The pontiff lived up
to his reputation for blunt talk at a welcoming ceremony at the White
House, introducing himself as the son of the kind of "immigrant family"
on which America was built -- a clear reference to the controversy
swirling around millions of undocumented people in the country.
Speaking
in English, the Argentine-born Francis also said he was ready to listen
to the "hopes and dreams of the American people" and to offer guidance
to those charged with shaping the nation's political future "in fidelity
to its founding principles."
And in
comments that could antagonize Republicans, Francis endorsed President
Barack Obama's efforts on climate change and rebuilding ties with Cuba
after more than half a century of estrangement.
Wednesday,
which began with pomp and politics and ended with a controversial
canonization, was the Pope's first full day in the United States. The
6-day visit will take him later this week to New York, where he will
address the United Nations, and Philadelphia for the World Meeting of
Families, a large Catholic event that is expected to draw nearly a
million pilgrims to papal Masses.
He told the president that it was
"encouraging that you are proposing an initiative for reducing air
pollution. Accepting the urgency, it seems clear to me also that climate
change is a problem that 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," he said.
Francis
is using the global platform offered by his first-ever visit to the
United States to emphasize the theme at the center of his two-year-old
papacy: challenges like climate change, income inequality and the plight
of immigrants are moral -- not political -- issues. And, he said, the
richest, most developed countries have an obligation to act.
"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 models
of development," Francis said, in comments that reflect what he sees as a
more inclusive vision of capitalism.
5 things to watch Wednesday with the Pope in D.C.
While
some of these themes were sure to please the left, he also delivered a
firm defense of traditional values, warning that the institution of
marriage and family needed to be protected at "a critical moment in the
history of our civilization." Those remarks could irk liberals months
after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage nationwide