it's actually a 3d version of what it's like to walk through the many rituals of hajj. and you can see the story of the release of the al jazeera staff. you are listening to applause and chants of francis, francis in these live pictures this afternoon from washington, d.c. pope francis is moving on to his third stop of the day. that is the basilica of the national shrine of immaculate conception. this is the vatican's embassy to the united states in washington, d.c. welcome to al jazeera america's special live coverage of pope

francis in america. once the pope arrives at the basilica, he will stay mass during which he will canonize a franc franciscan missionary. it comes after a very busy morning for the pope. president obama welcomed to the white house. the pope participated in a paid raid near the national mall and met with american bishops. he had a busy week and made policy comments today. >> absolutely. this morning we saw pope francis in the white house getting into the agenda he's articulating for the visit for the american people. he talked about immigration and climate change and talked about religious freedoms.

he went on to a meeting with the american bishops. there's 449 in the u.s. they raent been the best friends of the pope. the conservatives ones raise issues in an unprecedented way, antonio. when he spoke with them he said there needs to be a different tone to use. >> talking about that tone, what he's talking about is them more proclaims the joy of christ and being more posal pastoral. thesh they should have the language of a pastor. they're not direct but francis is laying out in front of the u.s. bishops a different ways to be representing the church in this country, one that builds up

rather than engages in a culture warrior mentality. >> we're looking at pictures of the basilica where the pope will canonize junipero serra. the catholic church has been very focused on abortion and same-sex marriage. the pope barely mentioned abortion, although he did today. >> he did in the speech to the bishops, he used the word "abortion" once. we might hear more tomorrow at his address to congress, but my guess is he's going to practice what he preaches. he talks about how important it is for pastors and bishops to have joy rather than to be what he calls a bureaucrat and a nota notary. >> he couched them a little bit, but the underlying message is you guys have been too much. the bureaucrats are too much the

cultural warriors which has some pushback in the united states. >> absolutely. many bishops that francis himself he appointed like the new archbishop of chicago exemplifies this style. some of the most prominent u.s. bishops, like the one in philadelphia, have been of the other molding. representing the popes that made them bishop. >> we'll talk more about this. let's go to the white house. mike viqueira is there. mike, you've been in the thick of things today. the pope has already spoken twice today as we mentioned weighing in on major issues facing america and the church. >> i think it's important to note as we wait the pope's emergence in upper northwest washington and making his way across town to the shrine of the immaculate conception, the basilica there, this is the first time pope francis has been in the united states as pope but in the united states ever in his

entire existence as a human being. the first thing out of his mouth, the first public speaking was not in his native tongue speaking in public. he took on any major issues. if anybody thought he was going to tone it down or be more traditi traditional, as some people within the church would like to see him do, he quickly dispelled any thoughts that was going to happen. he took on the issues and shared values as it happens and the shared goals with president obama talking about the gap between rich and poor. talking about religious and civil liberties around the world. particularly talking in a very forthright way about the refugee crisis, the migrant crisis, and immigration in this country. make no mistake, this is something that everybody is looking for and tried to come up with some sort of indication, read the tea leaves, if you

will. the message is not a subtle one thus far. the pope talking in a forright way about immigration and about the need as it applies in this country about reform. throughout the day we talk about the political prism in america that we look through, particularly those of us in washington, and try to interpret it in those ways. you know, i'm not entirely certn and perhaps patrick can attest that the pope has domestic american politics in mind. we noted the fact last night when he was traveling with the pope on his airplane from havana to washington, and he held what has become a customary press conference. he was asked by one of the italian reporters whether or not he thought -- the criticism he was a communist and wasn't even catholic. he said i'm not a lefty by in means, and that's a direct quote. at least that's how it was translated. he said he's following church

doctrine, to think of the compassion towards those less fortunate. antonio. >> mike, after the welcoming ceremony, they met president obama and the pope in the oval office. they exchanged gifts, and the white house isn't saying much about what was said. >> they are not. they are very closed-lipped. the spokesman for president obama was in the briefing room doing the daily briefing after the pope left the white house grounds. he was asked repeatedly, and said he wouldn't get into it. they want to emphasize the shared goals and values we described, they've been loathing to talk about the conversations they've had. this is the second meeting they've had. remember, president obama and mrs. obama traveled to the vatican in march of 2014. i think we have some sound from the arrival ceremony that we heard on a sun-splashed south lawn this morning in washington.

>> translator: i know how much the wounds of these last few years have weighed on your spirits. and i have joined my in the efforts of securing those victims, and whether we bring see kor, then the victims are haemed and we have to hope that such crimes will never repeat themselves. >> reporter: sukur for the victims just after he left the white house. pope benedict, of course, the predecessor of pope francis, was here in washington in the waning days of the bush administration and made an apology and expressed remorse at nationals baseball stadium in washington.

this is an issue that is obviously still very controversial, but not perhaps at the top of the agenda for pop francis here. a lot of people -- those that advocate for the victims and families of sexual abuse and the cover-up that has route raged so many for so long express disappointment here where the pope at that mass bucked up the bishops and praised their response but expressed nothing in terms of a willingness to go after many of the clergy that perpetrated these crimes against young people, antonio. we now understand pope francis is now on his way to the shrine of the immaculate conception, the basilica in northeast washington. >> thank you, mike. that mass to canonize juniper serra beginning the at 4:00 eastern. libby casey joins us from the

basili basilica. what do we expect and who is expected to attend? >> reporter: as you mentioned, 25,000 people that got her very early this morning. catholics eager to share this moment and be a part of pope francis' first celebration of mass here in the united states. now, this will be a mass for canonization of jnz and that's important because he's the first saint. this is a traditional choice on the part of pope francis. pope francis is the third pope to visit the basilica. it's nearly 100 years old and the largest catholic church in the united states. despite its large size, they

chose mass outdoors here to allow so many people to participate in this service. it started earlier with musical preludes and the very first song that local members of the archdiocese of washington sang was "simple gifts," certainly very symbolic of the pope himself who is a man of the people and looking out for the humble. the music went from there, including spanish music and even the music of pena, a hispan hispanic-american composer. during the mass there will be aspects that directly pertain to this canonization ceremony. for example, we will see a relic brought out, a fragment of bone said to be from junipero serra. it's a mix of a traditional mass, but also very special because it encapsulates this canonization. antonio. >> we see live pictures of a

