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.

pope francis visit to united states

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

Pope Paul VI giving mass and sermon of peace at Yankee Stadium during historic visit. New York, 1965.

[ 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

Pope Francis US 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.

Pope Francis sits on board his plane bound for Rome after his six-day visit to the United States, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 27, 2015. REUTERS/Charles Mostoller TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

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APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO CUBA, TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND VISIT TO THE UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS (19-28 SEPTEMBER 2015)

VISIT TO THE JOINT SESSION OF THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS

ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER

United States Capitol, Washington, D.C. Thursday, 24 September 2015

[ Multimedia ]

Mr. Vice-President, Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members of Congress, Dear Friends,

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.

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.

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.

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!

Greeting of the Holy Father from the Porch of the United States Capitol:

Good day to all of you.  I thank you for your welcome and your presence.  I thank the most important people here today: the children.  I want to ask God to bless them.  Lord, Father of us all, bless his people, bless each of them, bless their families, grant them what they need most.  I ask you to pray for me and, if there are some among you who do not believe or cannot pray, I ask you please to wish me well.  Thank you.  Thank you very much.  And God bless America!

Copyright © Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

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

  when will the pope visit the white house,   how can i participate in the arrival of the pope at the white house.

  • Gates open at 5:30AM and will close promptly at 8:15AM
  • Please arrive no later than 6:30AM to guarantee your admission to the event
  • There will not be any parking available on the White House complex
  • Late arrivals will not be permitted—gates will close promptly at 8:15 AM
  • Tickets are required for admission—members of the public will be turned away without an event ticket.
  • The event will take place rain or shine
  • Lost tickets will not be replaced
  • Your event ticket will admit ONE person (children of all ages will need an event ticket to attend)
  • Tablets, iPads, Tripods, Monopods, and Camera Sticks
  • Large Bags, Backpacks, and Suitcases
  • Drones and other Unmanned Aircraft Systems
  • Animals other than Service/Guide Dogs
  • Bicycles, Folding Chairs, Balloons, Coolers, Glass, Thermal or Metal Containers
  • Signs or Flags of Any Kind
  • Any Pointed Object(s), Including Pocket Knives
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  • Food, Liquids (water will be provided), Aerosols, Tobacco Products, Lighters, Personal Grooming Items
  • Firearms, Ammunition, Fireworks, Laser Pointers, Stun Guns/Tasers, Mace/Pepper Spray, Toy Weapons or Knives of Any Kind
  • Any Other Items Determined to be Potential Safety Hazards

  Will the Pope’s arrival ceremony be broadcast online?

  what will the pope and president obama discuss.

  • 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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pope paul vi

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.”

Pope John Paul II

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

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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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

Pope Francis waves goodbye as he boards a flight back to the Vatican.

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

Crowds watched Pope Francis on the large screens at his final mass in the United States.

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

Pope Francis was the first pope to visit an American prison.

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

David Alexander Cantu prays during the Mass celebrated by Pope Francis along Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia.

On Overcoming Evil

Pope Francis celebrated his final Mass of his visit to the United States on Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia.

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

A large crowd listened as Pope Francis delivered the final mass.

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

pope francis visit to united states

Pilgrims Pack Streets as Pope Rides to Mass

Crowds wait to go through security checkpoints before entering the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for Pope Francis' 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

Pope Francis on his way to deliver mass Mass at the World Meeting of Families.

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

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.

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A History of Papal Visits to America

AP_6510040295

Since the inaugural papal visit to the New World by Paul VI, the United States has become a destination visited as often as possible by pontiffs. Ahead of Pope Francis's first visit to the United States since becoming head of the Roman Catholic Church in 2013, Newsweek's Special Editions takes a look at a history of papal visits to America.

POPE PAUL VI

1965 (10/4) New York

Becoming the first pope to leave the confines of the Italian border since the Napoleonic era, Paul VI made a one-day trip to the U.S. in 1965, also becoming the first pontiff to set foot in the New World. In his 14-hour New York adventure, Pope Paul VI visited St. Patrick's Cathedral on 5th Avenue, making a speech to assembled American Catholics in his slight Italian accent. Upon his arrival at JFK Airport, he proclaimed, "Greetings to you, America. The first pope to set foot on your land blesses you with all his heart. He renews, as it were, the gesture of your discoverer, Christopher Columbus, when he planted the Cross of Christ on this blessed soil."

ST. POPE JOHN PAUL II

1979 (10/1–10/7) Boston; New York; Philadelphia; Chicago; Washington, D.C.; and Des Moines, Iowa.

During his first-ever trip to the United States, the future St. John Paul II led Mass at Yankee and Shea stadiums in New York City, on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia and in the expansive Grant Park in Chicago. More than one million American Catholic worshippers showed up to receive the pope's blessings during his stateside visit.

1981 (2/27) Anchorage, Alaska

After canonizing the first ever Filipino saint, Lorenzo Ruiz, in Manila, Philippines, His Holiness stopped off for half a day in Anchorage, Alaska, which made him the first pontiff ever to visit the American arctic.

1984 (5/2) Fairbanks, Alaska—stopover/several hours

On his way to his visit to the Far East, Pope John Paul II returned to Alaska during a stopover on his way to Seoul, Korea. His trip to the Asian peninsula was for the purpose of canonizing 103 Korean martyrs.

1987 (9/10–9/19) Miami; Columbia, South Carolina; New Orleans; San Antonio; Phoenix; Los Angeles; Monterey, California; San Francisco; Detroit

During his longest ever trip to the United States, John Paul II led Masses in Miami; New Orleans; San Antonio; Phoenix; Los Angeles; Salinas, California; and Pontiac, Michigan. He also met with President Ronald Reagan in the process to discuss world issues.

AP_99012702589

1993 (8/12–8/15) Denver (World Youth Day)

In Colorado for the growing tradition of World Youth Day, Pope John Paul II condemned violence, drug abuse and pornography as threats to the future of society before officially meeting with President Bill Clinton.

1995 (10/4–10/8) Newark, New Jersey; New York (including Brooklyn); Baltimore

Making a tour of the New York Metropolitan Area, Pope John Paul II arrived in Newark and greeted the gathered faithful in typically warm and stately fashion: "It is a great joy for me to return to the United States, as I had hoped to do last year. Thank you all for receiving me so warmly. This is a land of much generosity, and its people have always been quick to extend their hands in friendship and to offer hospitality. Thank you especially, President Clinton, for coming here today in that same spirit.... I look forward to meeting the Catholic communities of Newark, Brooklyn, New York and Baltimore, as well as our brothers and sisters of other Christian Churches and Ecclesial Communities.... I greet all the people of this great nation, of every race, color, creed and social condition. I pray for you all and assure you of my profound esteem."

AP_7910070163

1999 (1/26–1/27)—St. Louis

An aging John Paul II visited St. Louis and held Mass in front of 100,000 people in the city's football stadium. He took the opportunity of an audience in the American heartland to roundly decry the death penalty as cruel and unnecessary.

AP_080416012476

POPE BENEDICT XVI

2008 (4/15–4/20)—Washington, D.C. and New York

After meeting with President George W. Bush at the White House, Benedict said Mass at Nationals Park and moved on to New York. While in the Big Apple, the pope said Mass at both St. Patrick's Cathedral and Yankee Stadium before offering a blessing at the former site of the World Trade Center.

This article appears in Newsweek 's Collector's Edition, Pope Francis The American Journey, by Issue Editor James Ellis.

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Pope John-Paul II and former US President Jimmy Carter at the White House in Washington, October 6, 1979.

Fifty years of papal visits to the United States

How the Guardian reported papal tours of America over the past half-century

  • Pope Francis journeys to Washington to begin historic US visit
  • Have you met the pope? Share your experiences

Fifty years after the first papal visit to the US, Pope Francis makes a three-city tour of the country which includes attending the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.

The first reigning pontiff to visit the United States was Pope Paul VI, who made a one-day stop in New York to address to the United Nations in 1965. Here he called on the UN to declare ‘ no more war .’

The Guardian, 5 October 1965.

The Guardian’s response to the speech was to be found in the editorial, Peace-loving is not enough . Elsewhere in the paper, Hella Pick noted that the Pope’s long handshake and seemingly friendly conversation with the Soviet foreign minister was subject to wide comment. Meanwhile, when the pope celebrated mass at the Yankee Stadium, Alistair Cooke reported that the ‘great, garish pit [was ] translated overnight into a circular cathedral.’

