Page 3 - Aruba Today
P. 3
U.S. NEWS A3
Wednesday 23 September
Pope Francis arrives for
historic visit to America
N. WINFIELD the family in Philadelphia one of the biggest security The measures are unprec- impossible for many or-
R. ZOLL over the weekend. dinary Americans to get
Associated Press The Argentine known as operations in American his- edented for a papal trip anywhere close to Fran-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pope the “slum pope” for minis- cis. For anyone hoping to
Francis arrived Tuesday on tering to the downtrodden tory to keep him safe. and could make it nearly get across town when the
the first visit of his life to the in his native Buenos Aires is pope is around, good luck.
United States, bringing his expected to urge America For all the attention like-
humble manner and his to take better care of the ly to be paid to Francis’
“church of the poor” to a environment and the poor speeches, including the
rich and powerful nation and return to its founding first address from a pope to
polarized over economic ideals of religious liberty Congress, his more person-
inequality, immigration and open arms toward im- al gestures — visiting with
and equal justice. Accord- migrants. During the flight, immigrants, prisoners and
ing a rare honor to the Francis defended him- the homeless — could yield
pontiff, President Barack self against conservative some of the most memora-
Obama and his wife and criticism of his economic ble images of the trip.
daughters met Francis at views. He told reporters “What the pope does in
the bottom of the stairs on the plane that some the United States will be
on the red-carpeted tar- explanations of his writ- more important than what
mac at Andrews Air Force ings may have given the he says,” said Mat Schmalz,
Base in Maryland after the impression he is “a little bit a religious studies profes-
pope’s chartered plane more left-leaning.”But he sor at Holy Cross college in
touched down from Cuba. said such explanations are Worcester, Massachusetts.
Presidents usually make wrong and added: “I am “There are a lot of things he
important visitors come to certain that I have never will say about capitalism
them at the White House. said anything beyond and about wealth inequal-
Emerging from the plane what is in the social doc- ity, but many Americans
to boisterous cheers from trine of the church.” Jok- and politicians have al-
a crowd of hundreds, the ing about doubts in some ready made up their minds
smiling 78-year-old pontiff quarters over whether he is on these issues. q
removed his skullcap in the truly Catholic, he said, “If I
windy weather and made have to recite the Creed,
his way down the steps in I’m ready.” He is the fourth
his white robes. pope ever to visit the Unit-
He was welcomed by ed States. Francis’ enor-
a military honor guard, mous popularity, propen-
chanting schoolchildren, sity for wading into crowds
politicians, and Roman and insistence on using an
Catholic clerics in black open-sided Jeep rather
robes and vivid sashes of than a bulletproof pope-
scarlet and purple. Joe mobile have complicated
Biden, the nation’s first things for U.S. law enforce-
Catholic vice president, ment, which has mounted
and his wife were among
those who greeted him. Pope Francis waves from a Fiat 500L as his motorcade departs Andrews Air Force Base, Md.,
Eschewing a limousine, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015, after being greeted by President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle
the pope climbed into the Obama.
back of a modest little Fiat
family car and promptly (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
rolled down the windows,
enabling the cheering,
whooping crowds to see
him as his motorcade took
him to the Vatican dip-
lomatic mission in Wash-
ington, where he will stay
while in the nation’s capi-
tal. The choice of car was
in keeping with his sim-
ple habits and his stand
against consumerism. Dur-
ing 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 Na-
tions in New York on Friday
and take part in a Vatican-
sponsored conference on