parade of bishops there approaching the basilica. the canonization is significant on many levels, including some of which you just mentioned. >> reporter: absolutely. you know a third of american catholics are hispanic, nearl 70 million catholics in the united states. so it is symbolic to have this hispanic figure con nanized. he was spanish and born more than 300 years ago who came to modern-day california and then knew spain to begin missions. he founded nine of the 21 spanish missions in california. there will be some harkening back to that history here today, antonio. >> libby casey in washington. thanks. not everyone supports the idea of canonizing junipero serra. native-american groups in california don't believe he's worthy of being a san. we've been covering that side of the story from carmel, california. melissa, why have they told you

they do not believe serra should be canonized? >> reporter: i think, antonio, to a certain extent they're talks past each other. the native-americans look at father junipero serra from a historic perspective. when you look at the history of california missions, which every school kid studies here in the public education system in california, there are positive things about the missions and also a lot of negative things. anytime you talk about european kol kneeization you talk about death and brutality and a lot of violence in terms of the impacts on indigenous populations. the best estimates say 100,000 native-americans in california died in the decades after the establishment of the missions. most of them by disease. the 5,000 or so native-americans that father junipero serra did baptize, some of them did not do it by choice. there was a lot of forced

conversion. there was also a lot of forced labor, and some people would say de facto slavery on the mission properties of naiftive-american. so it is very controversial. you have some native-americans who have been placated and you have a wide variety of opinions. pope francis acknowledged and apologized in front of a group of indigenous people in bolivia this past summer visiting there. he apologized on behalf of the church for its sins in the new world, but it might not be enough for some groups. >> talking about that divergence of opinion, melissa. have you spoken to people in the native-american community who do support serra's sainthood? >> reporter: yeah. we have spoken to a variety of like i said -- there's a huge variance in terms of opinions. one gentleman we spoke to by the name of andrew galvan who is a curator of a mission in california, he's catholic and

yet he's also a native-american. in fact, aescendt of those mission indians. he's not sure whether his ancestors were forced to convert to christianity or whether it was a choice. he said he understood the theo logical point of view from the catholic church. they don't like at junipero serra as a historic figure. the catholic church and pope francis is looking at father junipero serra as someone who pred sprdhe gospel and did the mission and followed the mission of the church to the peripheries. pope francis has said this. he really emphasizes evangelizing and especially evangelizing in the peripheries. what better example of that than somebody who came out to california from europe 300 years ago to a hostile environment and devoted his life to god? that is the perspective of the vatican. >> thanks, melissa. stay with us. we'll discuss the story further with patrick and with father

thomas reese from washington, d.c. he's a senior analyst at the national catholic reporter. father, good to have you with us. why in the middle of all this controversy the decision to go forward with this canonization in such a public way in washington, d.c.? >> well, i think there certainly was a desire to have a hispanic saint for the united states. his panics are a growing proportion of the catholic population, and there's no hispanic saint in the catholic church right now that worked or lived in the united states. so that's one reason. i think the other reason is that this pope sees him as an example of someone who left a very curby job as a philosophy professor in europe and went out into the peripheries, as he calls them, to preach the gospel, to bring the message of god's love to the

native peoples of california. now, sadly the result was tragic because the spanish also brought their diseases, their european diseases with them. serra knew nothing about germ theory, but the tragedy of how the indians suffered because of these diseases is heart-breaking. >> to any extent do you think that serra is being scapegoated for the mission system and to some extent that we're looking back at his life through the lens of the 21st century? is that to some extent unfair to him? >> i think that is. junipero serra clearly loved the indians and loved the people of california. there was a lot of indication that they liked him also. he did a lot to protect them

from the spainish soldiers and military. he was also in fights with the spanish governor about how the indians were treated and he was constantly complaining to mexico city about the governors. if he had not come with the spanish to california, i think the indians would have been treated much worse. the other thing to remember, of course, is the anglos in the rest was united states practiced active general i'd against the indians. the u.s. army gave blankets to the indians infected with smallp smallpox. they did it on purpose. junipero serra was never doing this. they were not actively killing the indians. it simply happened because they didn't understand diseases. >> patrick, you'd agree with father reese? >> absolutely. father tom reese is one of the experts on the american catholic

church, and once again, here he's right. one of the other things that other academics that studied father serra is oftentimes wi con flate what happened when he was around to when u.s. soldiers were in charge of his missions in the 19th century. i think people's opinions about call nyization. it gets refracted through the life of father serra. he would whip himself, but this is a man of the middle of the 18th century. i think when we look back on it, we do him and ourselves something of a disservice if we judge him by the same 21 ts century standards today.

>> the pope is in the popemobile. he went from the nunciature, the vatican's embassy in washington, to the u.s. conference of catholic bishop offices right outside catholic university in washington, d.c. in that fiat he's driving around in. there he transferred over to a popemobile over to the basilica from the offices. father, i'm sure people are awfully excited there in washington to see him. >> people are terribly excited to see this pope. i think one of the reasons they find him so attractive is he's the real deal. he practices what he preaches. he talks the talk and walks the walk. he's not like your typical celebrity who's totally self-centered and selling himself. this is a man selling jesus, who is selling the gospel. when he's with other people, it's not all about him. it's about the people that are around him. it's about the sick, the poor, the children.

this is a very unusual celebrity and i think this is why people like him so much. >> your thoughts, patrick. >> absolutely. earlier today when he did the parade around the white house, there was a little girl that somehow broke free from the barriers and came up to his, and the secret service agents immediately leapt on her and tried to push her back. the pope put out his hand and beck conned her over. she was bearing a t-shirt in favor of immigrant rights and a letter from her father who was a immigrant. the look on his face when he saw this little girl taken away by security forces, this is the look of the father and someone who loves kids and being with people. we've seen him light up with joy when he interacts with the folks that come out to meet him. father reese is right. this is someone that draws people in. >> he's done similar things on a number of other occasions. >> and i imagine spooked his security detail the whole time. >> i'm sure he has. security is very tight.

let's go to libby case there. i don't know if you can see the pope yet, libby, but what about the crowd you're seeing? >> we can see the pope arriving. the motorcade is pulling around, and the crowd here is watching this on a big television screen and there's so many cheers going up and so much excitement over him arriving and what's about to take place. he will go inside the basilica and prepare for the mass, and then we'll start in about a half hour or so. you know, there's actually a stained glass of father serra, junipero serra, who is this mass is canonizing in the sacresty where the pope will put on his garments for the mass. he's have a moment with that stained glass before coming out and greeting tens of thousands of people that dpa gathered her today at the basilica. we talked about the symbolism of the canonization of junipero serra. the pope today talked repeatedly

about being a shepherd and encouraged them to be shepherds of their flock. the priests see father serra as symbolic of that 300 years ago, but someone who was a shepherd to flocks bringing people into the church and creating that legacy in california. >> who is in the car with him? >> donald wuerl, the archbishop of washington, and the pope's translator on the left-hand s e side. this pope is traveling with a somewhat smaller entourage than some of the other popes that came to the united states. it seems like he wants to get involved in the life of the local church. meeting with the cardinals. when he comes to new york he meets with the bishop of brooklyn and archbishop of new york. it's a simple papal motorcade. he's not coming as if he's coming from on high.