Fourteen years later, Pope John Paul II made the first of seven visits to the US.

The Guardian 3 October 1979

After a 2,300 mile tour of America that included a visit to Harlem and a speech endorsing the conservative line on sex issues , Pope John Paul II became the first pontiff to visit the White House.

Pope and White house

Other visits included a stopover in Fairbanks, Alaska in May 1984 , where he met President Ronald Reagan.

In 2008, Pope Benedict XVI visited Washington and New York. Making his first visit to the US since his election in 2005, he was greeted on the White House lawn by the president, George Bush, plus a 21-gun salute and a serenade from a world-class opera singer.

The Guardian, 16 April 2008.

The 265th pope gave a resounding endorsement of the role of religion in democratic society telling a crowd of thousands that ‘the need for global solidarity is as urgent as ever’ in an age of extremism and terror. The following day he addressed the UN general assembly .

Visiting the US at the same time was Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, but, as Stephen Bates noted, he was never going to dominate the news agenda as ‘ passing popes will always outrank prime ministers .’

Pope Benedict XVI with President George W. Bush, Andrews Air Force Base in Camp Springs, Maryland, USA, 15 April 2008.

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Pope Francis Visits the U.S.: Itinerary Includes 9/11 Memorial and Philadelphia Prison

Pope Francis has a packed itinerary for his visit to the United States this week — including a speech to Congress, a service at the Sept. 11 memorial, a Mass at Madison Square Garden and a visit to a Philadelphia prison.

Here is the pope’s schedule, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. All times Eastern:

Tuesday, Sept. 22: Washington

  • 4 p.m.: Arrival from Cuba at Joint Base Andrews.

Wednesday, Sept. 23: Washington

  • 9 a.m.: Meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House.
  • 10 a.m. (approx): Pope participates in parade around Ellipse outside White House.
  • 11:30 a.m.: Midday prayer with the bishops of the United States, St. Matthew's Cathedral.
  • 3:50-4 p.m.: Popemobile parade to Basilicia of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
  • 4:15 p.m.: Mass of Canonization of Junipero Serra, Basilicia.

Thursday, Sept. 24: Washington and New York

  • 10-10:35 a.m.: Address to joint session of Congress.
  • 11:15 a.m.: Visit to St. Patrick in the City and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington.
  • 4 p.m.: Departure from Joint Base Andrews.
  • 5 p.m.: Arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
  • 6-6:30 p.m.: Open motorcade on Fifth Avenue from 55th St. to St. Patrick's Cathedral.
  • 6:45 p.m.: Evening prayer (Vespers) at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Friday, Sept. 25: New York

  • 8:30 a.m.: Arrives at the United Nations
  • 10:20-10:50 a.m.: Addresses the United Nations General Assembly
  • 11:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Multi-religious service at 9/11 Memorial and Museum, World Trade Center and Foundation Hall
  • 4 p.m.: Visit to Our Lady Queen of Angels School, East Harlem.
  • 5:15 p.m.: Open motorcade down West Drive, Central Park
  • 6 p.m.: Mass at Madison Square Garden.

Saturday, Sept. 26: New York and Philadelphia

  • 8:40 a.m.: Departure from John F. Kennedy International Airport.
  • 9:30 a.m.: Arrival at Atlantic Aviation.
  • 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Mass at Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul.
  • 4:05 p.m.-5 p.m.: Visit to Independence Hall.
  • 8 p.m.: Visit to the Festival of Families, Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Pope's remarks expected before 9 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 27: Philadelphia

  • 9:15 a.m.: Meeting with bishops at St. Martin's Chapel, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.
  • 11 a.m.: Visit to Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility.
  • 3:25 p.m.: Begins open motorcade along Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
  • 4-6:15 p.m.: Mass for the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families, Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
  • 7 p.m.: Visit with organizers, volunteers and benefactors of the World Meeting of Families, meets with Vice President Joe Biden and family, Atlantic Aviation.
  • 8 p.m.: Departure for Rome.

Erin McClam is a senior writer for NBC News, responsible for reporting, writing and editing general news for NBCNews.com. Prior to joining the site in January 2013, McClam worked at The Associated Press, where he spent 13 years and was most recently financial markets editor. In that role, McClam was responsible for a team of five reporters and a deputy editor that covered the stock and bond markets, financial regulation and the nation's largest banks.

