The latest developments in Pope Francis’ visit to Cuba and the United States. All times local:
10:15 a.m.
President Barack Obama and Pope Francis had a private meeting in the Oval Office.
Their meeting followed an elaborate welcome ceremony for Francis on the South Lawn of the White House that took place under sunny, blue skies in front of some 15,000 onlookers.
After the ceremony, Obama led Francis into the White House. They reappeared on a balcony and waved to the throngs huddled on the lawn and walked along the colonnade and past the famed Rose Garden on the way to the president’s office.
Each leader addressed the contentious climate change issue in brief remarks to the crowd. It’s one of several issues on which they agree and a likely topic of discussion in their meeting.
Another likely topic is the restoration of full diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba. Francis acted as something of a go-between for the longtime foes.
10 a.m.
Pope Francis is encouraging U.S. bishops to continue to defend religious liberty in America in a message that will be welcomed by conservatives fighting for conscience exemptions on gay marriage and the Obama administration’s health care mandate.
Speaking from the South Lawn of the White House with President Barack Obama at his side, Francis said religious liberty is “one of America’s most precious possessions.”
He says everyone in America is called to “preserve and defend that freedom from everything that would threaten or compromise it.”
Religious freedom has become a rallying cry for opponents of gay marriage in the U.S. who don’t want to recognize same-sex spouses in their charities, schools, hospitals and businesses.
The issue is a major point of tension between Obama and the U.S. bishops.
10 a.m.
Some eager to see Pope Francis parade through the nation’s capital have traveled great distances for the opportunity.
Adele Flores lives in Manila and traveled to Washington just to see the pope. When the pope visited the Philippines the crowds were too thick and she didn’t catch a glimpse.
Flores says: “When he passed by, even though I didn’t see him, I felt him.” And she says: “You hope by getting a glimpse that a little bit of his holiness will rub off on you.”
9:45 a.m.
The pope says climate change is an urgent problem that “can no longer be left to a future generation.”
Francis waded into that hot-button political issue in remarks at the White House, where President Barack Obama and a crowd of thousands welcomed him.
The pope praised Obama for focusing on the environment and the need to cut air pollution, calling it “encouraging.”
Francis cast climate change as a peril to what he called our “common home” in a speech that also called for safeguarding religious liberty and rejecting discrimination.
On climate change, he says time remains to make changes that are needed but also warns that “we are living at a critical moment of history.”
Climate change is one of several issues on which the pope and the president agree, though Republicans in Congress have blocked many of Obama’s efforts to address the issue by law.
Francis is on his first visit to the U.S.
9:30 a.m.
President Barack Obama is commending Pope Francis for “shaking us out of complacency” and giving people confidence to pursue a world that is more loving, just and free.
Obama is speaking at a crowded welcome ceremony for the pope on the South Lawn of the White House. The president says the excitement surrounding the pope’s visit must be attributed not only to his role as head of the Catholic Church, but also Francis’ humility and generosity of spirit.
Obama is singling out the pope’s call for focusing on the poor and the marginalized, including refugees fleeing war and immigrants in search of a better life. He’s also highlighting the pope’s call for protecting the planet and supporting communities vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
The president is thanking the pope for his support for efforts to normalize relations between the U.S. and Cuba.
9:20 a.m.
The Obamas and a crowd of thousands are welcoming the pope to the White House.
After lingering with young people outside the Vatican’s diplomatic mission, Francis arrived at the White House for a welcome on the South Lawn heralded by the call of bugles and snappy salutes. Under sunny skies, the crowd of invited guests, military personnel and officials gathered for remarks by President Barack Obama and the pope. The president and his wife, Michelle, greeted him when he emerged from his Fiat, his modest vehicle of choice.
9 a.m.
Before leaving for the White House, Pope Francis took his time greeting schoolchildren outside the Vatican’s diplomatic mission in Washington where he spent the night.
The children hugged him, took picture and waved Holy See flags. They were dressed to the nines, some in school uniforms. The pope lingered in conversation with some, and patted heads.
Aside from his bodyguards, Francis is accompanied by Monsignor Mark Miles, his trusty English translator, but he didn’t seem to need his services.
Francis greeted the kids before getting into his car to travel to the White House for his meeting with President Barack Obama.
8:50 a.m.
Minutes before Pope Francis was to arrive at the White House, President Barack Obama tweeted a welcome message to him.
Here’s what Obama’s tweet says: “Welcome to the White House, @Pontifex!” — that’s the pope’s Vatican Twitter feed.
Obama says that Francis’ “messages of love, hope and peace have inspired us all.”
Obama went to a military airport in Maryland to greet the pope for his U.S. arrival Tuesday.
8:40 a.m.
Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and other religious leaders are at the White House to help welcome Pope Francis.
But some Jews are missing out on the excitement.
Francis’ visit to the White House coincides with Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jews. They spend the day repenting and atoning for any sins.
The holiday began at sundown Tuesday and ends at sundown Wednesday — hours after the pope will have left the White House.
The White House says the invitation-only crowd of some 15,000 also includes people who don’t lead religious groups or aren’t connected with faith-based organizations but who just have “a great regard for the pope and his message.”