>> it seems like the popemobile with a bunch of swiss guard around. there's some secret service. >> it's a mix, i think. unlike his predecessors, his pope mobile is open on the side. he would reach down and kiss a baby or bless someone. in the past they were shut in in these walls of bulletproof glass. the pope is a courageous man that wants to open himself up to the people and we hear them responding in kind. >> father reese, after hearing everything he said so far today, have you got a sense of what the catholic clergy are thinking? >> i think there's great hope we can all be more like pope francis. i've run into lots and lots of people that have left the church but have just fallen in love with pope francis.

they have graed admiration for him, and that's beginning to make them think about returning to the catholic church. the question is when they come back, will they find pope francis? the catholic church is not just the pope. we live our faith as catholics in our local parishes and communities. when people come back, will they meet somebody like pope francis? until we priests, the clergy, the bishops are more like pope francis, these people will turn around and walk out the door, because they tonight want the same kind of judgmental response. they want this loving, warm embrace. >> he was preaching joy today and being past or al. he seems so happy to be there. libby, you're very close to him now? >> reporter: he came onto the basilica grounds. he drove in the back of the crowd, so people that have -- the toughest seats, the worst

view for the canonization mass today had an up-close view of the pope as he drove by. the crowd is, as you can imagine, just so excited. this is really a moment for him not to be protected or be in a bubble but to drive right through this crowd of people and wave to them and have a moment with them as he makes the rounds, antonio. >> he must be exhausted. he's a 78-year-old man. he traveled across many time zones and has been, you know, very busy for the past week, and he just seems to be thrilled to be there. >> i think the people really excite him, antonio. this is the fifth day of a ten-day trip. he's a 78-year-old man who has only one lung. he lost part of his lung when he was a young man. he is infectious with joy. when he saw people outside the nunciature this mortgage, you could tell he was tired and he

went right over to them and hugged them and talked to them. i think this is when his side as a pastor comes. >> father reese, final thoughts from you? >> well, i think that he has really come and inspired the people there were a lot of people that talk about how the church was split. conservatives and liberals. conservatives weren't happy with him. you see from the crowds people love this pope and they're inspired by him. even though he's challenging us with really serious issues that we have to think about, i think this visit will be very successful, certainly starting off very, very well. >> whether when you talk about successful, what will make this trip a success? >> i think two things. the one is, you know, is people

feel attracted to christianity and attracted to his message of compassion and love and respond by loving their neighbor and especially the poor. all if we can get beyond the partisanship so decisive in the country and listen to his challenge about how we can do something to help the poor. how we can be more welcoming to immigrants, and how we can protect the environment. if we can start -- if he can start a conversation, a bipartisan conversation on these issues, i think we'll declare him a miracle worker. >> father reese, it's very good to have you with us to bring us your insights. i'm sure this is a great week for you, and i hope you enjoy all of it. we'll see you back in the next few days, i hope. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> as we see these pictures, patrick, it seems like he has turned around and is doing another lap in the same area to

be close to the people. >> he may well be. this is a pope who loves to be among the people, like we said. it looks like he's driving into the space now where he will be getting out and going into the cathedral. >> let's go to libby casey. what exactly did he do, lib why? >> reporter: the pope seems to have looped around, antonio. while the crowds are penned in to some degree by, you know, some fencing, there's a surge of the crowd running from one side of the seating area to the other. so the pope has double-backed and is now driving back through again giving the crowds yet another opportunity to see him and to wave to him. as you talked about earlier, despite how taxing this is, you get the sense that he receives as much energy from this experience as he gives out. so he is -- the motorcade -- his popemobile and rather slowing down and pausing right between where the media is located and the back of these crowds are

gathered to celebrate this mass today, antonio. >> we were talking about that energy going back and forth when we've seen closer up pictures of the crowd. you just see the excitement on the faces. what are people chanting? can you understand what they're saying? >> i can't. it's so overwhelming. all of the chanting and singing that's happening, but we'll listen in and try to get a better sense of it, antonio. there's a choir here made up of the archdiocese of washington various groups locally, so the crowd is singing and chanting with them. really, you just hear this wave of 25,000 people and a wave of excitement as the pope travels from one end of the crowd to the other. you hear this surge of cheering and clapping and shouting as he moved past them. >> again, known as the people a's pope, patrick, he seems to be at ease here. much more so than when he's around the pomp and circumstance of the white house or with the

bishops. >> absolutely. what is really interesting is this is the second time today he's going off schedule and making himself late to be with ordinary people. this morning he was supposed to get in his motorcade and go to the white house, he spent 10 to 15 minutes greeting people there in front of the vatican embassy. he was supposed to get dressed for mass and come back out. we see him going around again shows that past or's heart. as father reese said a few minutes ago, he gives an example of to every priest and bishop in america right now. this is how you should treat your own people. he wants to get away if that sense that the clergy are spiritual bureaucrats. he said they should have the smell of the sheep on them. he's going out among the flock, but 25,000 is no small flock, but smaller than the 1.5 million in philadelphia on sunday. >> is this what the catholic church needs in the united

states and in contrast with been ticket. he's talking about being pastoral and not doctrinal. the prior man was in charge of the doctrine before he became pope. this is a very big change in tone and in focus. >> absolutely. religious traditions need both. they need to know what they believe in and how they interact with people. with benedict we get what catholicism believes in. with francis we get a sense that he's not specifically interested in the details of doctrine, but he wants people to know the love and mercy of god. at the end of day, he's a religious leader and here to show people what he believes to be the message of the gospel. >> is his message in any way being muddled? he also said today that he was there to bring continuity to the teachings of his predecessors at the same time he was saying we

