Pope Francis arrived at the White House on Wednesday morning to a rollicking reception on the South Lawn, crammed with 11,000 fans.
“Our backyard is not typically this crowded,” President Barack Obama told the leader of the Catholic Church. “But the size and spirit of today’s gathering is just a small reflection of the deep devotion of some 70 million American Catholics, and the way your message of love and hope has inspired so many people, across our nation and around the world.”
Obama praised his guest’s “humility, your embrace of simplicity, the gentleness of your words and the generosity of your spirit.” He thanked Francis for his help in bringing the United States and Cuba together to normalize relations.
Francis praised Obama’s initiatives to fight climate change and open relations with Cuba.
On climate change, Francis quoted Atlanta’s own Martin Luther King Jr.
“We can say that we have defaulted on a promissory note, and now is the time to honor it,” Francis said.
But the pope also said U.S. Catholics are concerned about “the right to religious liberty.”
In his own remarks, Obama praised religious liberty as a founding principle of the republic, but his administration has clashed with Catholics and other religious groups on the issues of abortion and same-sex marriage.
The pope was treated to music from the Marine Corps band, a fife and drum corps and a gospel choir. The big difference between Wednesday morning and a typical head of state visit was the large and vocal crowd.
Francis and Obama first met at the Vatican last year. The Argentinian pope is making his first trip of his life to the United States, a six-day visit that will also take him to New York City and Philadelphia.
He was greeted with wild cheers by guests of myriad faiths, members of Congress and other dignitaries.
The president and the pontiff then moved to the Oval Office for a one-on-one meeting. Obama presented Francis a sculpture of an ascending dove — a symbol of peace and the Holy Spirit — and a key from the Maryland home of Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first U.S.-born saint.
Francis then took a quick parade around the Ellipse, next to the White House, as he waved to the cheering crowds and made the sign of the cross from a specially designed Jeep Wrangler.
Since he was selected in 2013, Francis has proven to be a popular but controversial figure, angering conservatives with his concerns about capitalism and a recent encyclical warning of the perils posed by climate change. At the same time, church doctrine is unchanged in opposition to liberals on abortion and same-sex marriage.
All of the above lately have caused clashes in Congress and the presidential campaign trail.
U.S. Reps. Buddy Carter, a Pooler Republican, and Rick Allen, an Evans Republican, were spotted among the crowd.
Carter, a Methodist, was careful to say his appearance at the White House was not necessarily an endorsement of what the pope might say there or in an historic appearance before a joint meeting of Congress on Thursday.
“I’m obviously interested in his views,” Carter said. “He represents a lot of people. But at the same time, I’m here more out of respect than anything.”
About the Author
