Pope Francis Makes Historic Visit to the U.S.
Pope Francis in America: Follow @ABC's live coverage of the Pope's historic visit to the US






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The hottest ticket in town and we have one on @GMA Join us for all things Pope Francis! http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CPqfnyFWwAA4079.jpg
by Cecilia Vega via twitter 9/24/2015 11:10:52 AM -
He's one sneaky pope!
Even though he was the most-watched person in Washington yesterday, Pope Francis was still able to get an under-the-wire visit in out of the public glare.
Fr. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said at a press conference on Wednesday evening that the pope had an unscheduled meeting with the Little Sisters of the Poor as a “sign of support” for their opposition against a federal contraception mandate.
Their home is across the street from Catholic University, which is where the canonization mass was held early Wednesday evening. -
From ABC News' Meridith McGraw in Washington D.C.:
At Wednesday's briefing on the Pope's activities, Vatican spokesman Fr. Lombardi said "this is the first time he was here [in the U.S.] but it was also a good beginning...what was also a good beginning was his English."
He said today while Pope Francis met with President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry, and Holy See Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin held a separate discussion. Two things were emphasized--the Cuba embargo, and the situation in the Middle East. In the Middle East they asked "how to help them come back--if possible--to their homes."
Lombardi also revealed the pope's off-the-record visit to the Little Sisters of the Poor to show his support for their fight against the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act.
In late August, the Denver-based 10th Circuit Court of Appeals granted the Little Sisters of the Poor a short-term shelter from the mandate.
When pressed about abortion, Lombardi said "I can only stress that the Pope in the speech to the bishops has a very strong point about life, encouraging the bishops to act and have a clear position in favor of life." -
.@SpeakerBoehner offc made 50,000 tix for @Pontifex available for W Front. Each House mmbr go 50, each senator received 200 tix (via @benyc)by SerenaMarsh via twitter 9/24/2015 11:41:37 AM
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Beautiful sunrise as hundreds have gathered on the west lawn of the Capitol awaiting Pope Francis' speech to congress http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CPqZmYXWEAA_oh2.jpg
by John Gonzalez via twitter 9/24/2015 11:54:29 AM -
What's ahead for the day:
Pope Francis addresses a joint meeting of Congress at 9:20 a.m., becoming the first pope to ever do so.
At 11:15 a.m., he will visit St. Patrick's Parish, which is the oldest Catholic church in D.C. There he will bless the clients at a meals program there and he will have lunch among the homeless who are served there.
He's headed back to Andrews Air Force Base at 4 p.m. for his flight to New York, where he'll land at JFK Airport at 5 p.m.
Barring traffic (and considering there will be some major road blocks put in place for his visit), Pope Francis will arrive at St. Patrick's Cathedral at around 6:45 p.m., in time for the evening prayer service. That will only be open to the clergy of the Cathedral, but there will be groups of students inside as well.
As always, keep track of the events and his movements on our interactive map and schedule here. -
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From ABC News' Chief White House Correspondent Jon Karl, who is inside Congress:
Inside the House Chamber, members of Congress are milling around, getting ready to hear a Pope address the U.S. Congress for the first time in history.
It's a big speech, of course, more historically significant than your run-of-the-mill State of the Union Address. After all, we get one of those every year.
State of the Union speeches never fail to feature the spectacle of members of Congress arriving at the crack of dawn to reserve seats along the center aisle. An aisle seat guarantees a a second or two of face time with the President on national TV as he enters the chamber.
Not this speech. In a bid for decorum, the Congressional leadership has reserved all the aisle seats -- all to be allocated to members who will resist the urge to reach out and touch the Pope (or get a Papal selfie).
As I look out at the House floor right now, I can see some of the usual suspects jockeying for seats near the aisle -- there's Sheila Jackson Lee (she was the very first member of Congress in the chamber this morning) and Eliot Engel, both fixtures along the aisle for State of the Union addresses. But no matter how early they got here, they couldn't get aisle seats. They can't even get the seats next to the aisle -- two rows along the center aisle are reserved for leadership -- for members who will do their best to block the attention seekers from trying to reach out for a little Papal touch before a national audience.