have to proclaim christ more joyfully and can't be focused on these complicated doctrines. so he's kind of saying two things at once? >> it's a tricky thing, antonio. i read a lot of social media commentary, and it looks like everyone wants to claim the pope for themselves. people that are traditional say he stands in continuity with his predecessors. like so much else in catholicism, this is a case of both. pope francis is changing tone and style and emphasizing things that weren't emphasized as much as pred sors is he changing church doctrine? not yet. >> interesting in city where everything seems to be partisan, some of what you see is playing out when it comes to republicans and democrats. you have people out there including i saw some video of democrats calling him for -- individual democrats all calling on him to focus on climate

change, when he did greatly this morning. of course, you have republicans who believe that he needs to focus more on the socialish autos on boris and same-sex merge and traditional teachings of the church. >> it cuts both ways. the president said the pope will make all of us uncomfortable. he said he will get out of our complacency. they don't line up with the platform of republican and democratic parties. when the pope goes to congress tomorrow, we'll see challenges to people on both sides of the aisle, and that's not going to make vrj particularly comfortable, although that may be exactly what the pope is looking for. >> possibly. he will clal lenning them on a number of issues with deep divisions. again, republicans have used immigration to some extent as a big issue in the campaign so far. you know, it does seem like both

parties focus on wedge issues. climb change for the democrats and immigration for the republicans and try ing ing to claim the pope for themselves. >> that's it. we need to be weary of anyone that wants to claim the pope their own. he's not here to comment on the american election cycle and say this candidate or that candidate. >> this probably does have domestic american politics in mind? >> he's a smart man and very much aware of what's happening in the countries he visits. he operates by indirection. popes famously don't comment on politics. they don't say vote for this and not that. he's articulating a series of principles. principles that have been in the catholic church for 2,000 years talking about justice and human dignity and the love of god and he's drawing some conclusions from them about matters like

immigration or climate change. there's a gap between that and saying, here's the way that a country should govern it's own affairs. >> so he entered through a back entrance at the basilica. he's now getting into the main part of the church. what happens now? >> the next thing is the pope is going to vest, which is a fancy way of saying he puts on the distinctive vestments and the clothes he'll wear in mass. because this is a particular season in the history of the catholic church, he may wear green. >> if he's getting those vestments, it seems like he's in the main aisle of the basilica now. >> we were told he'll go to a certain part of the basilica too vest. the mass is actually taking place outside. they look like religious people or nuns or sem narians. maybe they set aside a time for them to see the pope and greet the pope as he goes in there.

the schedule start of the mass is nine minutes from now. >> libby, what is happening? >> reporter: the pope has entered the basilica and you saw there nuns greeting him and so enthusiastic and so excited. their excitement is great, and the crowd after the pope drive by twice, people were hugging each other. there's a sense of joy at this day. he's inside the basilica and will meet with seminarians and meet with novices and he goes with cardinal wuerl into the blessed sacrament chapel for private prayer. at that point he will vest or dress and prepare for the mass. he'll come outside here to the exterior of basilica, and this is where the mast will take place, antonio. >> people are almost laughing with joys. >> absolutely. the people as libby told us he's meeting now are catholic seminarians and people studying to be priests and nuns. these have worn the brunt of the

credibility crisis the catholic church has faced during the situation of child sexual abuse by clergy. this pope has turned around the tone in so many ways. he represents an icon of hope and as someone restoring public credibility in the catholic church. they couldn't be happier to see him. ts a wonderful moment for these guys. >> i don't want to put you on the spot, but how has the child sex abuse scandal affects people becoming seminarians and nuns in the united states? >> it's a great question. we know that the numbers are gone down. i don't have the specific fission. the average average of catholic clergy is well over 50. 20 to 30 years from now they will have a greater shortage of priests than some parishes are seeing. that's a significant problem for a church that says only ordained men can do the important rights and rituals in the church. so these seminarians are there

largely because of catholic university of america, a major center of study in the u.s. catholic church. >> it's the only college founded by bishops. >> it was. it has a fabricing kwult which means that they accredit the university directly. it gives some of the degrees in the name of -- it makes it a distinctive place in the united states. >> he gave a blessing to everyone gathered there. he's going to a different chapel or different area put on his vestments. i do not know if that's what we're seeing. this seems to be a smaller chapel adjacent to the basilica. >> i think that's right. libby told us before in this particular chapel there's an image of junipero serra making it appropriate for where the pope prepares for mass. he's a deeply spiritual man,

antoini antonio. before his trips he goes to a particular basilica in rome to pray before mary. he takes his prayer life seriously, and as a member of the jez writ order he stops for prayer and reflection at least twice a day. this is someone pausing for a moment to be with himself and be with god and to think about what he's to say and do. that's one of the most controversial acts of this trip to the united states, the kanaanization of junipero serra. >> apparently the pope is in prayer here. then he will go to a private area for about ten minutes before beginning the canonization ceremony, which will actually proceed the mass, which as a catholic i was surprised by because normally when you have catholic rituals, you usually go through most of

the mass before you get to the actual abbing r sacrament. >> that's exactly right. that's the case with the sacrament of confirmation and marriage. there are readings and a homily and the sermon and then the rite takes place. canonizations are different in this way, antonio. the other thing that happens is the installation of a new pope or bishop. a lot of things take place at the beginning. so what's actually going to happen here is that cardinal wuerl, the archbishop of washington, will ask the pope formally to make junipero serra a saint. we'll hear a brief biography read by a man involved in advocate for serra's cause. there's a litany of the saints, which is a song or hymn designed to invoke the all the other saints. at the end of that, the pope will pronounce a latin formula which officially asks junipero serra to a catalog of saints in the catholic church. there will be a day designated as serra day.

