constantly relate to others, rejecting a mindset of hostility in order to adopt one of reciprocal subsidiarity, in a constant effort to do our best. I am confident that we can do this. Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War. This presents us with great challenges and many hard decisions. On this continent, too, thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones, in search of greater opportunities. Is this not what we want for our own children? We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation. To respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal. We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Mt 7:12). This Rule points us in a clear direction. Let us treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated. Let us seek for others the same possibilities which we seek for ourselves. Let us help others to grow, as we would like to be helped ourselves. In a word, if we want security, let us give security; if we want life, let us give life; if we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities. The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us. The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development. This conviction has led me, from the beginning of my ministry, to advocate at different levels for the global abolition of the death penalty. I am convinced that this way is the best, since every life is sacred, every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes. Recently my brother bishops here in the United States renewed their call for the abolition of the death penalty. Not only do I support them, but I also offer encouragement to all those who are convinced that a just and necessary punishment must never exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation. In these times when social concerns are so important, I cannot fail to mention the Servant of God Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker Movement. Her social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause of the oppressed, were inspired by the Gospel, her faith, and the example of the saints. How much progress has been made in this area in so many parts of the world! How much has been done in these first years of the third millennium to raise people out of extreme poverty! I know that you share my conviction that much more still needs to be done, and that in times of crisis and economic hardship a spirit of global solidarity must not be lost. At the same time I would encourage you to keep in mind all those people around us who are trapped in a cycle of poverty. They too need to be given hope. The fight against poverty and hunger must be fought constantly and on many fronts, especially in its causes. I know that many Americans today, as in the past, are working to deal with this problem. It goes without saying that part of this great effort is the creation and distribution of wealth. The right use of natural resources, the proper application of technology and the harnessing of the spirit of enterprise are essential elements of an economy which seeks to be modern, inclusive and sustainable. “Business is a noble vocation, directed to producing wealth and improving the world. It can be a fruitful source of prosperity for the area in which it operates, especially if it sees the creation of jobs as an essential part of its service to the common good” (Laudato Si’, 129). This common good also includes the earth, a central theme of the encyclical which I recently wrote in order to “enter into dialogue with all people about our common home” (ibid., 3). “We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all” (ibid., 14). In Laudato Si’, I call for a courageous and responsible effort to “redirect our steps” (ibid., 61), and to avert the most serious effects of the environmental deterioration caused by human activity. I am convinced that we can make a difference and I have no doubt that the United States – and this Congress – have an important role to play. Now is the time for courageous actions and strategies, aimed at implementing a “culture of care” (ibid., 231) and “an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature” (ibid., 139). “We have the freedom needed to limit and direct technology” (ibid., 112); “to devise intelligent ways of… developing and limiting our power” (ibid., 78); and to put technology “at the service of another type of progress, one which is healthier, more human, more social, more integral” (ibid., 112). In this regard, I am confident that America’s outstanding academic and research institutions can make a vital contribution in the years ahead.

Here Are the Best Instagram Photos of Pope Francis’ Visit

A century ago, at the beginning of the Great War, which Pope Benedict XV termed a “pointless slaughter”, another notable American was born: the Cistercian monk Thomas Merton. He remains a source of spiritual inspiration and a guide for many people. In his autobiography he wrote: “I came into the world. Free by nature, in the image of God, I was nevertheless the prisoner of my own violence and my own selfishness, in the image of the world into which I was born. That world was the picture of Hell, full of men like myself, loving God, and yet hating him; born to love him, living instead in fear of hopeless self-contradictory hungers”. Merton was above all a man of prayer, a thinker who challenged the certitudes of his time and opened new horizons for souls and for the Church. He was also a man of dialogue, a promoter of peace between peoples and religions. From this perspective of dialogue, I would like to recognize the efforts made in recent months to help overcome historic differences linked to painful episodes of the past. It is my duty to build bridges and to help all men and women, in any way possible, to do the same. When countries which have been at odds resume the path of dialogue – a dialogue which may have been interrupted for the most legitimate of reasons – new opportunities open up for all. This has required, and requires, courage and daring, which is not the same as irresponsibility. A good political leader is one who, with the interests of all in mind, seizes the moment in a spirit of openness and pragmatism. A good political leader always opts to initiate processes rather than possessing spaces (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 222-223). Being at the service of dialogue and peace also means being truly determined to minimize and, in the long term, to end the many armed conflicts throughout our world. Here we have to ask ourselves: Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood. In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade. Three sons and a daughter of this land, four individuals and four dreams: Lincoln, liberty; Martin Luther King, liberty in plurality and non-exclusion; Dorothy Day, social justice and the rights of persons; and Thomas Merton, the capacity for dialogue and openness to God. Four representatives of the American people. I will end my visit to your country in Philadelphia, where I will take part in the World Meeting of Families. It is my wish that throughout my visit the family should be a recurrent theme. How essential the family has been to the building of this country! And how worthy it remains of our support and encouragement! Yet I cannot hide my concern for the family, which is threatened, perhaps as never before, from within and without. Fundamental relationships are being called into question, as is the very basis of marriage and the family. I can only reiterate the importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life. In particular, I would like to call attention to those family members who are the most vulnerable, the young. For many of them, a future filled with countless possibilities beckons, yet so many others seem disoriented and aimless, trapped in a hopeless maze of violence, abuse and despair. Their problems are our problems. We cannot avoid them. We need to face them together, to talk about them and to seek effective solutions rather than getting bogged down in discussions. At the risk of oversimplifying, we might say that we live in a culture which pressures young people not to start a family, because they lack possibilities for the future. Yet this same culture presents others with so many options that they too are dissuaded from starting a family. A nation can be considered great when it defends liberty as Lincoln did, when it fosters a culture which enables people to “dream” of full rights for all their brothers and sisters, as Martin Luther King sought to do; when it strives for justice and the cause of the oppressed, as Dorothy Day did by her tireless work, the fruit of a faith which becomes dialogue and sows peace in the contemplative style of Thomas Merton. In these remarks I have sought to present some of the richness of your cultural heritage, of the spirit of the American people. It is my desire that this spirit continue to develop and grow, so that as many young people as possible can inherit and dwell in a land which has inspired so many people to dream. God bless America!

See Photos of Pope Francis’ Historic Visit to U.S.

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Everything we know about Pope Francis’ trip to the U.S.

In his first trip to the United States in September, Pope Francis will make stops in Washington, D.C., and New York before celebrating the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.

The Vatican released his schedule for Sept. 22-27, and Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the archbishop of Washington and one of his hosts, expanded upon it a little more for reporters on Tuesday.

The pope is coming as a “pastor of souls, whose focus is not political,” said Wuerl. “For our country today, with the concerns that we have and the tensions we sometimes face, to have someone of his stature say, ‘remember folks, you are brothers and sisters; remember folks, you are all part of the same family of God,’ I think that’s a message we’re all eager to hear.”

Yes, he will ride the “popemobile” during his visit to Washington, offering the public one of several chances to see him, Wuerl confirmed.

Following a two-day visit to Cuba, where he will celebrate Mass in Havana and meet with Cuban President Raul Castro, Pope Francis will arrive at Andrews Air Force Base at about 4 p.m. EDT. He has no events scheduled.

Pope Francis goes to the White House for a 9:15 a.m. EDT meeting with President Barack Obama, who visited him in Rome in March 2014.

Following the meeting, the pope will travel in the popemobile around the Ellipse and past part of the National Mall at about 11 a.m. EDT. The public may line the route, no tickets needed. Security checkpoints open at 4 a.m. and close at 10 a.m. See more information , including a list of restricted items.