Prior to that role, McClam held a variety of jobs at AP, including being a national correspondent and an original member of its Top Stories Desk editing operation.

McClam lives in New York.

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Pieces of History

Pieces of History

Papal visits to the United States

Pope Francis’s visit this September marks the 10th time a Pope has visited the United States.

Since the Federal Government is heavily involved in a papal visit, and the National Archives holds the records of the Federal Government, we have documents related to all these events.

The first Pope to visit the United States was Pope Paul VI, who met with President Lyndon Johnson at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City. This was Paul VI’s only visit to the United States.

President Johnson's Daily Diary Entry, showing visit with Pope Paul VI, October 4, 1965. (National Archives Identifier192458)

Nearly 15 years passed before another papal visit. In 1979, Pope John Paul II came to the United States and became the first Pope to visit the White House. Pope John Paul II visited the United States a total seven of times.

President Jimmy Carter's Handwritten Notes on Meeting with Pope John Paul II, October 6, 1979. (National Archives Identifier 6207614)

On April 16, 2008, on his 81st birthday, Pope Benedict XVI visited President George W. Bush at the White House. This was the most recent papal visit until this week.

President George W. Bush and Laura Bush Greet Pope Benedict XVI on His Arrival at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, April 15, 2008. (National Archives Identifier 7582808)

Search our Online Catalog for more documents and photographs of papal and other dignitaries’ visits.

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50 years of pope visits to the united states.

Antonia Blumberg

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 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 francis visit to united states

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

pope francis visit to united states

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 francis visit to united states

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 francis visit to united states

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 francis visit to united states

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

pope francis visit to united states

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

pope francis visit to united states

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

pope francis visit to united states

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 francis visit to united states

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

pope francis visit to united states

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

pope francis visit to united states

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 francis visit to united states

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

pope francis visit to united states

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.

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pope francis visit to united states

Pope Francis and President Milei had a public reconciliation. U.S. politicians should learn from them.

pope francis visit to united states

The public reconciliation between Pope Francis and Argentine President Javier Milei in February was an all-too-rare moment of ostensible enemies meeting peacefully and even joyfully.

Mr. Milei, who was elected president of the pope’s home country in December, had harshly criticized the Holy Father several times in the course of his campaign, calling him among other things “a malignant presence on earth” and a “filthy leftist” with “an affinity for murderous communists.”

Yet Pope Francis welcomed Mr. Milei’s hug during the president’s visit to the Vatican in February, favoring him with an unusually long private audience after the president attended the canonization of the first Argentine-born saint , María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa. As America ’s Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell writes , all of this “augurs well for their future relationship.”

As we head into what is sure to be a rancorous general election in the United States, what might we learn from the relationship between the pope and president?

1. Don’t escalate.

Despite Mr. Milei’s comments about the pope, Francis chose not to retaliate. Instead, he brushed the comments aside as election propaganda. This is not politics as usual.

When a politician is attacked, there are many reasons why he or she would choose to fight back, including the free publicity and the appearance of being strong and confident. Mudslinging can look like a mutually beneficial arrangement for politicians whose instinct is to tear each other down.

Christians pondering these realities—and disinclined to discount the value of the Gospel for public life—might wonder what space there is in this environment for Christians to turn the other cheek. Who can stand above the fray instead of insulting her opponents?

But there are costs to the invective. At a minimum, participating in the exchange of abuse means politicians contribute to the debasement of the political culture, ensuring that they will be caught in the dynamic again. And someday, one of these shootouts might prove fatal to their political careers.

Meanwhile, criticism of a politician might even strengthen their support among their base, as happens on a near-daily basis with former President Donald J. Trump .

Pope Francis offers a better way. Despite the harshness of Mr. Milei’s insults, Pope Francis did not respond in kind. Indeed, his response was measured and thoughtful: “It is important to distinguish between what a politician says on the campaign trail and what he or she will actually do afterward.”

His words also redirect the conversation toward the vital task at hand. Pope Francis is not going to get bogged down in frivolous theatrics. Rather, he wants to know what the substance of his relationship with Mr. Milei is going to be.