churches can be named after him once he's a saint. as you mentioned before, there's going to be this relic, the party of his body that will be solemnly borne in procession as well. a very significant moment all at the beginning of mass as you said. >> as you know, the term devil's advocate comes from the canonization process. someone is atyssigned to make t argument against somebody becoming a saint. >> in this case given all the controversy surrounding serra, do you think that devil's advocate had a good case but still managed to lose it? >> i think that's right. this is a really difficult case, and the main reason it is is because here in 2015 we look back to the 1760s and 1770s and trying to judge what were his intentions and what did he do? there was a lot of debate did he personally flog native-americans

and permit it to happen and tolerate it when other people do it? this was a very different period of time. we have to ask questions about the mindset of people, and at the time there was a doctrine of discovery. this is something that the medieval pope started once europeans discovered the new world. it meant that the pope said to the kings of portugal and spain, if you find land, you have the devine right to conquer it. many native groups have protested that and some have asked pope francis to formally appeal the doctrine of discovery. it was at a time when the european call niezers thought it was their right to take this land. antonio, it's important to mention the convocation includes

the participation of the some incidentedians. andrew galvan and vincent medina will participate and perhaps acknowledging the church's participation in the negative aspectses of father junipero serra's legacy. there will be a reading following the sainthood in the native language in northern california which i think is very interesting because pope francis is, of course, and has acknowledged the controversy. when we've been covering this story over the last few months, people tell us in the church that the vatican has brought over academics from california, historians from that period. historians who study that period to talk about father junipero serra's legacy, which has been controversial and as i mentioned also that the two sides in some ways are talking past each other. the church looks at father junipero serra as somebody from

the they're theo logical stant point being very devoted to god. native-americans look at the impact it has had on them. go that really resonated with me is the fact it's not just relegated to history. the impact exists today for mission indians. most do not have federal tribal status. in some ways because of the system thatttt brought in so in indigenous people. this controversy lives on, the destruction of language and the attempt to try and regain the language of mission indians is a struggle that is still ongoing, which is why you have some native-americans in california still opposed to the sainthood saying, urn, father junipero serra was not a saint. we think he was a sinner, antonio. >> you talk about them talking past each other and the ongoing

opposition to this. has there been any meeting of the minds? i don't know how to describe what to say. have they at least managed to understand each other position are and people pretty entrenched in what they want to believe? >> reporter: it's interesting. my report rather includes an interview with vincent medina who has the defense of a native-american spoke out against st. hood very strongly when we met him first at the spring. he's at the basilica to participate in the ceremony in washington, d.c. he was asked to speak this their language. i mentioned earlier that there will be a reading in a native-american tongue. so it is -- i think it is an example of how. s may have shifted because pope

francis has addressed the issue because the church has reached out. they do not deny that negative, terrible things happened. what they do say and this is something you guys have been talking about for the past half hour as well is thahahahat fath junipero serra was a manan of h time. i'm sure to a certain extent some understanding has been reached by some naefb americans individually. of course, there are people who are opposed to it. i'm standing at mission carmeca and we're here because father junipero serra is buried here. he used this mission as his headquarters to administer the string of missions along the coast of california. there has been a few native-americans who up outside the mission this morning and this afternoon. what they plan on doing is to do a prayer protest. so, of course, there is still opposition to father junipero

serra's sainthood. >> it's a fascinating conversation begin all the history involved. as someone mentioned earlier and maybe it was the pope apologized in bolivia for some of what the catholic church did historically until the callization process in the americas. do you think elapologize here again? >> i don't know, antonio.do you again? >> i don't know, antonio. he may in his sermon reflect on the legacy. hearing melissa talk, one of the things that's very important here is the honesty with which the church approaches this particular matter. francis has over the course of the last two and a half years insisted that the church is a place where people have open dialogue with each other and disagree with each other, even

when they don't like the outcome they feel hurt and understood. because of that i think a situation where serra is canonized and yet there's a mention here or elsewhere on the trip or whether it be back in bolivia over the summer of the pope acknowledges and apologizing for what serra had done. that's a refreshing note of honesty. serra is like many other people. he was a very good man in some respects trying to do his best, and in other respects he came up short. one of the things catholics are supposed to do with saints and model catholics' lives after the saints. if serra is a double-example of what to do and what to avoid, maybe that's the lesson to draw from this. >> we're watching the pope's arrival less than half an hour ago at the basilica there on the grounds of catholic university in washington. he was received as you can see with tremendous enthusiasm. if you're just joining us, pope

is getting prepared for the canonization of junipero serra and mass. they're running late here. this was scheduled a few minutes ago. it should have begun a few minutes ago. libby case is there outside the basili basilica. running about five minutes late, libby. >> not too bad with the busy schedule today as we begin to enter is period of mass, you see a very thick shift in the proud. enthusiasm and cheering and celebrating earlier now. we expect a much more reverent and subdued crowd celebrating the mass with the pope. the actual canonization of junipero serra becoming a saint doesn't happen at the end of the mass. in fact, it up has quite early to the beginning. i was asking a priest when is he really a saints? when does this happen? in fact it will be quite early on in in proceeding today.

you will really get a sense here of the catholic faith, of the catholic spirit here in the united states and also what the pope will bring to this as to what we talked about performing the mass in latin as well as with spanish, antonio. >> and we'll anxiously await that. we're joined here in the stewedy by father dave dwyer. good to have you with us. >> thank you for having me on the momentous occasion. >> one of the things you focused on a lot is what the pope has spoke about today, immigration. >> he has been unabashed about saying from the moment he set foot on american soil, i am from immigrant parents. this country was built by immigran immigrants. in somewhat veiled language too copy it in mind when he talk about the integral that came out

in june. not like recycling or tree hugging but the fact all of this affects people and particularly people the most vulnerable that don't have status in society. in that way it seems to me as a priest he's very well emulating what our lord did when he was walking this earth, which is seeking out and making sure that the voice of those folks are heard, the people that are the most vulnerable. >> patrick earlier talked about a moment earlier today when a little girl ran out to try and see the pope. let's look at the video now. how much do we know about what she wanted to say? >> i don't know anything about what she wanted to say. >> she had a letter for the pope and then this t-shirt. >> so we know she's from los angeles. we know that she's of immigrant parents. we believe there's a t-shirt, a pro-immigration t-shirt and letter from her father. we were talking about how

pastoral this pope is to call her over even when the security agents were trying to keep her back. that says a lot about his heart as a priest and pastor. >> they've been having this back and forth little push/pull negotiation with the security forces, not only his own but the u.s. secret service. what many people think is the pope does what he wants. they give him pretty strict parameters. he almost always yields to the man, the tall bald man with the plug in his ear. there's an understanding that if the pope kind of overrides all this in a moment like that, we're going with the pope. >> his words, going back to immigration, at the white house today were touching when he spoke about this country being founded and our essence being the essence of immigrants. >> yeah. he talked about my brothers and sisters in this country. he makes no bones about the fact that he's never been here. i think a lot of people maybe