At 11:30 a.m. EDT, the pontiff meets with U.S. bishops at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C.

At 4:15 p.m. EDT, he celebrates Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. The pope will canonize Junipero Serra, Spanish-born Franciscan friar who started nine Spanish missions in California in the 1700s. Those invited include religious leaders, Catholic charities, and representatives of California with ties to Serra. He will say the Mass in Spanish.

How will the general public get tickets? The Mass on the grounds of the Basilica and adjacent Catholic University will accommodate about 25,000 seats and another 20,000 standing room tickets. Once the archdiocese determines how many tickets are available, after security measures are considered, people will be able to get tickets through their parishes, Wuerl said.

Those without tickets can watch the Mass on large television screens, or Jumbotrons, placed around the city, he added.

Pope Francis speaks at a joint meeting of Congress — the first time a pope has ever addressed the House and Senate — at 10 a.m. EDT. His speech will be shown on Jumbotrons on the National Mall. He is expected to deliver this speech in English.

At 11:15 a.m. EDT, Pope Francis visits St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, which is the headquarters of the service organization Catholic Charities of Washington.

While there, he will visit with the homeless and get a chance to see one of the programs, St. Maria’s meal van, in action, said Wuerl.

In the afternoon, the pope flies to New York and participate in Evening Vespers or prayers at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.

On Friday, Pope Francis addresses the United Nations General Assembly about environmental sustainability at 8:30 a.m. EDT.

At 11:30 a.m. EDT, he holds a multi-religious service at the 9/11 memorial site in New York City.

The pontiff then pays a visit to Our Lady Queen of Angels school in the East Harlem community at 4 p.m. EDT.

At 6 p.m. EDT, he celebrates Mass in Madison Square Garden.

Pope Francis travels to Philadelphia at 8:40 a.m. EDT to participate in the World Meeting of Families, a gathering that takes place every three years in a different international city.

He celebrates Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia at 10:30 a.m. EDT.

The pope discusses religious freedom with Hispanics and other immigrants at Independence Mall at about 4:45 p.m. EDT.

He visits the Festival of Families along Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 7:30 p.m. EDT. His parade route, before his evening appearance at the festival, takes him from Eakins Oval down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, around City Hall and back to the starting point. A second, shorter parade along the same route takes place on Sept. 27 before the open-air Mass.

Pope Francis meets with bishops at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in suburban Philadelphia at 9:15 a.m. EDT.

He plans to visit inmates at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility at 11 a.m. EDT.

The pope later goes back to Benjamin Franklin Parkway to celebrate an open-air Mass at 4 p.m. EDT, and then greets organizers of the World Meeting of Families at 7 p.m. EDT before flying back to Rome that night.

Larisa Epatko produced multimedia web features and broadcast reports with a focus on foreign affairs for the PBS NewsHour. She has reported in places such as Jordan , Pakistan , Iraq , Haiti , Sudan , Western Sahara , Guantanamo Bay , China , Vietnam , South Korea , Turkey , Germany and Ireland .

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The New York Times

Live coverage | highlights of pope francis’ visit to the united states, highlights of pope francis’ visit to the united states.

By The New York Times September 23, 2015 September 23, 2015

A Whirlwind Papal Journey Concludes

• The crowded agenda of the Pope’s first visit to the United States ended in Philadelphia, where he met with victims of sexual abuse, spoke to inmates and celebrated a Mass in the heart of the city.
• Sunday culminated a six-day, three-city tour , where, in his public appearances, he continued to call for unity and underscore the importance of family.
• While hundreds of thousands of people were moved by the opportunity to pray with the pope, he left America with a blessing and his signature request: “Pray for me.”

So Long, America

One More Embrace: ‘God Bless America’

I embrace all of you in the Lord and I entrust you to the maternal care of Mary Immaculate, Patroness of the United States. I will pray for you and your families, and I ask you, please, to pray for me. May God bless you all. God bless America!

– Pope Francis, in final remarks before returning home

This Land is Blessed

This land has been blessed with tremendous gifts and opportunities. I pray that you may all be good and generous stewards of the human and material resources entrusted to you.

– Pope Francis, in final remarks before returning home.

A Final Ode to Family

I pray that our days of prayer and reflection on the importance of the family for a healthy society will inspire families to continue to strive for holiness and to see the Church as their constant companion, whatever the challenges they may face.

– Pope Francis, in final remarks before heading home

Mass Concluded, Pope Francis Makes Way to Airport

Pope Francis headed to the airport, having concluded the final and largest Mass of his trip.

He continued to touch on themes of unity and family in his last homily and thanked the crowd of thousands who gathered to pray with him in Philadelphia.

“Thank you very much for your participation and for your love of family,” Francis said. “And I ask you pray for me. Don’t forget.”

The pope has one more public appearance to make before his plane takes off. He will be greeted by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. as well as organizers and volunteers of the World Meeting of Families event at the airport.

A Baby Is Blessed, and a Mother Is Overcome

Narcisa Chuquirima only wanted to see Pope Francis. That would have been more than enough.

She had traveled to Philadelphia from Newark with her husband, her daughter and two of her four sons, including four-month-old Noah Gabriel. They were part of a group from St. Aloysius Parish that had come to participate in the weekend’s events.

“To see him is a blessing,” she said.

At about midday on Sunday, the group – numbering about 230 and wearing matching dark blue T-shirts – made their way through the streets of downtown Philadelphia, passed through the security perimeter and, despite the tens of thousands who had already poured into the area, somehow found a large patch of empty grass along the police barricades lining Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

“It was ready for us,” said Ms. Chuquirima, 37, a daycare worker and an Ecuadorean immigrant like her husband Amable Chuquirima, 44. They laid out cardboard and plastic sheeting and got comfortable, hoping that they had correctly guessed the pope’s route to the Mass.

As they waited, Ms. Chuquirima, came up with a plan: Should the pope drive by, she told her group, everyone should yell the pope’s name in unison in the hope he might turn to them.

At about 3:30 p.m. they heard the distant roar of the crowd, and that sound swept closer like an approaching storm, tracking the movement of the pope’s convoy – a thunderous wave of adulation.

It was headed toward their spot of grass. Ms. Chuquirima lifted Noah Gabriel, in his baptism clothes of a white singlet and white beanie, into her arms.

The popemobile came into view, and the group saw a member of the pope’s security detail carrying a baby to the pope for a blessing.

Ms. Chuquirima allowed herself a thought: Maybe they would also pick Noah Gabriel.

“But I didn’t think he would stop,” she recalled. She kept yelling and whistling all the same. “Papa! Papa!” she hollered, using the Spanish word for pope.

Francis was looking in the other direction as he drew abreast of the group but one of his security guards spotted Noah Gabriel and headed toward him.

“As he got close, my legs started shaking,” Ms. Chuquirima recalled. “Even as I tell the story now, my legs are shaking.”

The baby was lifted from her arms and, overwhelmed with emotion, she clutched the guardrail to prevent herself from collapsing. “I was yelling and crying, saying, ‘God loves me. God loves me.’ I feel like God touched me, he gave me his hand.”

She was so overcome with emotion, she was unable to see what happened next: The security guard carried Noah Gabriel to the pope, who touched and kissed his head. The group from San Aloysius Church was ecstatic.

Moments later, the baby was back in his mother’s arms.

“I felt like my son was an angel,” Ms. Chuquirima said. Still overwhelmed by the memory an hour and a half after the event, she started crying once again. “It’s a blessing for our family, for our parish. I feel like God chose this baby, to be a martyr, to be something special.”