At one level, Pope Francis seems to be modeling the strategic position that, at least under some conditions, there is more to be gained from charity than from rancor. That is certainly true, and Francis possesses a moral realism that is neither surprised by nor deterred by, the dirtiness of politics as usual.

Even Niccolò Machiavelli counseled princes to remain open to the utility of virtue—or better the utility of the appearance of virtue. But isn’t Pope Francis offering something even more than that?

Indeed, more profoundly, his example reminds us of Jesus’ message to turn the other cheek and gives us some hope that we can live it out. And that is more than a strategy.

2. Stick to your deepest principle: spreading the Gospel.

So what do you do instead of joining the fray? Stay the course.

Pope Francis has exhorted the church to missionary joy and evangelical zeal, and his response to Mr. Melei was a demonstration of both. Rather than being preoccupied with his own reputation, the pope has sought to protect and guide the church in its mission, not least in Argentina.

Christians know we often do the thing that we do not want to do, and often at a fundamental level: hating our neighbor instead of loving her, cursing our enemy instead of praying for him. Even though we know that our fundamental identity is as the beloved of God and that the love of God is not something we have to compete for with other Christians, somehow we find ourselves in conflict with other faithful persons. The question for Christians, then, is how we will break the cycle of conflict.

At the very least, we can take time to give thanks for and reflect upon counterexamples. Pope Francis’ magnanimous and prudent openness to Mr. Milei can nourish us in our journey to feed our deeper desires for the good, not the superficial desires for sin and violence that run amok in our political landscape.

Lest we misunderstand the challenge of turning the other cheek, however, breaking the cycle of recrimination cannot exclude those with whom we are in profound disagreement.

For many commentators, Mr. Milei’s right-wing politics are an important part of the story. Mr. Milei’s brand of economic justice does not square easily with the Holy Father’s teachings on public life, and so it is easy to cast their relationship in “culture war” narratives. But Pope Francis has navigated difficult relationships with public figures of many political stripes .

Again and again, Pope Francis refuses to be drawn into power politics with any group, and he is willing to talk to people he’s not supposed to like. Francis is no doubt aware that Mr. Milei’s attitude toward him could change in the future; politics is a fickle sport. But the pope, for all his prudence and realism, is guided more fundamentally by the Gospel.

3. Be open to opportunities for reconciliation.

For Elise Ann Allen, a reporter for Crux, it was nothing short of a “ miracle ” that the encounter between Pope Francis and Mr. Milei turned out so positively. Perhaps it is not too much to say that the Holy Father was waiting for just such a miracle.

The thawing began in December when Pope Francis called Mr. Milei to congratulate him on his electoral victory. Another opening for reconciliation came with the public celebrations in Rome of the canonization of María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa. The pope did not waste that opportunity.

If public figures want to model a better way for civil relations, they probably should not wait for other figures to take the lead. They should follow Pope Francis in taking the initiative.

Taking such an initiative also puts the people back into geopolitics. International relations scholars and commentators like to think of world politics in terms of gigantic systems and phenomena, and there is great value in such analysis. But countries are after all led by humans, and the relationships between those humans matter. Thinking of politics exclusively in terms of systems can suggest a fatalism, a belief that human relations don’t matter or, more commonly, that they must be cynical and instrumental.

Pope Francis has a challenge for those people. There are countless international forums where world leaders have the opportunity to forge positive, hopeful relationships.

4. Take the long view

Ultimately, the desire to introduce a Christian leavening in politics depends on seeing the benefits of eschewing short-term gains in favor of something more lasting. To be able to see those benefits, political figures are going to have to be psychologically and spiritually mature enough to become aware of themselves as a product of a time and place but also above such realities.

The church is a partisan for peace, as the Holy Father has made clear countless times. In a world in which conflict and division can seem almost “natural,” Pope Francis reminds us that a better way is possible.

pope francis visit to united states

Bill McCormick, S.J., is a contributing editor at America , chief mission officer at St. John’s College in Belize City, and a research fellow in the Department of Political Science at Saint Louis University, in Missouri.

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Pope Francis' Health Appears Improved During Visit to Rome Parish

Pope Francis' Health Appears Improved During Visit to Rome Parish

Reuters

Pope Francis waves, on the day he presides over the '24 Hours for the Lord' Lenten initiative at the Roman parish of San Pio V, in Rome, Italy, March 8, 2024. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis' health appeared to have improved on Friday as he presided at a ritual at a Rome parish without the signs of fatigue from a bout of bronchitis that forced him to limit activities over the past two weeks.

