Pope's Visit

From the BBC:

"Pope Francis begins tour of the US"

 

Pope Francis has begun to begin his tour of the US, where he is expected to greet millions of America Catholics and address thorny issues like climate change and income inequality. US President Barack Obama welcomed the pope as he landed on Tuesday - a rare honour for a foreign dignitary. The pontiff will visit Washington DC, New York and Philadelphia.  Before he departed Cuba on Tuesday, he called on its people to live a "revolution of tenderness". In the final Mass of his four-day visit to the island, with President Raul Castro attending, he urged thousands of Cubans to serve one another and not an ideology.  When he landed at Andrews Air Force Base, the Pope was greeted by Mr Obama and his family along with Vice-President Joe Biden and his wife.  The crowd, which included a military honour guard, schoolchildren, politicians, and Roman Catholic clergymen, chanted: "Welcome to the USA! Hello! Hey!"  Taking questions from journalists, the Pope answered in Spanish and Italian for almost half an hour - apologizing that English was not his forte.  Authorities have launched one of the biggest security operations in US history to ensure the pope's safety. The pontiff, who has sought to bring Catholics back to the church with a more inclusive message, is very popular in the US and is expected to draw massive crowds in all three cities.  A large portion of central Philadelphia will be practically closed off during his visit and federal employees in Washington have been urged to work remotely while the Pope is in the capital. The event could attract up to a million and a half people. The Pope enjoys going into crowds and using an open-sided Jeep rather than a bulletproof "popemobile", throwing US law enforcement off as they mount huge security operations. The BBC's Will Grant in Cuba says the Pope has avoided any overt political statements during his visit there but commentators say he is expected to be more outspoken while in the US.

 

The pontiff's schedule

Wednesday:

• Pope Francis will meet with President Barack Obama at the White House
• Papal Parade along DC's National Mall
• Prayer with US bishops at Saint Matthew's Cathedral in DC
• Canonisation Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Thursday:

• Pope Francis will address US Congress and appear in front of the Capitol building
• Visit to St Patrick's Catholic Church in DC and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington
• Depart DC for New York and do evening prayer at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York

Friday:

• Pope Francis will attend the United Nations General Assembly
• Multi-religious service at the 11 September Memorial and Museum
• Visit to Our Lady Queen of Angels School in East Harlem neighbourhood
• Motorcade through Central Park
• Mass in Madison Square Garden

Saturday:

• Pope Francis will arrive in Philadelphia and have a mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts Peter and Paul
• Visit to Philadelphia's Independence Mall
• Visit to the Festival of Families and a prayer vigil with the World Meeting of Families

Sunday:

• Pope Francis will meet with Bishops at St Martin's Chapel and St Charles Borromeo Seminary
• Visit to Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility
• Papal Mass for the World Meeting of Families
• Back to Rome

 

^ I hope that Pope Francis' visit to the US will help bring Americans (Catholics and non-Catholics) closer together as a country and also help ties between the US and the Vatican. So far Pope Francis has done a lot to make the Catholic Church a more modern institution. It is a very hard task as many things are centuries-old, but the Catholic Church has to get into the 2nd decade of the 21st Century if it wants to thrive for years to come. In the past it has been very secretive and good at hiding its abuses. The main thing that Pope Francis needs to portray to Americans is that the Catholic practices of "loving thy neighbor"  and "forgiving thy enemy" are real and not merely words on paper. Hopefully the Pope will be able to give that message and more to the people and his trip will be successful. ^

 

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34330260