“We feel like he’s going to save us from the waters, from the high tides,” said Ms. Chuquirima’s daughter, Jeannie, 14.

“We’re a very humble family,” Mr. Chuquirima, a carpenter, added. “We work day in and day out to support the family. It was a real blessing.”

Pope Francis Seen as Inspiring Outreach to the Vulnerable

Bishop Edward J. Burns of Juneau, Alaska, said of Francis’ visit, “It was not only a home run. It was a grand slam.”

He said in an interview that it was inspiring to see the pope reach across barricades to embrace people in need and people who are suffering.

“He stops and reaches out to those who suffer, and it’s an example and a model for us as bishops as well,” he said.

Praying with the Pope

On Overcoming Evil

Anyone who wants to bring into this world a family which teaches children to be excited by every gesture aimed at overcoming evil – a family which shows that the Spirit is alive and at work – will encounter our gratitude and our appreciation.

– Pope Francis, in the homily at his final Mass in Philadelphia

Love Is the Little Things

Love is shown by little things, by attention to small daily signs which make us feel at home. Faith grows when it is lived and shaped by love. That is why our families, our homes, are true domestic churches.

– Pope Francis, in his homily at a final Mass in Philadelphia

An Openness to Faith

Jesus encountered hostility from people who did not accept what he said and did. For them, his openness to the honest and sincere faith of many men and women who were not part of God’s chosen people seemed intolerable.

Pope Francis, in his homily at a final Mass in Philadelphia

Live Video of the Mass on Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Pilgrims Pack Streets as Pope Rides to Mass

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims packed the long boulevard leading to the makeshift sanctuary where Pope Francis is celebrating the concluding Mass of the World Meeting of Families on Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

Waving Mexican, Argentine, Vatican and other flags from around the world, the throng cheered as the pope, standing in his popemobile, took a spin around the boulevard, blessed babies and, as the choir struck up with “hallelujah,” climbed out to meet the people pressed against the gates.

Victims Suggest Church Is Shifting Debate on Abuse

The five victims of child sexual abuse who met with Pope Francis on Sunday morning included some who had been abused by relatives or educators, not Roman Catholic clergy — a deliberate decision made to show that the church is taking a “larger perspective” on the problem of sexual abuse, said the Rev. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman.

Victims of clergy sex abuse and their advocates saw something less benign at work: a subtle but unmistakable effort by the Vatican to shift the terms of the debate, to show “that it’s not always the church’s fault,” as Marci A. Hamilton, a law professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University who has represented hundreds of victims of clerical sexual abuse, put it.

Church officials have argued that sexual abuse of children is not confined to the Catholic Church, pointing out that it infects other institutions and other religions as well. The pope may not have explicitly said the same, the advocates said, but the meeting’s inclusion of people abused by teachers and relatives as well as priests spoke volumes.

“He almost seems to be trying to deflect attention somewhere else,” said Barbara Blaine, the president of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, the country’s most prominent support and advocacy group for victims of clergy sexual abuse. “Of course those who are sexually violated suffer horribly, regardless of who the perpetrator is. But the problem that we see is that we think Pope Francis has both the authority and the responsibility to stop the sexual violence in the church, and he’s failing to do that.”

The Italian Feast That Could’ve Been

While “thrilled” that the pope stopped at St. Joseph’s University, the Rev. Philip Florio was disappointed that Francis did not add a visit to Old St. Joseph’s Church to his itinerary.

“I’m admittedly disappointed that he didn’t stop here,” Father Florio said, noting that his parish is the oldest Catholic church in Philadelphia.

“Besides, as an Italian-American I would’ve had ravioli, meatballs and Italian sausage waiting for him,” he said. “It’s a Sunday after all, and he’s of Italian heritage. We usually have a big Sunday meal!”

Smile for the Smartphones

Sydney Archbishop Reflects on Call to Strengthen Family Ties

Pope Francis’ call on Sunday morning for bishops to strengthen their familial ties did not go unnoticed.

Anthony Fisher, the archbishop of Sydney, Australia, who was in town for the events, said the speech gave him plenty to reflect upon.

“I think it’s interesting that he was insisting that we had to rebuild or renew our covenant with families, suggesting that we maybe weren’t as close to families as we should be as bishops, and there is an important challenge in that for us to reflect on,” he said. “Is it the case that we are too far removed from our families and their lives?”

He also addressed he pope’s message about the challenges of living within modern society.

“I think it has been a message of his on several occasions, including when he addressed the U.S. bishops, about not always being in contest, not approaching family life always with a critique of what’s wrong with the world, the way families are in the world today,” he said.

When asked if he had heard much of a critique from the pope about social issues including same-sex marriage, the archbishop said, “No. Well, he’s touched on them but very gently and I think that’s — he’s probably modeling what he is calling the bishops to when he is saying to not be permanently in a posture of contest with our surrounding culture. That seems to be what he is proposing to us.”

The archbishop said the pope seemed to be asking “whether he thinks something more friendly and dialogical relationship rather than what people have called the culture wars is more likely to win hearts and minds.”

On Sale This Fall: The Pope’s Greatest Hits

You’ve seen the tour, now you can buy the album.

As The Times has reported, the pope is scheduled to release an album called “Wake Up!” on Nov. 27, after his whirlwind United States trip, during which he has been greeted by hundreds of thousands of well-wishers. The album features the pope’s speeches set to rock, pop and Gregorian chants, and will raise money for a support fund for refugees.

Next Up From Pope Francis? An Album, of Course

By ANDREW R. CHOW

After his whirlwind United States tour, Pope Francis will release a Vatican-approved album, which features his speeches set to rock and sacred music.

Cheers From Students at St. Joseph’s University

Cheers erupted from a crowd of several hundred people, mostly students, when the pope’s Fiat arrived on the campus of St. Joseph’s University, a Jesuit university in Philadelphia.

The stop, announced publicly only shortly before he arrived, allowed for the most famous member of the Jesuit religious order to honor fellow Jesuits who were hoping for such acknowledgment. On other trips abroad, Francis has visited his Jesuit brothers.

On the edge of a campus lawn, the pope greeted the well-wishers, many of whom carried cellphones to record the event.

In a nod to his frequent outreach to those practicing other faiths, a highlight of his stop at the university was to view a newly installed statue that commemorates the tie between Catholic and Jewish faiths.

The statue, “Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time,” was created by Joshua Koffman, a local artist, and dedicated last week. According to the University, the statue was erected to commemorate “the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Vatican II document that transformed the relationship between the Catholic and Jewish faiths.”

As he blessed the statue, he was joined by an old friend and fellow Argentine, Rabbi Abraham Skorka.

The trip lasted less than 10 minutes, and ended with the pope waving good-bye from the back of his car.

. @Pontifex is on our campus? Is this real life? pic.twitter.com/tr7cuhTIuE — Saint Joseph's (@saintjosephs) September 27, 2015

Awaiting Final Mass, Pope’s Message Resonates

Susan McNeil, the director of Marriage and Family Life at the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, was carrying a folding chair towards the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, where Francis would give his final mass in America later in the day. She said that she took Francis’ advice in his speech to bishops earlier in the morning to heart.

“He told them embrace families,” said Ms. McNeil, an attendee of the World Meeting of Families here. “It’s a reminder and we all need a reminder now and then. When you are a bishop you have a lot of meetings and governance, I know our bishop is very busy. It’s a reminder not to forget why I’m there.”