perhaps with a little american arrogance we're surprised that a powerful world leader has never been to our fabulous countries. you're my brothers even though i haven't been here. >> part is his humility. he could have had many opportunities to come to the united states if he wanted to because there are a series of meetings and things. he had chosen not to be one of those traveling bishops. >> no. very much everybody that knows him from the time he was the archbishop of buenos aires, argentina, which is like being the archbishop of new york here, those folks say that he is father vegorio. >> italian i am grant parents to argentina. the pope has gotten dressed and is walking, again, through the basilica. he will then lead the mass outside of the basilica. interesting now that the ceremony that has become more ceremonial, there's a big

difference in the way the people in the audience are responding to him. now you see people crossing themselves and being much more quiet than the exuberant welcome when he first walked in the basilica. >> it's reverential, antonio. people are thinking about what's about to happen, thinking about -- i think the pe hopes they're thinking about jesus and thinking about their faith in god, they're reflecting on this moment. the first time that a latin-american saint will be canonized here on the shores. >> many things contribute to that, not the least of which is the solemnity of the basilica itself. this for the priests, religious nuns and seminarians that are there feels more like what they're used to happening at a place like that. the music contradicts as well. >> who are the people in the pro session here with him?

are all the ones with the white hats all bishops? >> in fact, these ones you see right now on the screen are all cardinals. that's cardinal dinardo on the left of the screen. the cardinals typically pro ses with him. the bishops we saw preparing earlier, they're already in place. there's so many bishops there it would be too many to see. >> we saw a huge pro session of them walking onto the grounds earlier. >> these are cardinals. the man close to him during mass is to the right of the screen with the magenta sticking out under his vestments. he plans meticulously the ritual. >> he's more conservative than this pope is. he was appointed by pope benedict xvi. some people thought what francis became pope he wouldn't keep him around. francis said at one point he helps me to remember the

traditional side, even though as i hope him be a little more liberated. i thought that was a remarkable quote. you see them working closely together. >> i haven't seen much of the latter. >> you see him taking good care of him there. he took the staph from him and gave it back to him. he seemed a little frail down the stairs and he was very attentive. >> absolutely. we'll see it through the mas. the monsignor and other masters of ceremonies there are on hand to guide him, often his shoulders and elbows as he moves from one place to the other. >> in addition for the most obvious cardle naturals there, i noticeded to lake from the philippines who in the last conclave might have been a candidate for pope. he's still young enough people think he's the next pope. he's there. >> you saw the cardinals now with their cardinals caps. they took off, and the hats come off as the ceremony begins.

>> the miters come at the beginning. later on when it comes to the consequence rags of the eucharist. >> i've been catholic for a long time. i didn't know those terms. >> there could be a doctrine dissertation on when hats come off during mass. it seems like there's some logic to it. >> i imagine monsignor knows but probably not other people. >> incense, any significance to that? >> it's used to show honor and reverence to many different things throughout the course of the mass. in a formal mass, four things will be incensed and all indicate the presence of christ. the altar which is a similar pole of the sam fies, the gospel book, and the priests celebrating and also the people. the people are incensed. we believe that christ is present in all those unique and distinct ways during the mass. >> here he has gone to the

statue of the virgin mary in the basilica in her honor. immaculate conception. >> in her honor in many different ways. inside the basilica there's spectacular what we call side altars. the chapels in and of thechlsz that are large in many churches they have from different countries or different particular devotions to the blessed virgin mary. done in different artistic styles, and they are gorgeous. >> what happens now? will they begin immediately with the canonization process and cardinal wuerl will start the ceremony? >> there's a very, very brief introductory that the pope will do in a second here in spanish. >> let's listen in.

>> translator: peace be with you. [ music ] >> this is a hymn called tcome holy spirit. it's used at the gijs of canonization and coordination of new cler skree in the church asking them for the trinity in the christian faith to bless what's about to happen. it's one of the oldest hymns in the cat catholic church.

>> we move into this before they will be a little insertion into what would normally be a celebration of mass with various rites and rituals that have to do with the canonization. >> while the liturgy throughout the world since vatican ii has been mostly done in the languages of the different countries where the mass is celebrated, some of this today will be in latin. so even today, even though latin is not the dmon language of the mass, it's the one that unites people from all over the world. the main language will be spanish, the pope's oun tongue and that means most klemm in latin. >> the tongue of many immigrants that the pope has focused on. >> right. >> latin is also in a sense a

very ancient and not commonly spoken language, it's the language of the church in a sense. when a document is published by a pope it's first written in latin. it kind of signifies that this is -- he's the pope. he's the universal head of the church and this is in a sense our universal language even though common place in every day would be that we celebrate mass in our local tongues. >> the writing with pop freezing rain sis is likely in spanish or italian. he's obviously consulting with a

lot of other people that speak language. when they publish the first one. >> absolutely. we see this hymn in latin. the pope for catholics represents the universal church, and father dwyer was just saying that. he's coming here as someone for whom english isn't a language he's comfortable with representing the whole catholic church gathered throughout the world. and doing so that in his moment. >> it's also interesting when you say english isn't a language he's that comfortable in, and it did seem at one point when he spoke to president obama when he first arrived that he wasn't comfortable. ey were going back and forth in english and spanish, but then today i thought he was quite clear and forceful with his english at the white house. >> very. he seems a bit more child-like

whether speaks in english. his face begins to sort of glow. typically he's talking to like a child or something like that. not the case with the president, of course. i think because he's less comfortable in it, he has that kind of insecurity that we would have if any of us were doing something for the first time. >> the pope has very clearly done his linguistic homework. a year ago he was in seoul, south korea and spoke english for the first time. it was halting and wasn't what we saw this morning. i think he's used to hard studies. he's a jesuit that train for 10, 12 years. i think he went back to school and learned his english in summer. >> someone that knew him for 30 years, a priest in the arch dice dees from ecuador, and he said back then when he tried english -- it's not like every

spanish person would speak it. the pope refers to it as his own cross. i get it. i should. i just -- it's tough for me. >> he bore that cross well i thought this morning. he spoke quite clearly at the white house when he was speaking. you bring up him being a jesuit. let's see what to expect. >> this is cardinal wuerl in the front. he will come front in spanish ask the holy father to add junipero serra to the catalog of the saints. [ speaking in spanish ] >> translator: so that he may be invoked as such by all the christian faithful.

