Pope Francis arrived Tuesday at Joint Base Andrews, marking the beginning of his first trip to the United States.
The pontiff landed at about 3:50 p.m. EDT and was greeted by President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and top cardinals and bishops from the U.S. Catholic church, including the archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, and the archbishop of Galveston-Houston, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo.
More than a hundred lay church members and Catholic students, including the band from DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, welcomed the pope with songs, screams and chants of "Olé, Olé, Olé!" Those in the crowd waved Argentine flags -- a nod to the pope's native country -- while four children from Washington-area Catholic schools greeted him, and one lucky kid got to present the church leader with flowers.
No fancy wheels for Pope Francis, After a short walk and discussion with Obama beyond the view of the crowd, Francis returned to the airfield and sat in the back seat of a dark gray Fiat 500L-- the jumbo-sized version of the cheap little subcompact -- for a trip into Washington.
The pope, known for being humble and unassuming, chose a car that doesn't even break the $20,000 barrier. The starting price of the 500L is $19,345 before delivery charges.
The pope's highly anticipated arrival came after a whirlwind three-city visit to Cuba, where he met with Cuban leaders Raúl Castro and Fidel Castro, as well as church bishops and youth. During his flight to the U.S., the pope held a short press conference, telling journalists that it would be a "mistake" to call him a leftist or liberal despite criticizing global capitalism and asking "Who am I to judge a gay person?"
“It is I who follows the church … my doctrine on all this … on economic imperialism, is that of the social doctrine of the church," he said, according to Time.
During the presser, the pope also previewed his planned Thursday morning address to Congress. It will cover "bilateral relations and multinational relations as a sign of progress and coexistence,” he said. The pope, who helped orchestrate the historic detente between the U.S. and Cuba, said he would not discuss the decades-long U.S. embargo of the island.
Onlookers who were there to welcome the pope described it as a unique chance to see one of the few living global religious figures up close.
Credit:USAToday
Photo Credit:WSJ
Photo Credit:WSJ
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