Her friend, Grace Urbanski, the director of Apostleship of Prayer, a children’s ministry in Milwaukee, called Francis the “pastor of the U.S. parish.” And said that her own priest often dined in the homes of his parish’s families to stay grounded in the real challenges they faced. She said “bishops don’t get that chance. They are invited to a lot of fancy dinners” and had last chance to get “messy.”

Asked about the pope’s reemphasis on “appreciation” over “complaints” of the family, on a pastoral approach instead of reiterating doctrine, Ms. McNeil said “it a both, and situation.” She said “none of us meet the ideal” and the mission is to “continue to draw them closer to us and not push them away.”

“It’s come as you are, but don’t stay there,” said Ms. Urbanski.

Pope Francis Visited Washington

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The Schedule

For up-to-date information about road closures and security announcements for Washington, D.C., New York, and Philadelphia, please visit www.secretservice.gov/events/pope/ .

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

4:00 PM: 

Pope Francis arrives in D.C. at Joint Base Andrews.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

White House Arrival Ceremony and personal meeting with President Obama (watch it live here at WH.gov/popevisit).

The White House Arrival Ceremony is not open to the public. Guests must have a ticket to attend.

Following the Pope’s meeting with the President, he will tour the Ellipse and parts of the National Mall.

There are no tickets required for the papal parade, but security around the secure area will be strict. Gates will open at 4 a.m. and close promptly at 10 a.m. after which no one will be allowed in the secure area. For more information on the parade route and access, visit the Archdiocese of Washington's website here .

There will be four entrances to the parade viewing area, including:

• East of the Ellipse on Constitution Avenue
• West of the Ellipse on Constitution Avenue
• East of the Washington Monument near Jefferson Drive and 15th Streets NW
• West of the Washington Monument near 17th Street NW

Midday Prayer with U.S. bishops at Saint Matthew’s Cathedral in D.C.

This event will be closed to the public

Junipero Serra Canonization Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Tickets to the Mass will be distributed through local parishes. The Catholic University Campus will be closed to members of the public during the Mass.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Speech to the Senate and House of Representatives (Joint Session of Congress). The speech will be broadcast live on jumbotrons on the West Lawn of the Capitol.

Visit to St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in D.C. and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington

After his visit to St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in D.C. and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, the Pope will travel to New York.

Departure for New York from Joint Base Andrews (D.C.)

Arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York)

Evening prayer at St. Patrick’s Cathedral (New York)

Friday, September 25, 2015

Address to United Nations General Assembly

Multi-religious service at 9/11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center

Visit to Our Lady Queen of Angels School in East Harlem

Papal motorcade through Central Park

Madison Square Garden Mass

Saturday, September 26, 2015

On the morning of Saturday, September 26 to the Pope will travel from New York to Philadelphia, the final stop on his trip to the United States.

Departure for Philadelphia from John F. Kennedy International Airport

Arrival in Atlantic Aviation hangar at Philadelphia International Airport Philadelphia

Mass at Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul

Visit to Independence Mall

Visit to Festival of Families at Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Prayer Vigil with World Meeting of Families.

Access to certain areas of the parkway will require tickets, but tickets are not necessary to attend this day’s events. Forty jumbotrons, located down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and other locations in the city, will show the events live, including the public coverage of Pope Francis. For more information about attending this event, visit their website here .

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Papal meeting with Bishops at St. Martin’s Chapel, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.

Visit to Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility. This event will be closed to the public.

Papal Mass for World Meeting of Families

Visit with organizers, volunteers and benefactors of the World Meeting of Families at Atlantic Aviation.

Departure for return to Rome.

Answers to Questions About the Pope's Visit

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• Caring for the marginalized and the poor
• Advancing economic opportunity for all
• Serving as good stewards of the environment
• Protecting religious minorities and promoting religious freedom around the world
• Welcoming and integrating immigrants and refugees into our communities

  I’m a member of the Press. How do I obtain credentials to cover the Pope’s visit to the White House?

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You told the President you're in — now let your friends know, too.

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Biden's meeting with Pope Francis will be both official and deeply personal

Scott Detrow

Then-Vice President Biden shakes hands with Pope Francis on Capitol Hill in Washington, prior to the pope's address to a joint meeting of Congress in 2015. On Friday, Francis will welcome Biden to the Vatican for the first time since Biden took office, becoming the second Catholic president in U.S. history. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP hide caption

Then-Vice President Biden shakes hands with Pope Francis on Capitol Hill in Washington, prior to the pope's address to a joint meeting of Congress in 2015. On Friday, Francis will welcome Biden to the Vatican for the first time since Biden took office, becoming the second Catholic president in U.S. history.

Ahead of President Biden's visit with Pope Francis on Friday, a question was posed in a White House briefing about whether the meeting will be "personal or formal," and the answer from national security adviser Jake Sullivan was, "Both."

Biden is just the second Catholic president, and while John F. Kennedy took pains to downplay his faith , Biden often places it front and center. He quoted St. Augustine in his inaugural address and regularly cites Pope Francis in speeches.

Biden has talked and written about praying the Rosary in the Situation Room during the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Perhaps the most powerful signal to America's practicing and cultural Catholics came the night Biden spoke after being declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. At a raucous honking drive-in rally, Biden recited lines from "On Eagles Wings," a '70s-era hymn that has become a mainstay at Catholic funerals.

"It goes like this," Biden said. "He will raise you up on eagle's wings. Bear you like the break of dawn. Make you to shine like the sun, and hold you in the palm of His hand."

In Pope Francis, Biden Has A Potential Ally — Who Shares The Same Catholic Detractors

Biden may face tension with allies over climate, Afghanistan and other issues

Biden's religion is so engrained in his public persona, yet at the same time he and his staff treat the matter as deeply private. For all those moments Biden has made it central to his public identity, the White House often bristles at questions about his faith; they make sure reporters are nowhere near the church services he attends.

The contrast between that public and private faith can play out during those Masses. When Biden spends the weekend in Washington, D.C., he often attends Saturday evening Mass at Holy Trinity, a historic Georgetown church where Kennedy worshiped, too.

Outside, crowds form, motorcades block the streets, and reporters scurry into place to snap pictures and shout questions as Biden makes the brief walk from a black SUV into the church's door.

"The outside is, as you can imagine, a real production," Fr. Kevin Gillespie, S.J., told NPR. "Inside, it's a regular Mass."

President Biden arrives at Holy Trinity Church in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., for Mass on Feb. 20. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

President Biden arrives at Holy Trinity Church in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., for Mass on Feb. 20.

Gillespie is the pastor of Holy Trinity (where, I should briefly note, I am a parishioner). When Biden slips into one the back pews of the church just as the service begins, it's a coordinated move to minimize disruption. "He's not trying to draw any focus on himself," said Gillespie. "He's there sort of in a very humble way."

The Jesuit priest does say it's hard to fully treat the president like any other person. Among other things, Gillespie admits he'll give his homily a closer read when he knows Biden is coming.

And sometimes in conversations with Gillespie at the end of Mass, Biden's public and private faith come together.

"He intimated with me, this was perhaps a month ago, how the pope has been so supportive of him during his presidency," Gillespie told NPR. "Leading me to believe there is perhaps some kind of conversation, periodically."

The president and the pope share a lot of common ground

Biden and Francis have met three times, all when Biden was vice president, according to the White House. The two men spoke on the phone during the transition, as well.

Francis' audience with Biden at the Vatican on Friday will, of course, be a formal sitdown between two heads of state. It will also be an opportunity for two kindred spirits to compare notes on common goals on global issues, as well as more basic parallels in their lives.

