Pope Francis received a rock-star welcome on his first visit ever to the United States on Tuesday.
In a rare gesture accorded to few foreign dignitaries, United States President Barack Obama and his family received the Pope at the Andrews Air Force base outside Washington. Also present on the tarmac was Vice President Joe Biden.
He did some waving and smiling and hand-shaking, and then drove away in a charmingly tiny papal car. Ferrying Francis through Washington's streets was a Fiat 500L, sandwiched between two enormous black SUVs in the motorcade. Francis has made a point of using modest cars as part of his emphasis on simplicity and conservatism and rejection of today's consumerist lifestyle.
Hundreds cheered as the Pope's motorcade arrived at the Apostolic Nunciature, with many ignoring police instructions to clear the street as they clamoured to get closer to the building where the pope will sleep and raising their phones to snap videos.
The Pope’s US visit is historic: On Thursday, Francis will become the first pope to address a joint meeting of Congress.
According to a Washington Post report, Pope Francis’s visit catapults him into the center of the political scrum surrounding some of his recent remarks.
His recent changes to the church's annulment process will be on the minds of many Catholics. For the members of Congress who will listen to the pope's address at the US Capitol, his recent encyclical on the environment or his many comments on poverty may be the focus, the WaPo report said.
During his visit, which will also take him to New York and Philadelphia, the Pope will address the United Nations; visit a homeless shelter, a prison and an East Harlem school; hit Central Park and Madison Square Garden; and lead the concluding Mass at the World Meeting of Families, an international conference held every three years.
Sponsored by the Holy See's Pontifical Council for the Family, the World Meeting of Families is the official reason for the pope's US visit.