Observant Jews can participate in some of the pope’s other events in the nation’s capital, such as his address at the Capitol on Thursday.
8:30 a.m.
Raeann Meier and Mary Darnell are among the lucky ones to land tickets for Thursday’s papal mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Meier, who’s from Round Hill, Virginia, won a pair of tickets in her church lottery and is bringing fellow parishioner Darnell.
Meier says of Francis: “There is just no pope like this one.” She says “Jesus hung out with the dregs — the tax collectors, the prostitutes” and “that’s the way this pope is.”
5:00 p.m.
Pope Francis is no stranger to crowds. But he’ll soon be immersed in his first big ones on U.S. soil.
Francis opened his first trip to the U.S. on Tuesday with an arrival ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base, before settling in for the night at the Vatican’s diplomatic mission in Washington.
On Wednesday, he’ll be at the White House for a morning ceremony on the South Lawn, to which some 15,000 people have been invited. He’ll also have a meeting with President Barack Obama, who greeted him upon landing at Andrews.
Then it’s a popemobile parade by the National Mall and prayers with several hundred bishops at St. Matthew’s Cathedral. About 30,000 people are expected at a late afternoon Mass with Francis at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
On Thursday the pope is addressing Congress and visiting with Catholic charities before he leaves for New York and Philadelphia.
4:55 p.m.
Pope Francis is settling in for his first night in the U.S.
The pope arrived just before 5 p.m. at the Apostolic Nunciature, the Vatican’s diplomatic mission in the heart of Washington. Well-wishers in fancy clothes stood behind metal fencing, straining for a view of the pope’s arriving car.
Ferrying Francis through Washington’s streets was a Fiat 500L, sandwiched between two enormous black SUVs in the motorcade. Francis has made a point of using modest cars as part of his emphasis on simplicity and conservatism and rejection of today’s consumerist lifestyle.
The pope spent a few minutes greeting onlookers outside the nunciature before heading inside. He’ll spend the night there before meeting with President Barack Obama on Wednesday and addressing Congress on Thursday.
The nunciature was built for the Catholic church in the 1930s. Its architect was Frederick V. Murphy, who founded the architectural department at The Catholic University of America in Washington in 1911.
4:45 p.m.
Pope Francis says a life sentence in prison is like “dying every day,” and says there are proposals within the Catholic Church to call for an end to life terms.
The pontiff spoke on his flight from Cuba to the U.S., where he will visit a prison later this week.
Francis called life prison terms a “hidden death penalty” because, “You’re there, without the hope of liberation.”
He spoke in response to a question about Cuban prisoners and dissidents and said the Roman Catholic Church in Cuba will continue to work to free them.
The pope has arrived in Washington for a six-day visit to three U.S. cities. President Barack Obama greeted him upon his arrival at Andrews Air Force Base.
4:20 p.m.
Pope Francis is eschewing a fancy limousine in favor of a more modest ride.
A few minutes after his plane touched down at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, Francis emerged from the airport terminal along with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. He got into the backseat of a small, black Fiat — then promptly rolled the windows down, allowing him to look out and smile at the watching crowds.
It’s a sight you wouldn’t see in Obama’s motorcade. The president traditionally keeps the windows in his limousine rolled up for security reasons.
Seconds later, the pope’s car began rolling away. The pope offered a final wave before departing.
Outside the terminal, many in the crowd cheered a jubilant, “Ho, Ho, Hey, Hey, Welcome to the USA.”
4:10 p.m.
Pope Francis is getting a rock-star welcome as he arrives for his first visit to the U.S.
Crowds at Andrews Air Force Base cheered as the pope’s plane touched down. Shortly after, President Barack Obama walked from the air base’s terminal to the plane, where the American flag and the Vatican flag are waving.
The president waved to the crowds as he accompanied his wife and daughters to the red carpet at the front of the plane.
Francis emerged to thunderous cheers, taking off his white cap as he descended the stairs on a windy and rainy day.
He smiled broadly and said hello to individual well-wishers before walking along the red carpet alongside Obama.
The pope stopped at the end of the red carpet to accept a bouquet of flowers from a young girl. Then he and Obama proceeded with their entourages past the crowd and into the terminal.
4:05 p.m.
Pope Francis says he won’t make a specific call for the U.S. to lift the Cuba blockade in his speech to Congress this week.
Francis was asked by a Cuban reporter en route to Washington to give his thoughts about the embargo and whether he would raise it in his speech Thursday, the first ever by a pope to Congress.
Francis said the question of the embargo is part of the U.S.-Cuba normalization process underway and, “My desire is that they arrive at a good result, that they reach an agreement that satisfies both sides.”
He says he’ll discuss bilateral and multinational relations in his Congress speech, but that the concrete issue of the Cuban embargo “isn’t mentioned.”
3:52 p.m.
Pope Francis has arrived in the United States.
His chartered airplane is on the ground at Andrews Air Force Base outside of Washington after delivering the leader of the world’s Roman Catholics on his first-ever U.S. visit.