Biden Transition Updates

Pope francis congratulates biden, who will be the 2nd catholic president.

"These are older guys in their last jobs. No one else really thought they would be here. Biden was done. [Then-Cardinal Jorge] Bergoglio was too old. And now, here they are," said John Carr, the director of Georgetown University's Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life.

Francis shares two of the foreign policy priorities Biden emphasizes on trips like this: addressing climate change and taking on a rise in nationalism and populism.

"In a recent encyclical, Pope Francis warns us against this 'phony populism' that appeals to — quote — 'the basest and most selfish instincts,' " Biden said during a high-profile speech in Warm Springs, Ga., during the final stretch of the presidential campaign, going on to quote the document at length.

Avoiding their disagreements, including over abortion

When it comes to how this Catholic president's policies line up with Catholic teaching, Carr said Biden and Francis can divide things into three buckets:

• Things they agree on, like the environment.
• Areas where they generally agree, but have different approaches.
• The high-profile areas where Biden's policies are squarely at odds with church teaching — most notably, his support for abortion rights.

"My sense is the president and the pope are likely to focus on the first thing," said Carr.

That's what Francis has done since Biden has taken office.

Notably, he's done this even as a high-profile group of American Catholic bishops have taken the opposite approach, criticizing Biden's support for abortion rights and calling for him to be barred from receiving communion.

Shots - Health News

Treading lightly in abortion politics, biden still manages to annoy both sides.

When several American bishops released a statement on the day Biden was inaugurated and slammed his support for abortion rights, the Vatican countered with a warmer, welcoming statement . As the push to bar Biden from communion got more attention in recent months — a formal report on the question will be released at an upcoming conference of American bishops — Francis made a point in a press conference to say he's never denied communion to anyone, ever.

The debate isn't theoretical for Fr. Gillespie and Holy Trinity, where Biden attends Mass. They have followed the pope's lead, and the parish council put out a statement earlier this year: "Holy Trinity will not deny the Eucharist to persons presenting themselves to receive it."

"Now, that said, it's not like everyone's agreeing with his stance on abortion," Gillespie clarified. "The cardinal and a number of us have reservations. But we're not talking about that at communion."

Gillespie said there's one other way this church has found itself involved in the public life of the man sitting quietly in the back row.

Recently, he said, the State Department asked for suggestions for a gift a "high-level U.S. official" could present to a "high-level Vatican official."

On Friday, Gillespie will be waiting to see if the State Department took his advice.

It's All Politics

The complicated history of popes and u.s. presidents.

50 Years Of Pope Visits To The United States

Reporter, HuffPost

Pope Francis waves to faithfuls gathered in St. Peter's Square following his Sunday Angelus prayer from the window of the pontiff studio on August 16, 2015 at the Vatican.

Pope Francis will make his first visit to the United States in September, with stops in Washington, New York and Philadelphia. His trip will add to the 50-year history of pope visits to the U.S.

Pope Paul VI made the first papal visit to the U.S. in October 1965. He addressed the United Nations General Assembly, attended the New York World's Fair and celebrated Mass at Yankee Stadium. He also met with President Lyndon Johnson.

In October 1979, Pope John Paul II made his first of seven trips to the U.S. He visited Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Des Moines, and met President Jimmy Carter in Washington.

In February 1981, John Paul II spent several hours on a stopover in Anchorage, Alaska, after canonizing the first Filipino saint, Lorenzo Ruiz , in Manila. Three years later, he met President Ronald Reagan during another stopover in Alaska, while en route to canonize 103 martyrs in Seoul, South Korea.

John Paul II's longest U.S. visit was in September 1987, when he made stops in Miami; New Orleans; San Antonio, Texas; Phoenix; Los Angeles; Salinas, California; and Pontiac, Michigan. In 1993, he celebrated Mass at World Youth Day and met with President Bill Clinton in Denver.

John Paul II visited New York City, New Jersey and Baltimore in 1995, and met again with Clinton. His final visit was in January 1999, when he celebrated Mass with more than 100,000 people at a football dome in St. Louis.

Pope Benedict XVI visited the U.S. once, in April 2008. He met with President George W. Bush at the White House and visited New York City, where he offered a blessing at the World Trade Center site.

Here's a look back at 50 years of pope visits to the U.S.:

Pope John Paul II gestures to the crowd during his trip to the United States, on Oct. 6, 1979.

Young girl receives communion from Pope John Paul II as they celebrate Mass at Aqeduct Race Track in Jamaica, Queens, on Oct. 6, 1995.

Pope John Paul II says evening prayers in the Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, during his 1995 visit to the U.S.

Pope John Paul II leaves St. Patrick's Cathedral on Oct. 7, 1995, in New York surrounded by security and police as he heads for an impromptu walk down Fifth Avenue.

Pope John Paul II prepares communion during an outdoor Mass in New York's Central Park, Oct., 7, 1995.

Pope John Paul II during Mass in Central Park on Oct. 8, 1995.

Pope John Paul II greets President Bill Clinton during his visit to St. Louis in 1999.

Pope Benedict XVI waves to supporters after exiting the popemobile at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York, U.S., on Sunday, April 20, 2008.

Pope Benedict XVI gestures as he arrived for a mass at the Yankee Stadium in New York on April 20, 2008.

Pope Benedict XVI waves after the conclusion of Mass at Yankee Stadium in New York on April 20, 2008.

Pope Benedict XVI gives a blessing with holy water during ceremonies at Ground Zero on his last day in New York on April 20, 2008.

Pope Benedict XVI visits Ground Zero on his final day in New York City, April 20, 2008.

Pope Benedict XVI speaks at JFK International Airport, joined by Vice President Richard and Mrs. Lynne Cheney during his farewell ceremony on April 21, 2008.

Also on HuffPost:

From Our Partner

More in religion.

Where is Pope Francis? A schedule of his U.S. visit

Where in the states is Pontifice Francisco?

Pope Francis began his visit to the USA on Tuesday and plans visits to Washington, D.C., New York City and Philadelphia. Whether you want to catch a glimpse of the Roman Catholic Church's leader or avoid the traffic, follow his six-day schedule below.

Tuesday, Sept. 22

4 p.m. — President Obama greets Pope Francis as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews.

Wednesday, Sept. 23

9:15 a.m. — President Obama welcomes the pope to the White House.

11:30 a.m. — The pope leads a prayer at St. Matthew's Cathedral with U.S. bishops.

4:15 p.m. — Pope Francis holds a canonization Mass  for Junipero Serra, an 18th Spanish Franciscan missionary who established schools for American Indians along the California coast. The first-ever canonization Mass on U.S. soil was held at the nation's largest Catholic church, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Thursday, Sept. 24

10 a.m. — The Senate and House welcome the pope in a joint session. He will make the first-ever address to Congress, which will broadcast live on the Capitol's West Front . This speech will be one of four he will hold in English . The remaining 14 speeches on his U.S. trip will be in his native Spanish.

11 a.m. — He makes a stop on the Capitol's West Front, which overlooks the National Mall.

11:15 a.m. — St. Patrick's Catholic Church and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese host Pope Francis. Only 60 parishioners culled from a lottery of church volunteers and about 250 clients and volunteers from Catholic Charities will be allowed in during the visit. Catholic Charities St. Maria's Meals, which offers three weekly food programs in the Washington area, set up 55 tables for the poor and homeless to have lunch as the pope blesses the food and walks through.

4 p.m. — The pope departs from Washington via Joint Base Andrews for New York.

