Pope Francis’ chartered plane from Cuba touched down at
Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, where President Barack Obama and his
wife and daughters paid him the rare honour of meeting him at the
bottom of the stairs on the red-carpeted tarmac.
On his arrival at Andrews Air Force Base
in Washington, President Barack Obama greeted the pontiff and introduced
him to his family and Vice President Joe Biden before they walked down
the line of dignitaries. The pair then got into separate motorcades.
There was no
fancy limousine for Pope Francis on his first visit to the United States
after he chose to ride in a tiny Fiat 500
while the President
was driven off from their meeting in his giant $1million armored car The
Beast.
Known for being humble and unassuming,
the pontiff was driven away in the tiny Fiat 500 which was dwarfed by
its security vehicles, while President Obama traveled in 'The Beast',
his gigantic bomb-proof General Motors Cadillac with eight-inch thick
armor-plating on its doors
Emerging
from the aircraft to loud cheers from a crowd of hundreds, the smiling
78-year-old pontiff removed his skullcap in the windy weather and made
his way down the steps in his white robes.
During his six-day, three-city visit to the U.S., the pope will meet
with the president on Wednesday, address Congress on Thursday, speak at
the United Nations in New York on Friday and take part in a
Vatican-sponsored conference on the family in Philadelphia over the
weekend.
President Obama welcomes Pope Francis for his first White House visit on Wed Sep 23,2015
Pope Francis with U.S. President Barack Obama in the Oval Office on Wed Sep 23,2015
Pope Francis, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama wave from the south portico on Wednesday Sep 23,2015
Pope Francis on Wednesday Sep 23,2015 urged the United States to help tackle climate
change and called on Americans to build a truly tolerant and inclusive
society, as he struck a political tone on his first visit to the USA
In a speech on the White House South Lawn, Pope Francis lauded
President Barack Obama's efforts to reduce air pollution, months after
Francis made the environment one of his top issues by issuing a landmark
“encyclical” letter.
“It seems clear to me also that climate change is a problem which can no
longer be left to a future generation. When it comes to the care of our
common home, we are living at a critical moment of history,” the Pope
said
Apart from the environment, Pope Francis touched on several issues on the
U.S. political agenda in the run up to the November 2016 presidential
election, such as immigration, inequality and religious freedom.
In an era of renewed racial tensions in the country, Pope Francis invoked
America’s best known civil rights leader, the late Rev. Martin Luther
King, to make points about the environment and equality.
As Washington streets were closed and federal workers stayed home, about
15,000 people gathered in bright sunshine on the South Lawn.
In a speech on the White House South Lawn, Pope Francis lauded President Barack Obama's efforts to reduce air pollution, months after Francis made the environment one of his top issues by issuing a landmark “encyclical” letter.“It seems clear to me also that climate change is a problem which can no longer be left to a future generation. When it comes to the care of our common home, we are living at a critical moment of history,” the Pope saidApart from the environment, Pope Francis touched on several issues on the U.S. political agenda in the run up to the November 2016 presidential election, such as immigration, inequality and religious freedom.In an era of renewed racial tensions in the country, Pope Francis invoked America’s best known civil rights leader, the late Rev. Martin Luther King, to make points about the environment and equality.As Washington streets were closed and federal workers stayed home, about 15,000 people gathered in bright sunshine on the South Lawn.
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