>> translator: junipero serra was born in 1713. he entered the order of the franciscans when he was young, ander ordained a priest in 1737. he was a professor of philosophy at julian university, and he had the reputation of being a great teacher and preacher. in the whole island of myorka. by the end of 1740, he offered

to leave his native country because he felt that he -- he felt he should be a missionary in the new world. he spent eight years in the rugged region of the sierra g d gorda in mexico where he preached to the indians. during part of that time, he was a superior of the five franciscans missions in the region. later on he held several posts for another eight years and had the seat of the franciscan missions in mexico city. during that time he preached in a great number of domestic missions in many areas of

mexico. in 1767 he was elected superior of the group of francis can designated to replace the jesuits that had been expelled from their missions in lower california. two years later he joined the expedition to expand the california border northward and to occupy upper california. from 1769 until his death in 1784, he was the superior of the franciscan missions in upper california. during his tenure as superior,

nine missions were founded along the california coastline involving several indigenous groups including the kamai, the salina, the ocemon. serra endeavored to bring together to the mission campus the indigenous people that inhabited nearby. he hoped to share with them slowly and if in a voluntary fashion the tenets of catholicism. he would very often fight the military leadership on the best ways to interact with the indigenous individuals.

he once ever traveled to the mexican capital to personally persuade the viceroy to have a military commander dismissed. thousands of indigenous people were confirmed and baptized during serra's seven you're in california. although many perished as a result of the spanish incursion in the area. serra made a great number of missionary trips to california. serra was at last with hard travels until the very end of

his life. despite illnesses and physical ailments, and usaed his fortitude, he died on august 28, 1784. at the st. carlos mission in carmel. he was beautified by st. john paul ii on september 25, 1988. >> what we just listened to for

the postulator of the cause. >> so he's a franciscan assigned to be in charge of advancing the cause of his sainthood. >> serra is a franciscan, so they assigned a franciscan to do it. >> so the pope is reading a prayer in latin to introduce a musical piece called the litany of the saints. it's a prayer. in catholicism there are hundreds if nots thousands of saints. this prayer asks for the invocation of those saints. asks that those saints pray at this moment as junipero serra is about to be enrolled among them. >> it's often very moving. one of other significant times this prayer is used, this litany and chanting of the names of saints inviting them to pray for

us is when someone is initially baptized into the church. if someone is baptized as an adult, they go through a ceremony at easter. i see people very emotional realizing it's not just the people in in church or out in front of the lawn of the catholic university but all the saints in heaven are praying with us at this moment. it's powerful. >> it's pardon of priest ordernations as well. >> i was a little out of it that day. >> yes, now that you mention it. >> let's talk about the postulation process. so we heard the father talking about serra. how did he get to that point? >> well, it's a long process. i mean, one of the first steps they will do is look over all of the life and the writings of potential saints to make sure there's nothing particularly in codiction with catholic doctrine. in the case of this saint as you talked about for this afternoon and people talked about for

weeks, they have to examine the other dimensions of his life. so what we would call eadvantagization in the church, the way in which we spread the word to all ends of the earth as christ commands us to do in the time of junipero serra went hand in hand are colonization and in some cases historically documented maltreatment of the native person. if we talk about it today, let's go into another culture and you're wrong and jesus is lord and we'll jam it down your throats. we would be more sensitive on a spiritual and theo logical level today. that's part of the process. with serra probably elongated the process a bit to make sure that didn't cross over into the theological side. >> let's go to the absolute beginning. how does he even get nominated to be a saint? did the franciscan order do it?

>> if it's a religious person like, the founder of my community has been up for sainthood for a couple of years. essentially one of us has to petition to rome and say, we would like to have this person be considered a saint, and that starts a long process where the postulator we just heard from would have to go to saint school over in rome to learn about the process and then to begin it. >> i need to ask you, who is the person who has been nominated? >> father isaac hecker. he was a new yorkers and convert to catholicism. he found catholicism as what he believed was the way to make america catholic and christian. he's uniquely american saint-to-be. >> what community is that? >> it's the paul's father. he named the community after st. paul. a lot are found after their founder. we're not the heckarians. >> where does the process stand for him? >> he's at the first step,

called servant of the god. meaning that the local diocese is looking at his life and writings and will eventually pass it on to rome. it has to get vetted at different stages. miracles have to happen afterward. it's not a miracle that happens during the lifetime. it's proof that they're interceding for us in heaven. >> at some point there's a postulator who will be named. >> the postulator is named at the very beginning. >> he's already in the process. at what point do they bring in a devil's advocate? >> early on, because that person either -- there's one on behalf of the diocese at a local level, and there's other ones on behalf of the vatican that are always, you know, in the same way that during an annulment process, there's the same thing. people wanting to make sure we're not skooching it by. >> talking about scooching it by, there have been cases where they have in relative terms. >> that's right. that's why this process goes on for so long. after someone is a everybody ant

of god they're a blessed, beautification. this happened for junipero serra in 1988 to 27 years ago under the papacy of john paul ii. it's taken that long period of time for the vatican to reach the conclusion that indeed he should be advanced to the final level, which is that of sainthood. >> that took 27 years. it only took a few years for john paul ii himself. >> that's right. normally the rule is the process can't again for five years. that can be waived and pope benedict did waive it for his predecessor. the desire of the catholic people around the world was clear for john paul. >> one of the things that contributes to that is when you look for a miracle, it has to be somewhere out in the world that prayed to that saint-to-be and a miracle happened. with someone as famous as john paul ii you have a lot moore people likely to do that.