New York City

5 p.m. — Arrives in New York through John F. Kennedy International Airport.

6:45 p.m. — The pope holds an evening prayer service at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Friday, Sept. 25

8:30 a.m. — Pope Francis meets with the United Nations General Assembly. It's the 70th anniversary of the U.N .

11:30 a.m. — A multireligious service is held at the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

4 p.m. — The pope visits Our Lady Queen of Angels School in East Harlem.

5 p.m. — He will lead a procession through Central Park . About 80,000 tickets were awarded by the city in a lottery pick .

6 p.m. — Mass is held in Madison Square Garden. The chair he will sit on was built by mostly immigrant day laborers. Young men at Lincoln Hall Boys Haven in Lincolndale built the altar.

Saturday, Sept. 26

8:40 a.m. — Pope Francis departs New York for Philadelphia through John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Philadelphia

9:30 a.m. — Arrives at Atlantic Aviation.

10:30 a.m. — Mass is held at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

4:45 p.m. — The pope visits Independence Mall — the birthplace of American democracy. This historic area of Philadelphia is home to the Liberty Bell, and Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed.

7:30 p.m. — Pope Francis stops by the Festival of Families on Benjamin Franklin Parkway and holds a prayer vigil with the World Meeting of Families — the largest meeting of Catholic families held every three years. Singer Arethra Franklin will perform for the Pope as well as Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, Colombian singer/songwriter Juanes, the Philadelphia Orchestra, The Fray, comedian Jim Gaffigan and Mark Wahlberg — who will host the event.

Sunday, Sept. 27

9:15 a.m. — He holds a papal meeting with bishops at St. Martin's Chapel of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, right outside Philadelphia.

11 a.m. — The pope visits Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility. Inmates at a neighboring prison — Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center — built the chair that the pope will sit on. Several inmates learned carpentry through vocational workshops.

4 p.m. — Mass is held with the World Meeting of Families.

7 p.m. — At Atlantic Aviation, he talks with organizers, volunteers and benefactors of the World Meeting of Families . Philadelphia International Airport expects 20%-25% more passengers traveling during the pope's visit — that's similar to a very busy Thanksgiving holiday.

8 p.m. — Pope Francis departs for Rome.

Pope Paul VI rides into New York’s Yankee Stadium on his Popemobile in 1965.

• POPE FRANCIS IN THE U.S.

Three Popes Have Visited the United States—Here's What They Said

If previous papal visits are any indication, Pope Francis will arrive with a clear-cut mission.

Pope Francis is the 266th head of the Roman Catholic Church , but his visit to the United States next week makes him just the fourth pope to step foot on American soil.  

The first three to make the trip were the last three long-serving popes—the list excludes John Paul I, who was pope for just over a month—a sign of how important U.S. visits have become for church leaders. “Popes come here not just to speak to the United States, but to speak to the world,” says Stephen Schneck, Director of the Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies at The Catholic University of America .

Here’s what happened when previous popes visited:

Pope Paul VI

The first pope to visit the United States, Pope Paul VI arrived on an ambitious mission in 1965. It was a time of mounting obstacles to world peace—the middle of the Vietnam War, Cold War tensions rising, and yet another vote set for the United Nations to include China as a member. Paul wanted to “invoke the consciousness of the world,” says Schneck.

( Take an amazing 360° tour of St. Peter’s in Vatican City from your chair .)

Paul addressed the United Nations at its New York City headquarters. “It is peace—peace—that has to guide the destiny of the nations of all mankind,” he said, urging member states to move toward disarmament. “A person cannot love with offensive weapons in his hands.”

President Jimmy Carter talks with Pope John Paul II at the White House in 1979.

Pope John Paul II

With five official visits to the United States and two stopovers in Alaska, John Paul II visited the country more than any other Holy Father. “He was very much a pope on a plane," says Schneck, making official visits in 1979, 1987, 1993, 1995, 1999 and visiting more cities than any other pope—from Miami to San Francisco, from San Antonio to Detroit.

John Paul wanted to visit followers where they lived, focusing on young people. He felt “the future of the church lay in cultivating a relationship between the church and the youth of the world,” says Schneck. In August 1993, John Paul brought World Youth Day, an evangelical event he had staged around the globe, to Denver, Colorado.

( Read 10 of Pope Francis’s most provocative quotes. )

During the festival he visited Mount Saint Vincent , a facility that cares for young people with special needs. “You are our love, you are our joy, you are our greatest concern," he told children there. "For your sake, we will work honestly and hard to build a better world, a true civilization of love.”

Pope Benedict XVI arrives at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York in 2008.

Pope Benedict XVI

The most recent papal visit to the U.S. came in 2008, when Pope Benedict XVI arrived with the goal of restating church teachings for the modern world.

He held mass at Washington D.C.’s Nationals Park, the city’s baseball stadium, and at New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral, along with a prayer service at the site of the World Trade Center. He also spoke at UN headquarters, as each past pope to visit the U.S. had done.

At the Nationals Park mass, Benedict addressed growing concerns in the U.S. about sexual abuse by priests. “It is in the context of this hope born of God’s love and fidelity that I acknowledge the pain which the Church in America has experienced as a result of the sexual abuse of minors," he said. "No words of mine could describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse.”

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Pope Francis to priests: May the chapel be the most visited room in your houses

By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú

ACI Prensa Staff, Jun 27, 2024 / 16:15 pm

During an audience with Pope Francis on June 27, the priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Dehonians) received devotional counsel from the Holy Father: They should make frequent visits, in humble silence, to their chapels for quiet prayer.

The audience took place on the occasion of the 25th general chapter of the congregation. Addressing the priests, Pope Francis invited them to make chapter decisions that take into account the value of sacramental life, “of being assiduous in listening to and meditating on the word of God, of the centrality of personal prayer and community, especially adoration, as a means of personal and fraternal growth and also as a service to the Church.”

“May the chapel be the most frequented room in your religious houses, especially as a place of humble and receptive silence and quiet prayer, so that the beats of the heart of Christ may guide the rhythm of your days, modulate the tones of your conversations, and sustain the zeal of your charity,” the Holy Father told the assembled priests.

The pope also stressed that the heart of Jesus “beats with love for us from eternity and his pulse can join ours, restoring us to calm, harmony, energy, and unity, especially in difficult moments.”

The Holy Father encouraged the priests not to be afraid in difficult times and to be close to the Lord “so that unity can be achieved in times of temptation.”

For this to happen, he stressed, “we need to give him space, with fidelity and constancy, silencing in us vain words and useless thoughts, and bringing everything before him.”

‘Gossip is a plague that destroys from within’

Pope Francis reiterated that gossip “is a plague, it seems small, but it destroys from within. Be careful. Never gossip about another, never! There is a good remedy for chatter: Bite your tongue, so that your tongue becomes swollen and doesn’t let you speak.”

The pope also highlighted the importance of prayer and said that without it there is no progress, “you’re not up on your feet: neither in religious life, nor in the apostolate! Without prayer nothing is done.”

Later, Pope Francis addressed the following questions to the priests: “How can we be missionaries today, in a complex time, marked by great and multiple challenges? How can you say, in the various areas of the apostolate in which you operate, something significant to a world that seems to have lost its heart?”

“Here is the secret of a credible proclamation, of an effective proclamation: letting the word ‘love’ be written, like Jesus, in our flesh, that is, in the concreteness of our actions, with tenacity, without being stopped by judgments that afflict us, distressing problems and the evil that wounds, with inexhaustible affection for each brother and sister, in solidarity with Christ the Redeemer in his desire to make reparation for the sins of all humanity.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

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POPE FRANCIS

GENERAL AUDIENCE

Saint Peter's Square Wednesday, 26 June 2024

[ Multimedia ]

_______________________________________

The following text includes parts that were not read out loud, but should be considered as such.

