For the first time since beginning his service, Pope Francis has come to the United States on Sept. 22. Of the world’s 1.1 billion Catholics, 75 million of them live in the United State; a quarter of the country’s population, according to the Pew Research Center.
The pontiff was welcomed into the country by a special ceremony with President Barrack Obama at the White House in Washington, D.C., followed by a papal parade along the Ellipse and the National Mall in his traditional “pope mobile.”
On Sept. 24, Pope Francis was invited by Speaker of the House, John Boehner, a devote Catholic, to address Congress in a joint meeting on Capitol Hill, becoming the first pope ever to have done so. Pope Francis focused his speech on immigration.
He “implored America’s leaders to accept those born in other countries as their own children,” urging lawmakers to set aside political differences and embrace people who “travel north in search of a better life,” according to the Washington Post.
Steve Speakman, a senior from California studying biology, said the pope is influenced from his heritage of growing up in Argentina. “He’s heavily influenced from his upbringing in Argentina. He’s very prideful in his beliefs and his viewpoints are socialistic in nature. He’s going to want people to push those ideals too.”
Speakman wasn’t surprised at all by the Pope’s address to Congress about immigration, and he stated that the pope’s views are contrary to the United State's capitalistic ideals. On Sept. 25, Pope Francis then visited the United Nations and delivered a speech in Spanish, his native language. Pope Francis is the world’s first Latin American pope and much of his speech was focused on world affairs.
Afterwards, he visited the 9/11 Memorial in New York City and gave a blessing to all of those who had lost their lives in the terrorist attacks. Pope Francis is known as the “people’s pope” due to his humble upbringings in South America and his consideration of the poor; a trait that has defined his leadership.
“Any religious figure out there is working to promote better societies,” said Kavin Mendez, a junior from Utah studying accounting. “I agree with the idea that Pope Francis stated about how just because you are a religious person doesn’t mean you are a good person. When you think about it, how many people have killed in the name of God?”
Mendez further explained how public figures like the pope are united in one cause; changing the desires of both religious and non-religious people and aligning them with the practices of Jesus Christ.
Colton Utley, a junior from Utah studying biology, said Pope Francis has changed the face of the Catholic Church through his efforts of reaching out to its members. “This pope seems to be more proactive and closer to the members, something that previous popes haven’t done.”
Pope Francis concluded his travels in the United States with a visit to Philadelphia where he spoke and held a mass for the World Meeting of Families.