The first day of Pope Francis’ mission to the American people (Tuesday, September 22) was brief.
His plane from Cuba arrived around 4:00 p.m. (EST) at Joint Base Andrews in Prince George’s County, Maryland. There he was greeted by President Barack Obama, Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and their families. Francis then left the Base in a modest Fiat 500L hatchback for the ride to the Apostolic Nunciature, the equivalent of an embassy, where he was staying in Washington, D.C. Below are photographs of his welcome at the airport and of his ride in the front passenger seat of the Fiat. [1]
On the plane to the U.S., the Pope told journalists “I have never said anything that is not in the social doctrine of the church. Maybe some things sounded slightly leftish, but that would be the wrong interpretation.”
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[1] Baker, Ahmed & Yardley, Pope’s Arrival in the U.S. Is a Low-Key Prelude to Pageantry, N.Y. Times (Sept. 22, 2015).
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