Catechesis. On the occasion of the International Day. Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning! I can’t hear you!

Today is International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking , which was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1987. This year’s theme is The evidence is clear: Invest in prevention .

Saint John Paul ii affirmed that “drug abuse impoverishes every community where it exists. It diminishes human strength and moral fibre. It undermines esteemed values. It destroys the will to live and to contribute to a better society”. [1] This drives the abuse of drugs and the use of drugs. At the same time, however, let us remember that each addict “has a unique personal story and must be listened to, understood, loved, and, insofar as possible, healed and purified… They continue to possess, more than ever, a dignity as children of God”. [2] Everyone has dignity.

However, we cannot ignore the evil intentions and actions of drug dealers and traffickers. They are murderers! Pope Benedict xvi used stern words during a visit to a rehabilitation centre: “I therefore urge the drug dealers to reflect on the grave harm they are inflicting on countless young people and on adults from every level of society: God will call you to account for your deeds. Human dignity cannot be trampled upon in this way”. [3] And drugs trample on human dignity.

A reduction in drug addiction is not achieved by liberalizing drug use — this is a fantasy — as has been proposed, or already implemented, in some countries. Liberalize, and consumption increases. Having known so many tragic stories of drug addicts and their families, I am convinced that it is a moral duty to end the production and trafficking of these dangerous substances. How many traffickers of death there are — because drug traffickers are traffickers of death — driven by the logic of power and money at any cost! And this scourge, which produces violence and sows suffering and death, demands an act of courage from society as a whole.

Drug production and trafficking also have a destructive impact on our common home. This has become increasingly evident, for example, in the Amazon basin.

Another key way to counter drug abuse and trafficking is through prevention , by promoting greater justice, educating young people in values that build personal and community life, accompanying those in need, and giving hope for the future.

I was able to visit several rehabilitation centres inspired by the Gospel, during my apostolic journeys in various dioceses and countries. They are a strong and hopeful witness to the commitment of priests, consecrated men and women, and lay people to put into practice the parable of the Good Samaritan. I am also comforted by the efforts undertaken by various bishops’ conferences to promote just legislation and policies regarding the treatment of people addicted to drug use, and prevention to stop this scourge.

As an example, I point to the network of La Pastoral Latinoamericana de Acompañamiento y Prevención de Adicciones (plapa ). The charter of this network recognizes that “addiction to alcohol, psychoactive substances, and other forms of addiction (pornography, new technologies, etc.) ... is a problem that affects us indiscriminately, beyond geographical, social, cultural, religious and age differences. Despite the differences ... we want to organize as a community: to share experiences, enthusiasm, difficulties”. [4]

I also mention the Bishops of southern Africa, who convened a meeting in November 2023 on the theme, “ Empowering youth as agents of peace and hope ”. Youth representatives who participated in the meeting described it as a “significant milestone geared towards a healthy and active youth throughout the region”. They also made a promise: “We accept the role of being Ambassadors and Advocates who are going to fight against the use of substances. We plead with all young people to be empathetic to one another at all times”. [5]

Dear brothers and sisters, faced with the tragic situation of the drug addiction of millions of people around the world, faced with the scandal of the illicit production and trafficking of such drugs, “we cannot be indifferent. The Lord Jesus paused, drew near, healed wounds. In the style of His closeness, we too are called to act, to pause before situations of fragility and pain, to know how to listen to the cry of loneliness and anguish, to stoop to lift up and bring back to life those who fall into the slavery of drugs”. [6] And we pray for those criminals who give drugs to young people: they are criminals, they are murderers! Let us pray for their conversion.

On this World Day against drugs, as Christians and church communities, let us pray for this intention and renew our commitment of prayer and work against drugs. Thank you!

[2] Address to participants in the meeting sponsored by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on “Narcotics: Problems and Solutions to this Global Issue  (24 November 2016).

[3] Address to the community living in “Fazenda da Esperança” ,  Brazil , 12 May 2007.

[4] https://adn.celam.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Carta-a-la-Iglesia-de-ALC-PLAPA-14sept2023-CL.pdf

[5] https://imbisa.africa/2023/11/21/statement-following-the-imbisa-youth-meeting/

[6] Message to the participants in the 60 th  International Congress of Forensic Toxicologists  (26 August 2023).

________________________________________

Special Greetings

I extend a warm welcome to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors, especially the groups from England, Germany, Congo, Australia, India, the Philippines, Vietnam and the United States of America. In a particular way, I greet the many student groups, together with their teachers. Upon you and your families I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God bless you all!

Lastly, my thoughts turn to young people, to the sick, to the elderly and to newlyweds. This Saturday we will celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Patrons of Rome. Be missionary disciples, following their example, bearing witness to people who suffer because of war: martyred Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Myanmar, that they may soon find peace again.

I offer my blessing to everyone.

________________________________________________

Summary of the Holy Father's words

Dear brothers and sisters: Today we celebrate the World Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which this year concentrates on the need to “Invest in Prevention”. Drug addiction is a social scourge, devastating not only to the human dignity of the persons involved, but also to the welfare of society as a whole. Along with combating the illegal drug trade and the evils it spawns, greater efforts are needed to prevent drug abuse and to offer support and assistance to its victims. Today we pay tribute to the efforts of all those individuals and groups who, often inspired by the Gospel, bring healing to those enslaved by substance abuse, establish networks and programmes of recovery, and promote legislative initiatives to check the spread of drug use, especially among the young. As individuals and as a Church, let us offer them the support of our prayers and encourage them in their work.

Copyright © Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Pope to preside over interfaith meeting in Indonesian mosque during longest, most challenging trip

Pope Francis will preside over an interfaith meeting in a mosque in the world’s largest predominantly Muslim country during a four-nation Asian visit in September

ROME -- Pope Francis will preside over an interfaith meeting in a mosque in the world’s largest predominantly Muslim country during a four-nation Asian visit in September that will be the longest and most complicated foreign trip of his pontificate.

The Vatican on Friday released the itinerary for Francis’ Sept. 2-13 trip to Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and Singapore. The packed schedule makes clear that the 87-year-old pontiff, who has battled health problems and is increasingly reliant on a wheelchair, has no plans to slow down.

After a day of rest upon arrival in Jakarta on Sept. 3, Francis launches into a typically rigorous round of protocol visits to the four countries’ heads of state and government, speeches to diplomats and meetings with clergy and public Masses in each location. In Jakarta, he’ll preside over an interfaith meeting at the capital’s Istiqlal Mosque.

Sprinkled in the mix are encounters with young people, poor and disabled people, elderly people and Francis’ regular meetings with his Jesuit confreres.

The trip was originally planned for 2020 but was called off because of the COVID-19 pandemic. At 11 full days, it's the longest of Francis’ 11-year papacy, outpacing by a few days some of his long trips to the Americas and recalling some of the strenuous, globe-hopping trips of St. John Paul II.

It will bring the Argentine Jesuit to the world’s most populous predominantly Muslim nation, Indonesia, as well as the former Portuguese colony of East Timor, where the Catholic Church wields enormous influence.

In East Timor, however, Francis may also have to reckon with the legacy of independence hero Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo. The Nobel Peace Prize winner was sanctioned by the Vatican in 2020 for having sexually abused young Timorese boys and is currently believed to be living in Portugal.

