WASHINGTON — Pope Francis arrived Tuesday on the first visit of his life to the United States, bringing his “church of the poor” to the world’s wealthiest superpower and a country polarized over issues closest to his heart: immigration, social injustice and economic inequality.
According a rare honor to the pontiff, President Barack Obama and his wife and daughters welcomed Francis at the bottom of the stairs on the red-carpeted tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland after the pope’s chartered plane touched down from Cuba. Presidents usually make important visitors come to them at the White
Emerging from the plane to boisterous 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.He was met by a military honor guard, chanting schoolchildren, politicians, and Roman Catholic clergymen in black robes and brightly colored sashes of scarlet and purple. Joe Biden, the nation’s first Catholic vice president, and his wife were among those who welcomed him.
When I think of them meeting, I remember the meeting of their opposites, and think the world is sorely missing them:
