Using a phrase with particular significance for Americans, Francis spoke of “the seamless garment” of the church, as he encouraged an end to divisions among Catholics. Francis was handed the five-month-old son of Salvadoran immigrants, and kissed him on the head.
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Francis has been fending off conservative criticism of his economic views. 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.
The pope’s remarks were brief, yet pointed. “I am happy to be a guest in this country, which was largely built by such families”, he said at the White House.
The pope’s speech will be closely watched for how far he strays onto perilous political ground on issues such as the treatment of undocumented migrants, abortion, global warming and the plight of those left destitute by capitalism’s excesses.
“Such change demands on our part a serious and responsible recognition, not only of the kind of the world we may be leaving to our children but also to the millions living under a system which has over looked them”.
“It seems clear to me also that climate change is a problem which can no longer be left to a future generation”. And in comments that could antagonize Republicans, Francis endorsed President Barack Obama’s efforts on climate change and rebuilding ties with Cuba after more than half a century of estrangement.
“As people of faith, we are called to protect the vulnerable and to care for God’s earth”, the Alliance statement said.
When Pope Francis travels around the United States later this week, he will fly on an American Airlines jet that temporarily will be christened Shepherd One.
After speeches from the president and the pope, the two men will hold private talks, with only a translator present, in the Oval Office.
While bishops continued to aid the poor and immigrants through their massive network of social service agencies and schools, they increasingly put resources into high-profile fights against gay marriage, abortion and insurer-provided birth control.
Just before the pope arrived, Obama had tweeted to the Holy Father: “Welcome to the White House, @Pontifex!” Berliner appears to be inferencing (nope, that’s definitely not right) a report in which an unnamed “senior Vatican official” fretted that possible photos of the Pope with a few gay people would be seen as an endorsement of their sinning.
In an era of renewed racial tensions in the country, the 78-year-old Pope invoked America’s best known civil rights leader, the late Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.to make points about the environment and equality.
In his remarks to the bishops, Francis emphasized one of the defining messages of his papacy, that church leaders should focus less on defending church teaching and more on compassion. “What grudging, belated steps they have taken have been forced on them by the most courageous people in this crisis, abuse victims and their families”.
Clohessy said Francis “refuses to even be honest about what this crisis is”.
“I know how much the pain of recent years has weighed upon you, and I have supported your generous commitment to bring healing to victims… and to work to ensure that such crimes will never be repeated”, Francis told the bishops, who applauded. This year, three bishops resigned in crises over their failures to protect children.
Pope Francis has a reputation of unification, but can the pontiff unify Washington? Several thousand of the 25,000 tickets to the event were set aside for Spanish-speaking people, many from California.
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Nuns sit in their pews while waiting for Pope Francis to arrive inside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Wednesday, September 23, 2015, in Washington.