Francis had to cancel his last planned foreign visit -– a quick trip to Dubai last year to participate in the U.N. climate conference -– because of a recurring case of bronchitis. He has seemed in relatively good form in recent months, including during day trips to Italian cities and visits to Roman parishes.

But in recent years, as his mobility has been limited by bad knee ligaments, he has generally stuck closer to home and kept his trips relatively short.

After he returns to Rome in mid-September, he has a four-day visit to Belgium before the end of the month, the only other foreign trip that has been confirmed for the year.

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Migrants meet with Pope: He is like a father for all of us

By Alessandro De Carolis

Pope Francis’ meeting with migrants on Tuesday afternoon was not the first such encounter. Each, however, follows a similar pattern, and each time “a great moment of grace” is repeated.

A group of migrants visited Casa Santa Marta to get to know a man they see as a “father” and a “shepherd to all,” in the words of Fr Mattia Ferrari, who accompanied the group.

Authors share their stories

The central figures in Tuesday’s meeting were two young people, Ibrahim Lo, who came from Senegal, and Ebrima Kuyateh, originally from Gambia, who both journeyed through Libya to come to Europe.

Ibrahim is the author of Pane e acqua. Dal Senegal all’Italia passando per Libia (“Bread and Water. From Senegal to Italy via Libya”) and La mia voce. Dalle rive dell’Africa alle strade dell’Europa “My Voice. From the Shores of Africa to the Streets of Europe”); while Ebrima has shared her story in a book with the eloquent title, Io i miei piedi nudi (“I My Bare Feet”) with a preface by, among others, Erio Castellucci, the Archbishop of Modena-Nonantola and bishop of Carpi, as well as an afterword by Stefano Croci, director of Migrantes .

Among the rest of the group meeting with Pope Francis were Fr Mattia Ferrari; Stefano Croci, director of Migrantes Carpi ; Giulia Bassoli, a volunteer from the same section; and Luca Casarini, founder and mission leader of Mediterranea Saving Humans and a special guest of the Synod of Bishops; and Sister Adriana Dominici, a consecrated sister of Spin Time Labs in Rome.

Stories of hell and hope

Father Mattia explained that Pope Francis wanted to listen to their stories and to thank “everyone for what they do and what they live,” and he encouraged them “to keep going.”

One of those stories came from Pato, who had already met with Pope Francis in November 2023. The death from thirst of Pato’s wife Fati and daughter Marie as they crossed the desert last year struck consciences around the world.

Similar stories of hellish experiences, though, were mixed with stories of hope that migrants wanted to share with the Holy Father. Their experiences, including the welcome received by these young people, Fr Mattia said, demonstrate that, whether at sea or on land, “when we rescue or welcome the poor, the migrants, it is they who are saving us.” And it shows that “in the love, in the fraternity that one lives with the poor, with migrants, one actually experiences salvation.”

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Open the church's doors to evangelization, pope tells new archbishops

Pope Francis emphasized the importance of openness, unity and reliance on God's guidance during Mass with 33 new archbishops for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Pope Francis gives the pallium to Archbishop Thomas R. Zinkula of Dubuque, Iowa, during Mass for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican June 29, 2024. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- While Jesus entrusted St. Peter with the keys to the kingdom more than two millennia ago, and his modern-day successor conferred apostolic authority to newly appointed archbishops June 29, it is ultimately God who holds the power to open the church's doors and lead the Christian community forward in its mission of evangelization, Pope Francis said.

Reflecting on the Apostle Peter's liberation from prison after an angel opened his cell, the pope said God "is the one who sets us free and opens the way before us" in his homily during Mass for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul June 29. 

He noted that the Christians Peter sought out after his liberation did not believe he was knocking at their door, mistaking him for an angel.

"This point is significant: the doors of the prison were opened by the Lord’s strength, but Peter then found it hard to enter the house of the Christian community," he said. "How many times have communities not learned this wisdom of the need to open the doors!"

Before 33 newly appointed archbishops gathered in St. Peter's Basilica to receive their palliums -- woolen bands worn by archbishops to symbolize their pastoral authority and unity with the pope -- Pope Francis underscored the model of St. Paul as one who "discovers the grace of weakness." 

"When we are weak, he tells us, it is then that we are strong, because we no longer rely on ourselves, but on Christ," the pope said. 

Yet he explained that relying on Christ "does not lead to a consoling, inward-looking religiosity like that found in a few movements in the church today," noting instead that St. Paul's encounter with God ignited within him "a burning zeal for evangelization."

After the entrance procession, deacons brought out the palliums from the tomb of St. Peter for Pope Francis to bless them. The palliums, made from the wool of lambs blessed by the pope on the feast of St. Agnes -- who is often depicted with a lamb to symbolize purity -- emphasize the role of the archbishop as a pastor who guides and protects his flock. 

Pope Francis remained seated during the Mass -- Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, was the main celebrant at the altar -- but stood during the sign of peace to greet Orthodox Metropolitan Emmanuel Adamakis of Chalcedon, who attended the Mass as part of a delegation from the Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople.. 

The pope invited the metropolitan to sit next to him when he distributed the palliums to the archbishops, who each shook his hand after greeting the pope. 

Among the 33 archbishops were Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne of Hartford, Connecticut, and Archbishop Thomas R. Zinkula of Dubuque, Iowa. Both U.S. archbishops brought members of their families with them to Rome to witness them receive their palliums from the pope. 

After the Mass, Archbishop Zinkula told Catholic News Service that receiving the pallium is a "huge symbol" of the archbishops' unity with the universal church and the pope, which he said is especially important in light of a growing sense of division in the United States at large and the U.S. church. 

A member of the North American synod team, Archbishop Zinkula said that discussions on tensions arose in many synod listening sessions throughout the country, and that the responsibility for overcoming such feelings of division fall to the church's pastors.

The archbishop said the church needs to address its own sense of division, but that it should also play a role in "helping to dissipate that larger tension in society."

Archbishop Coyne also acknowledged increased societal division which "finds its way into the church," but said that the chair of St. Peter remains as a "symbol of unity" for Catholics, "irregardless of who sits in it."

As a result, the church's pastors are called to be "unifiers," the archbishop told CNS. "People are feeling isolated, that's why we want to bring them to communion, people are feeling angry and feel they have meaningless lives, that's why we want to have them know the full meaning of life, which is in Jesus Christ."

"Everything we do as Christians, especially as Catholics, should never be anything that leads to division, anger," but rather action that "brings us together as brothers and sisters," he said. 

Archbishop Christopher J. Coyne of Hartford, Connecticut, displays his pallium at the Pontifical North American College in Rome after receiving it from Pope Francis during Mass for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul in St. Peter's Basilica June 29, 2024. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Deacons carry palliums -- woolen bands worn by metropolitan archbishops to symbolize their authority and unity with the pope -- during Mass for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican June 29, 2024. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Pope Francis prays during Mass for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican June 29, 2024. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Archbishop Thomas R. Zinkula of Dubuque, Iowa, poses for a photo in St. Peter's Square after receiving his pallium from Pope Francis during Mass for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican June 29, 2024. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Pope Francis kisses his stole as aides assist in vesting him before Mass for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican June 29, 2024. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

Pope Francis observes the entrance procession during Mass for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican June 29, 2024. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

With its Rome bureau founded in 1950, Catholic News Service has been providing complete, in-depth coverage of the popes and the Vatican for more than 70 years.  CNS Rome continues to be your fair, faithful and informed connection to the Holy See.

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