Francis landed after a flight from Cuba, where he wrapped up a four-day visit.
Before leaving the communist island country, Francis appealed to Cubans to rediscover their Catholic heritage and live a “revolution of tenderness.”
President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, are at Andrews to welcome the pope.
Obama and Francis will meet one on one at the White House on Wednesday.
2 p.m.
The White House says President Barack Obama’s decision to greet Pope Francis personally when he arrives at a U.S. military base just outside Washington is a symbol of the high level of respect that Americans have for the pontiff.
Press secretary Josh Earnest says Francis is a source of inspiration not just for Catholics, but for people of all religions around the world who share the pope’s values.
Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and their wives will be at Andrews Air Force Base to welcome Francis on his first visit ever to the U.S.
There’s also precedent for making the trip.
Then-President George W. Bush traveled to the base in 2008 when then-Pope Benedict XVI arrived on a U.S. visit.
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1:50 p.m.
Pope Francis is popular, tends to wade into crowds and likes to travel in an open-sided Jeep.
Altogether, that means complications for U.S. law enforcement as authorities mount an enormous security operation to keep him safe in the United States.
In a six-day, three-city visit that starts late Tuesday afternoon, the pope will meet with President Barack Obama, address Congress, speak at the United Nations in New York and take part in a Vatican conference on families in Philadelphia. He concluded his visit to Cuba earlier in the day.
The security precautions could make it nearly impossible for many ordinary Americans to get close to the pope, and for many people to go about their business in those cities.
Francis goes to the White House on Wednesday morning. Some 15,000 people have been invited to the arrival ceremony on the South Lawn.
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1:20 p.m.
The visit by Pope Francis to the U.S. will mark his second meeting with President Barack Obama.
They first met in March 2014 at the Vatican.
Afterward, the Vatican and the White House offered differing accounts of what the leaders discussed during their nearly hour-long meeting.
Obama stressed their common ground on fighting inequality and poverty while Vatican officials emphasized the importance to the Roman Catholic Church of what they called “rights to religious freedom, life and conscientious objection.”
That point referred to a major disagreement over mandatory contraceptive coverage under Obama’s healthcare law.
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12:26 p.m.
Pope Francis has departed Cuba for a roughly three-hour flight to Washington after calling on islanders to live a “revolution of tenderness.”
His words capped a four-day trip marked by warm interactions with Cuba’s leaders and subtle critiques of the system they run.
At Sunday Mass in Havana, Francis urged Cubans to serve one another rather than an ideology. He encouraged them to refrain from “looking to one side or the other to see what our neighbor is doing or not doing.” Those remarks resonated in a nation where the government controls most aspects of life.
He held what appeared to be friendly meetings with Fidel and Raul Castro, the former and current presidents of Cuba. Raul Castro has accelerated a warming with the church that began under his brother, and has spoken admiringly of Francis and his critiques of global capitalism.
The pope also spoke in the foothills of the Sierra Maestra mountains where Fidel Castro commanded a guerrilla army that swept to power in 1959.
Francis said Tuesday: “Generation after generation, day after day, we are asked to renew our faith. We are asked to live the revolution of tenderness as Mary, our Mother of Charity, did.”
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11:10 a.m.
In his final formal event in Cuba, the pope has called on Cubans to strengthen the bonds of family, which he calls “true spaces of freedom.”
He says the breakup of families fragments societies or makes them uniform. He says that in both cases, “people turn into isolated individuals, easy to manipulate and to rule.”
After the remarks at the Cathedral of Santiago, he’s heading to catch a flight to Washington to begin the U.S. leg of his trip.
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10:30 a.m.
Twitter has rolled out special emojis for users tweeting about Pope Francis’ visit to the United States.
Tweets with the hashtag “PopeInUS” render an icon of a smiling, white-capped pontiff in front of a U.S. flag.
There are also emojis for (hashtag)PopeInDC — the U.S. Capitol; (hashtag)PopeInNYC — the Statue of Liberty; and (hashtag)PopeInPhilly — the Liberty Bell.
Francis wraps up a four-day Cuba trip today and flies north to the United States.
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9:25 a.m.
Pope Francis has concluded his Mass at the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Charity of Cobre outside the eastern city of Santiago.
The pope asked the Virgin to give Cubans “what they most desire and most need.”
Two children gave him a copy of a century-old letter from islanders to Pope Benedict XV asking him to declare the Virgin the patroness of Cuba.
He now travels to the Cathedral of Santiago to bless families.
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8:15 a.m.
Pope Francis is calling on Cubans to rediscover their Catholic heritage and live a “revolution of tenderness,” highly evocative words in a country whose 1959 socialist revolution installed an officially atheist government that was long hostile to religion.
The pope says: “Our revolution comes about through tenderness, through the joy which always becomes closeness and compassion, and leads us to get involved in, and to serve, the life of others.”
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7:55
Pope Francis has come to the chief shrine to Cuba’s patron saint for the final Mass of his visit to the island nation before heading to the United States.
President Raul Castro received the pontiff at the basilica of the Virgin of Charity in the town of Cobre.
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Material from The Associated Press was used in this post.