father hecker isn't as well-known. >> some martyrs can become saints. >> he took over one of the steps and the miracles. you need one miracle instead of two if you're a martyr. >> martyrdom might be mother miracle in the sense of a major act on behalf of the faith to give one's life in the service of the church. >> melissa khan has been with us from carmel, california, and he's been covering the canonization and the protests against the canonization for months now. melissa. >> i'm at mission carmel, and there's a big screen behind me showing the proceedings in the basilica in washington, d.c. it has been controversial. when it was first announced, when pope francis first declared his intention to turn father junipero serra into a saint, a lot of naifsh american groups were really unhappy. since then and this is something that you guys have been talking

about in conversation this afternoon, this catholic church has reached out. the vatican has reached out to try to make amends. you have pope francis this summer in bolivia for the sins committed in the new world during this period. in terms convocation there's an inclusion of some native-americans. >> let me interrupt you because the litany of the saints is over and they're speaking again. he's already entered this short prayer. >> it was a short prayer to sum up the litany. the deacon is asking everyone present to stand, because the next time the pope speaks it will be a long, latin formula in which he will officially enroll junipero serra among the saints. >> before he does that, the miter comes back on. it's a hat on/hot off time during the mass. >> what significance is there to that? >> it represents his authority

as pope. >> they're invoking the authority of the saints and envoccing his own authority as pope. >> he's invoking st. peter and paul. >> they died in rome and created the vatican as we know it. he's asking or he's decreeing, rather, that the blessed junipero serra be considered a saint. >> that's what he's saying right now? >> at this very moment. >> this is a performative utter answer. when he utters it happens. in the same way a priest baptizes you. >> automatically elbe a saint as

soon as he finishes saying this? >> yes. >> with that amen and applause we hear there, junipero serra has been added to the catalog of the saints. there is a song here in honor of junipero serra and relics of pieces of his body, articles of clothes that he had touched will be it looks like presented to the holy father. at the end of this, cardinal wuerl will come back very briefly and ask officially that the appropriate will proclaim this act. as father dwyer said the act itself was the words the pope just spoke. it needs to be proclaimed and they need to announce junipero serra as a saint and in that letter his feast day. >> when bringing together all the controversy there's a descendant of an indian mission

he worked in in california. >> do you know what happens with the relics after this? >> they're venerated somewhere. anywhere from somebody's living room. some people have relics of saints in their homes to somewhere a lot more public. most likely there will be relics in that place where we're reporting from where, in fact, he's buried. that place will become a shrine of sorts where people can come and visit and see his relics and where he's buried. >> one of the things that can happen now that he's a saint, churches can be named in his title. there can be a st. junipero serra parish now, which couldn't happen before. it's the traditional custom in the catholic church to place a small piece of the saint's body or bone in the altar of the church dedicated to the particular saint. a whole office handling relics and parcels them out to churches and other places around the

world. >> there was some reference earlier he might be known as another saint. >> unless there's another saint junipero serra. >> you have a lot of johns, pauls. you need the extra name. in his case junipero might just do it. >> it's not aterribly common name. here's cardinal wuerl. >> this is the last act of the official canonization. after this it will seem like any ordinary pontiffical catholic mass. >> translator: most holy father in the name of the holy church i thank your holiness for making this proclamation. >> let's go to melissa khan. what's the reaction in carmel? >> reporter: there was a lot of claps when pope francis declared

junipero serra a saint and now he's st. junipero serra. what's interesting is the gentleman in the native-american dress is a judge by the name of andrew galvan. we've spoken to him who is a descendant of those mission indians. his ancestors were the earliest californians to be baptized by the catholic church. deeply emotional, and somebody from the native-american community that spoke in favor of the sainthood recognizing that the two sides were talking past each other and acknowledging the fact that father junipero serra and the mission system did bring a lot of negative impact bullet also focusing of course on the theological impact, antonio. >> the pope here greeting franciscans. isn't there an extra level of symbolism there because he chose the name of the man who founded that order, st. francis of assisi. >> absolutely. there's a warm rapport between

the pope and the other franciscans there. it was a very fraternal moment. he hug them. he embraced them. what's concluded is the formal portion in the rite of con nanization of junipero serra. at this point the normal rites of the catholic mass, the readings that melissa was mentioning before, one of the reading in a native language. >> let's go back to the site there at catholic university at the basilica and libby casey. libby, what's the feeling there? >> reporter: antonio, you talked about the solemnity of this moment but we heard applause from the gathered crowds when father serra became st. junipero. as we just heard, the first reading today will be in a native-american language. thaits symbolic if isaiah. so traditional and yet in the native-american tongue. it will go from there and the mass will sound more like a

traditional mass. this is the first time pope francis is celebrating mass in u.s. soil. so as the day continues to be significant for that reason as well, antonio. >> thanks, libby. first mass on u.s. soil. he has a couple of masses coming up that will be larger especially in philadelphia. >> slulgs. absolutely. this is the last event of the pope's first day in the united states. we're seeing a lot of themes repeated. tomorrow as it go the right of immigrants and civil liberty and climate change. with junipero serra the roll of the clergy and clergy sex abuse coming up. >> look being forward to the next few days, father dwyer, he's already been to the white house and tomorrow he goes to congress and he's going to the u.n. and ground zero and going to harlem and a mass after madison square garden and two very large masses in nil

philadelphia. it's quite a trip. what's the highlight of it? >> i see a highlight is that folks here in the united states for the first time in a long time are celebrating catholicism and the church and one of our leaders. you asked before p about what does that miter symbolize? all the bishops have those, and for the last several years they've had a bad name here in the united states because of the sex abuse scandal, because of lack of transparency issues. this pope is so transparent and wants to bring people together and is crushes down the walls that kept the people from the church allowing the church to be about the people. that's why he's the people's pope. >> i echo that as well. from the political perspective it's the draegs to congress tomorrow, the first time a pope has addressed the u.s. congress. there will be surprises in store for republicans as well as democrats. religiously, this concludes mass in philadelphia probably 1.5

million people in attendance celebrating families. the topic has been controversial in the catholic church as they grapple with same-sex marriage, abortion, contraception and so so on and so forth. we have seen this pope reach out to the poor and those marginalized. he's already attracted a strong sense of support from americans across the political spectrum. it's exciting to see where he goes from here. >> terrific to have you both with us to give us your insights on an important day for catholicism in the united states and the whole world, because the church in the u.s. is certainly significant to the catholic church across the earth. thank you both very much. >> thank you. >> i'm antonio mora in new york. thanks for watching our coverage of pope francis in america continues throughout the weekend. more news just ahead.

>> every saturday night.

>> hello there, i'm barbara serra. this is the news hour live from lone con. coming up in the next 60 minutes. jailed al jazeera journallests mohamed fahmy, baher mohammed are pardoned in egypt. >> this whole nightmare is over. the whole nightmare is over. we can live like normal people rand go back home and enjoy my life, and that's it. that's it. >> e.u. nations pledge $1 billionor