Francis seemed more or less back to normal during a visit of several hours to the Rome church of St. Pius V, not far from the Vatican.

He read his homily on the theme of forgiveness - instead of delegating an aide to speak for him as he has mostly done since late February - and improvised much of it.

Francis urged priests not to be severe when hearing confessions of the faithful and not to pry too much into a person's private life.

Francis heard the confessions of about 10 people during the service and at the end stopped to chat from his wheelchair with dozens of participants, showing no signs of discomfort.

The 87-year-old Francis' recent bout with flu and bronchitis began on Feb. 24 when he was forced to cancel meetings for several days.

Photos You Should See

A Maka Indigenous woman puts on make-up before protesting for the recovery of ancestral lands in Asuncion, Paraguay, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. Leader Mateo Martinez has denounced that the Paraguayan state has built a bridge on their land in El Chaco's Bartolome de las Casas, Presidente Hayes department. (AP Photo/Jorge Saenz)

For much of the past two weeks aides read his addresses for him after he made brief introductions explaining that he was tired.

On Feb. 28 Francis went to a hospital near the Vatican for checks that medical sources said included a CT scan.

As a young man in his native Argentina, Francis had part of a lung removed.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Ros Russell)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .

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Pope Francis appears in good form and reads homily after the flu sent him to the hospital for tests

Pope Francis visits the parish church of St. Pius V for the "24 hours for the Lord" Lenten initiative of prayer and reconciliation, in Rome, Friday, March 8, 2024. The event will be celebrated in dioceses around the world on the eve of the fourth Sunday of Lent, from Friday 8 to Saturday 9 March.(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis visits the parish church of St. Pius V for the “24 hours for the Lord” Lenten initiative of prayer and reconciliation, in Rome, Friday, March 8, 2024. The event will be celebrated in dioceses around the world on the eve of the fourth Sunday of Lent, from Friday 8 to Saturday 9 March.(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis confesses a man as he visits the parish church of St. Pius V for the “24 hours for the Lord” Lenten initiative of prayer and reconciliation, in Rome, Friday, March 8, 2024. The event will be celebrated in dioceses around the world on the eve of the fourth Sunday of Lent, from Friday 8 to Saturday 9 March.(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis confesses a woman as he visits the parish church of St. Pius V for the “24 hours for the Lord” Lenten initiative of prayer and reconciliation, in Rome, Friday, March 8, 2024. The event will be celebrated in dioceses around the world on the eve of the fourth Sunday of Lent, from Friday 8 to Saturday 9 March.(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

A woman hugs Pope Francis after confessing as he visits the parish church of St. Pius V for the “24 hours for the Lord” Lenten initiative of prayer and reconciliation, in Rome, Friday, March 8, 2024. The event will be celebrated in dioceses around the world on the eve of the fourth Sunday of Lent, from Friday 8 to Saturday 9 March.(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

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ROME (AP) — Pope Francis appeared in good form on Friday in his first parish visit outside the Vatican this year, delivering his homily and hearing confessions after a lingering bout of the flu had sent him to the hospital for tests and forced him to cancel some appointments last week.

In a strong voice with only occasional coughing, Francis read his homily aloud after a week in which he had regularly asked an aide to deliver his remarks to spare him the strain. He is still having mobility problems and uses a wheelchair rather than walk with a cane, even for a short distance.

Francis presided over a Mass and heard confessions at the St. Pius V church not far from the Vatican — his first parish outing this year. He had canceled some audiences over the past week because of what the Vatican said was a slight case of the flu.

He went to the hospital Feb. 28 for unspecified diagnostic tests , the results of which have not been released. He has been suffering on and off this winter from what he and the Vatican have said was a cold, bouts of bronchitis and the flu.

