Joyful crowds welcome the pope to nation's capital

By Jessica Wehrman &Marc BaedorfThe Columbus Dispatch • Thursday September 24, 2015 4:07 AM

WASHINGTON — An enthusiastic crowd greeted the first Latin American pope with cheers and flag-waving on his first full day in the nation's capital.

Pope Francis — who on Thursday is to become the first pontiff to address Congress — dived into politics, urging the nation to act on climate change and take care of the poor and suffering.

Through gentle and heavily accented remarks, Pope Francis spared no one. He praised Obama for moving to address climate change — a move that will no doubt irritate Republicans skeptical of the phenomenon. He also called for the nation to protect religious liberty — a comment that could cause squirming for Democrats criticized for not adequately addressing the religious right's concerns on social issues.

And he shone a light on the church's own failings, acknowledging the pain of the child sexual-abuse scandal and encouraging a "generous commitment to bring healing to victims — in the knowledge that in healing, we, too, are healed — and to work to ensure such crimes will never be repeated."

After addressing 15,000 people at the White House, he paraded through downtown Washington, where boisterous crowds screamed their welcome.

In the crowd was the Rev. Josh Wagner, a priest who serves the Columbus parishes of St. Dominic and Holy Rosary/St. John.

Wagner arrived at 17th Street NW and Constitution Avenue at 6:30 a.m. and waited for hours for the pope's arrival, eventually listening to the pontiff's address through a 4-inch speaker.

Wagner is to be in the Capitol today as a guest of Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Jefferson Township, for the pope's address to Congress.

The papal visit, Wagner said, encompasses two of the most-important things in his life: his government, which protects his rights, and his faith, which influences his life.

He serves communities that run two soup kitchens and have a population in economic need, he said.

This pope, Wagner said, is special because "he has a special place in his heart for poor people."

On the crowded White House grounds, some people couldn't see the pope, but Irene Muller of Palm Springs, Calif., was lucky. She was among the first to enter, at 5:30 a.m., after sleeping outside the gates.

"I love the pope," she said, citing what she sees as his love for people, especially children.

Arminda Crawford, a Galena resident who is the national commander of the Catholic War Veterans, said she will remember the guards opening the White House gates, the cheers that went up in the crowd, and the sight of two black limousines — one carrying the pope, the other the president — passing through the gates. The pomp, the joy, the music: "It was awesome," she said. "It's something we'll never forget."

The Rev. Robert L. Niehoff, president of John Carroll University near Cleveland, said he got to the White House about 6:30 a.m. to join a joyous crowd. He wound up standing about 50 feet from the podium.

"People were smiling and greeting you," he said, adding that Pope Francis "had a very supportive crowd."

Niehoff said the pope's comments didn't mark a change from the past; Francis is teaching the same doctrine that the church has always taught, Niehoff said.

"A lot of popes would've talked theoretically," he said. "This man doesn't talk theoretically."

Beatty also was in the White House crowd — fourth row, to be exact.

She said the pope's words resonate as Congress approaches a possible federal-government shutdown next week: He delivers a message of working together and trying to find common ground.

"He gave us a mandate that speaks to what we should be doing," Beatty said.

Pope Francis' visit is the third time by a pontiff to the White House. John Paul II met with then-President Jimmy Carter on Oct. 6, 1979, and Benedict XVI met with then-President George W. Bush on April 16, 2008.

One other pope — Paul VI — visited the United States, going to New York in October 1965 and meeting with then-President Lyndon Johnson.

Information from the Associated Press was included in this story.