White House looks to find ‘lasting value’ in pope’s visit

The pope visits Cuba from Saturday to Tuesday, before heading to Washington, where he’ll meet President Barack Obama and address Congress.

“The pope is a very independent figure”, said Charlie Kupchan, senior director for European affairs at the National Security Council.

Obama and Pope Francis share concerns on “big ticket items” like climate and poverty, said Kupchan, who told reporters that the White House has worked on new “initiatives” to roll out during the visit.

The banner will say: “We Are Your Children, Your Teachers, Your Faithful”. And it’s for a good reason: while there are no specific threats against the pontiff, there is at least some chatter making officials nervous for the Pope’s safety.

Rhodes conceded that there’s always a political context to events in Washington, but said the pope “operates on a different plane” that causes people to think.

The White House was illuminated in gay pride colors on June 26, 2015, after the Supreme Court legalized gay same-sex marriage.

“I am proud of who I am and what I am and being Catholic“, he said.

Obama and Pope Francis met last March at the Vatican, where they spoke for about an hour.

“Many of us in the LGBT community have been heartened by Pope Francis’ compassionate words and willingness to take steps to more fully embrace people of faith long rejected by the Catholic Church”, said HRC President Chad Griffin.

Sister Campbell will attend two events: the White House reception and Pope Francis’ address to Congress on Wednesday. He tacked on a traffic forecast, predicting “traffic’s going to be a mess”.

If 15,000 people do attend, that will surpass the more than 13,500 who were invited for Pope Benedict XVI’s arrival ceremony in 2008.

Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley will accompany Pope Francis to Cuba this weekend and will continue to tag along during events in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia as part of the pope’s historic first visit on USA soil, a Boston Archdiocese official said yesterday. Serra established the first Catholic missions in California in the 18th Century; he was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1988.

Pope Francis makes his first trip to the U.S. next week.

Also on the pope itinerary is the Sept. 23 Mass for 25,000 people on the east portico of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception overlooking the University Mall at The Catholic University of America. Biden called Francis “a moral rudder for the world on some of the most important issues of our time”.