The Argentine pope had part of one lung removed as a young man because of a respiratory infection, and he often speaks in a whisper even when not sick. In 2021, he had a chunk of his colon removed and last year had surgery to repair an abdominal hernia and remove intestinal scar tissue.

pope francis visit to united states

Pope Francis appears in good form and reads homily after the flu sent him to the hospital for tests

Pope Francis appears to be in good form as he made his first parish visit outside the Vatican this year

ROME -- ROME (AP) — Pope Francis appeared in good form on Friday in his first parish visit outside the Vatican this year, delivering his homily and hearing confessions after a lingering bout of the flu had sent him to the hospital for tests and forced him to cancel some appointments last week.

In a strong voice with only occasional coughing, Francis read his homily aloud after a week in which he had regularly asked an aide to deliver his remarks to spare him the strain. He is still having mobility problems and uses a wheelchair rather than walk with a cane, even for a short distance.

Francis presided over a Mass and heard confessions at the St. Pius V church not far from the Vatican — his first parish outing this year. He had canceled some audiences over the past week because of what the Vatican said was a slight case of the flu.

He went to the hospital Feb. 28 for unspecified diagnostic tests, the results of which have not been released. He has been suffering on and off this winter from what he and the Vatican have said was a cold, bouts of bronchitis and the flu.

The Argentine pope had part of one lung removed as a young man because of a respiratory infection, and he often speaks in a whisper even when not sick. In 2021, he had a chunk of his colon removed and last year had surgery to repair an abdominal hernia and remove intestinal scar tissue.

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Pope Francis visits hospital for tests as he battles the flu, Vatican says

February 28, 2024 / 7:09 AM EST / CBS/AP

Vatican City — Pope Francis, who has been suffering from the flu , was brought to a hospital in central Rome after the papal audience on Wednesday, arriving at the Gemelli Hospital on Tiber Island in a small white Fiat 500 and leaving again under escort in the same car after a short period. The Vatican said after the visit that he was taken to the hospital "for some diagnostic tests," after which he returned to the Vatican.

The 87-year-old pope was pushed in a wheelchair into the audience hall at the Vatican earlier in the day, appearing weary as he dropped heavily into his seat. In recent weeks he has walked the short distance to his chair, but he has been struggling with mild flu symptoms over the past week.

The pope also canceled appointments Saturday and Monday due to the flu, but appeared as usual for the Sunday blessing from a window overlooking St. Peter's Square.

VATICAN-RELIGION-POPE-AUDIENCE

Last week, Francis coughed repeatedly during Ash Wednesday services that he presided over at a Roman church, and opted not to participate in the traditional procession that inaugurates the church's Lenten season.

This time of year in 2020, just as the coronavirus pandemic was starting to hit Italy, Francis also suffered a bad cold that forced him to cancel several days of official audiences and his participation in the Vatican's annual spiritual retreat. The Vatican had already scrubbed the retreat for this year in favor of personal spiritual exercises

The Argentine pope had part of one lung removed as a young man because of a respiratory infection, and in 2021 had a chunk of his colon removed because of an intestinal inflammation. He has used a wheelchair and cane since last year because of strained knee ligaments and a small knee fracture that have made walking and standing difficult.

Vatican Pool Images 2024

The pope used his brief words at the end of Wednesday's audience to mark the 25th anniversary of the ratification of the Anti-Personnel Mines Convention, expressing his "closeness to the numerous victims of these insidious devices that remind us of the dramatic cruelty of war."

He also appealed for peace in the Middle East and Ukraine, and prayed for the victims of attacks in Burkina Faso and Haiti.

At the end of the audience, the pope spent about an hour greeting the faithful from his wheelchair, stopping to talk, bless babies and exchange gifts.

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Pope asks children to make the world better, one little step at a time

Pope Francis has written a letter to children around the globe in preparation for the celebration in May of World Children's Day.

Cindy Wooden

Pope Francis speaks to children from different parts of the world at the "Let Us Learn from Boys and Girls" event in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican Nov. 6, 2023. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Making the world a better place for everyone starts with prayer and little steps like saying hello, sorry or thank you, Pope Francis said in a letter to the world's children .

"Our world will change if we all begin with these little things, without being ashamed to take small steps, one at a time," he wrote in the letter that was released March 2.

The letter included an invitation for the youngsters to participate in the first World Children's Day meeting in Rome May 25-26. At a news conference after the letter was published, organizers said 57,000 children from 60 countries already had signed up and they hoped 100,000 children ages 6-12 would attend the opening event at Rome's Olympic Stadium and Mass with Pope Francis the next day in St. Peter's Square.

