At the White House Francis quoted Martin Luther King, backed Barack Obama’s environmental efforts, praised the US’s reconciliation with Cuba and asked the president to always defend and preserve religious freedom, alluding to the controversy over health reform, which obliges Catholic structures to include abortion in healthcare cover
Addressing the leader of the biggest world power, in a country that has many Hispanic migrants knocking at its door, the first Latin American Pope introduced himself as one of them. “As the son of an immigrant family, I am happy to be a guest in this country, which was largely built by such families.” The first meeting of Francis’ visit to the US was with President Barack Obama at the White House.
In today's welcoming speech, Obama, who went to greet Francis at Joint Base Andrews with his family yesterday, said: "What a beautiful day the Lord has made. Holy Father on behalf of Michele and myself, welcome to the White House. I should explain that our back yard is not typically this crowded," he joked. "But the size and spirit of this gathering is just a small reflection of the sentiment of [so many] US Catholics. "Thank you for the great gift of hope". “Today we mark many firsts," President Obama went on to say. "You have been celebrated as the first Pope from the Americas. This is your first visit to the US. And you are also the first pontiff to share an encyclical via a Twitter account.”
The president praised the Catholic Church for its work with the sick, the poor, the hungry and the homeless and for often giving a voice to those seeking to break the chains of violence and oppression. The excitement surrounding your visits must be attributed not only to your role as a Pope but to your unique qualities as person … your humility, the gentleness of your words, the generosity of your spirit.”
The president thanked the Pope for his “support” in the reconciliation process between the US and Cuba. In a separate point, he went on to state: “In the US we cherish religious liberty. It was the basis of so much of what brought us together and here in the US … we stand with you in defence of religious freedom”.
Referring to the environment, he said: “We have a sacred obligation to protect our planet, God’s magnificent gift to us. We support call to all world leaders to … preserve our world for future generations”.
He concluded with a tone of gratitude: “You are shaking us out of our complacency.” “You shake our conscience from slumber.”
In his own speech, the Pope said he came “to listen to, and share, many of the hopes and dreams of the American people” and recalled that tomorrow he will be addressing Congress, where he hopes “as a brother of this country, to offer words of encouragement to those called to guide the nation’s political future in fidelity to its founding principles”. He also mentioned the meeting with families in Philadelphia, the purpose of which will be “to celebrate and support the institutions of marriage and the family at this, a critical moment in the history of our civilization”.
Francis recalled that America’s Catholics, along with other citizens “are committed to building a society which is truly tolerant and inclusive, to safeguarding the rights of individuals and communities, and to rejecting every form of unjust discrimination”. “They are likewise concerned that efforts to build a just and wisely ordered society respect their deepest concerns and their right to religious liberty”, “one of America’s most precious possessions”. “All are called to be vigilant, precisely as good citizens, to preserve and defend that freedom from everything that would threaten or compromise it.” A reference to the Obamacare issue. Obama’s healthcare reform obliges Catholic structures to include abortion coverage in healthcare plans.
Francis described Obama’s “initiative for reducing air pollution” as “encouraging”. “Accepting the urgency, 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,” Francis said. “Such change demands on our part a serious and responsible recognition not only of the kind of world we may be leaving to our children, but also to the millions of people living under a system which has overlooked them.”
“Our common home,” he added, “has been part of this group of the excluded which cries out to heaven and which today powerfully strikes our homes, our cities and our societies. To use a telling phrase of the Reverend Martin Luther King, we can say that we have defaulted on a promissory note and now is the time to honour it.”
The Pope did not fail to mention Cuba: “The efforts which were recently made to mend broken relationships and to open new doors to cooperation within our human family represent positive steps along the path of reconciliation, justice and freedom.” Francis expressed a wish: “I would like all men and women of good will in this great nation to support the efforts of the international community to protect the vulnerable in our world and to stimulate integral and inclusive.”
After the ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Francis held a private meeting with the US president. The Pope presented Obama with a bas-relief depicting the meeting of families.