So what is happening now? The third and fourth rows along the aisle are filling up ... -
Inside the House Chamber, seats are filling up for @Pontifex speech - but not the aisle seats abcnews.go.com/US/live-update… http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CPqzAb0WEAAGI2A.jpg
by Jonathan Karl via twitter 9/24/2015 12:43:03 PM -
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Thousands are already lining up for @Pontifex's historic address to Congress today. #PopeInDC http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CPq2a9QUsAIMe6y.jpg
by Rep. Steve Scalise via twitter 9/24/2015 1:04:21 PM -
Pope Francis has arrived at Capitol Hill. Now just about 45 minutes to go until he is expected to actually deliver his historic speech. abcn.ws
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The Catholic school uniforms are so much cuter than when I was in school!! Just me and 50,000 people… instagram.com
by Cecilia Vega via twitter 9/24/2015 1:32:48 PM -
Starting the day off with smiles: Pope Francis gives a thumbs-up while greeting school children before departing the Apostolic Nunciature, the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Washington, Sept. 24, 2015, en route to the Capitol to address a joint meeting of Congress. Cliff Owen/AP Photo
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Who needs the hope in this picture? This is the moment when Boehner, who is the second-highest ranking Catholic American politician serving today, was explaining his tie choice to the pontiff. Pope Francis responded that it was the color of hope, before Boehner joked that he needed some today. Credit: APTN
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Boehner called the chamber to order at 9:45.
And when Pope Francis walks into a room, he rolls deep. Here's the list of his Congressional escorts, but this isn't the complete list because there are a whole host of additional Senators:
Republicans
Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (California)
Majority Whip Steve Scalise (Louisiana)
Republican Conference Chair Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (Washington)
NRCC Chairman Rep. Greg Walden (Oregon)
Republican Policy Committee Chairman Rep. Luke Messer (Indiana)
Republican Conference Vice-Chair Rep. Lynn Jenkins (Kansas)
Republican Conference Secretary Rep. Virginia Foxx (North Carolina)
Democrats
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (California)
Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (Maryland)
Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn (South Carolina)
Dem Caucus Chairman Rep. Xavier Becerra (California)
Rep. Joe Crowley (New York)
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Connecticut)
Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (New Mexico) -
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Big moment. Credit: ABC News. Watch our live stream here abcnews.go.com
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Pope Francis to the joint meeting:
"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." -
Shout out to the elderly and the young:
"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," Pope Francis just said. -
by Aaron Katersky via twitter 9/24/2015 2:12:59 PM
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Here in the cheap seats on the Mall the Speaker apparenty did not give access to the clean feed - so… instagram.com/p/8BCxQPS7U_/
by David Wright via twitter 9/24/2015 2:14:44 PM -
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"Legislative activity is always based on care for the people," #PopeFrancis tells US Congress #PopeInDCby Aaron Katersky via twitter 9/24/2015 2:15:28 PM
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From ABC News' Ali Weinberg in Washington D.C.:
Pope Francis has taken advantage of the House of Representatives’ own imagery during his speech, pointing up to a plaster figure of Moses that appears above one of the doors that leads to the gallery as he mentioned the biblical figure.
It’s also worth noting that the audience has already broken the “no applause” rule twice, during these two lines – one praising the exceptional nation he’s visiting, and one hailing the common man and woman whom he lives to serve.
1) “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”
2) “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.” -
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#Pope: All of us worried by situation of world today - increasingly place of conflict, hatred & brutal atrocities. http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CPrLTDuUYAAvBN5.jpg
by Jon Williams via twitter 9/24/2015 2:22:05 PM -
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Biggest applause line yet, with an interruption of the pope and with many standing:
"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." -
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Coach #Cal is in the House for #PopeFrancis. Pope is the only person who recruits better than Cal . http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CPrHER5WoAAE2IZ.jpg
by Steve Cohen via twitter 9/24/2015 2:28:18 PM -
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