In his letter, Pope Francis told children that they are "a source of joy for your parents and your families, but also for our human family and for the Church, in which each of us is like a link in a great chain stretching from the past to the future and covering the whole earth."

Children also remind everyone of their need and desire "to grow and flourish," and that all people are someone's sons and daughters and are brothers and sisters, he said. "We would not be alive unless others brought us into this world, nor could we grow without having others to love and from whom to receive love."

"The fact that we are small reminds us that we are also frail and need one another as members of one body," the pope wrote.

Pope Francis explained to the children that he chose the Bible passage, "Behold, I make all things new," as the theme for World Children's Day because it is a reminder that to make the world a better place, people need to be united with Jesus and with others.

Child wait at the window for Pope Francis

Sharing "a special secret" with the children, Pope Francis told them that if they really want to be happy, they need to pray every day "because prayer connects us directly to God" and "fills our hearts with light and warmth."

And even the youngest people can understand that they cannot be happy all alone "because our joy increases to the extent that we share it," he said. "Joy is born of gratitude for the gifts we have received and which we share in turn, and it grows in our relationships with others."

"When we keep the blessings we have received to ourselves, or throw tantrums to get this or that gift, we forget that the greatest gift that we possess is ourselves, one another: all of us, together, are God's gift," the letter said. "Other gifts are nice, but only if they help us to be together. If we don't use them for that purpose, we will always end up being unhappy; they will never be enough."

"Think of your friends and how great it is to spend time with them: at home, at school, in the parish and the playground, everywhere," Pope Francis wrote. "Playing, singing, discovering new things, having fun, everyone being together and excluding no one. Friendship is wonderful and it grows only in this way: through sharing and forgiving, with patience, courage, creativity and imagination, without fear and without prejudice."

In preparation for World Children's Day, the pope asked them to pray the Our Father every morning and every evening with their families and to think about the words.

Jesus, he said, "is calling us and he wants us to join actively with him, on this World Children's Day, to become builders of a new, more humane, just and peaceful world."

"Jesus, who offered himself on the Cross to gather all of us together in love, who conquered death and reconciled us with the Father, wants to continue his work in the Church through us," the pope wrote. "Think about this, especially those of you who are preparing to receive First Communion."

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FOX News

Pope Francis hospitalized briefly after dealing with flu symptoms

Pope Francis was briefly hospitalized in Rome on Wednesday after suffering from flu symptoms for a number of days.

The Holy See said the short visit was for diagnostic tests and is back at the Vatican. The pope had canceled appearances on both Saturday and Monday due to his flu symptoms, but he did make the traditional Sunday blessing.

Francis, 86, could be heard coughing repeatedly during Ash Wednesday services earlier this month.

The pope has had a number of health issues in recent years, including having a piece of his colon removed in 2021 due to intestinal inflammation. He has been regularly using a cane and a wheelchair for nearly a year.

HOW A TRADITION DURING LENT LED TO THE CREATION OF THE FILET-O-FISH

Francis came down with another respiratory illness late last year, saying in November that he had been diagnosed with "acute infectious bronchitis." He was placed on antibiotics to fight off the infection.

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This week's hospitalization comes roughly two months after Francis approved Catholic priests to offer blessings to same-sex couples. The Vatican clarified that such blessings were not an approval of same-sex marriage, however.

POPE FRANCIS ALLOWS PRIESTS TO BLESS SAME-SEX COUPLES

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) published guidance for U.S. Catholics in mid-December after the release of the new policy, dubbed "Fiducia supplicans."

CALIFORNIA PRIEST STRESSES THAT SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT IS A REMINDER OF WHY WE'RE HERE ON EARTH

"The Declaration issued today by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) articulated a distinction between liturgical (sacramental) blessings, and pastoral blessings, which may be given to persons who desire God’s loving grace in their lives," the USCCB wrote.

"The Church’s teaching on marriage has not changed, and this declaration affirms that, while also making an effort to accompany people through the imparting of pastoral blessings because each of us needs God’s healing love and mercy in our lives," the bishops continued.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Original article source: Pope Francis hospitalized briefly after dealing with flu symptoms

Pope Francis was briefly hospitalized in Rome on Wednesday after suffering from flu symptoms for a number of days. AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

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