>> this morning's welcoming ceremony at the white house for pope francis and just a moment we're going to show you some of the other activities at the white house including the pope's parade around the eclipse and more. all of that coming up in just a bit as our live coverage continues of the pope's visit to the united states. our next major event this afternoon will be at 4:00 p.m. eastern. this is the canonization mass junipero serra. the basilica of the national shrine and you'll see that on c-span and also c-span.org.

shortly after that public event on the white house south lawn and the president, the first lady there standing on the balcony, they went inside, exchanged gifts and after that brief meeting the president and the pope walked across the west colonade for a meeting in the oval office and here's a look.

>> the president and the pope accompanied there by the priest behind them is a monsignor mark miles who is the official interpreter for pope francis. they went into a meeting in the oval office which lasted 30 minutes, 40 minutes or so, and not sure exactly what they talked about in this meeting but here's a headline from "the washington post" and some of the comments from pope francis and from the president. headline in the "post" says, "pope francis wades into u.s.

politics." he made it clear wednesday that he does not intend to sidestep the deeply divisive issues in the country and he fully employs his voice, the spiritual leader of nearly 80 million roman catholics in the u.s. the president and the pope let the -- let reporters in for a few minutes in that 30-minute meeting. here's a look. reporter: what's the most important issue you will discuss? president obama: i was commenting how much you are better behaved than usual. eporter: [indiscernible]

president obama: thank you. >> thank you. >> thank you, guys. >> thank you, guys. thank you. >> again, just the public part. the only part that reporters were allowed to see, the meeting between pope francis and president obama in the oval office which ran 30 or 40 minutes or so. it was after that meeting that the public, again, got a chance to see the pope in the pope mobile. wanted to show you a tweet. having some fun with the pope mobile, senator richard burr of north carolina in his tweet, happy to give the pope a ride in the thing if the pope mobile breaks down. it didn't break down and it was viewed by thousands along constitution avenue and around the white house. here's a look.

[cheers and applause]

[cheers and applause]

[cheers and applause]

>> pope francis a little bit after 11:00 eastern this morning returning to the white house after his parade the ellipse area just south of the white house in washington. big crowds. maybe even bigger due to the fact that some of the school systems in the washington area are closed for the yom kappur holiday. so lots of people greeting the pope along the way. the pope back into his fiat 500-l which we first saw esterday at joint base andrews. ey headed to st. matthew's cathedral. here's a tweet from kelly o'donnell from nbc after the pope departs from st. matthew's. pope francis in the backseat of

fiat as cardinals and bishops bid him farewell. he will go to the papal embassy in washington. from "the new york times," they're looking at that pope mobile through the years. that's their headline. pope mobiles through time, a special section of "the new york times." a picture here of the limousine, basic limousine used in 1979 from pope john paul ii. they go back in time all the way back to 1826 and the arriage created for pope leo xii. that's at ny times. the pope will hold mass at the basilica. the shrine of the immaculate conception on the campus of catholic university. canonization mass for junipero serra. that's coming up live this afternoon here on c-span at 4:00 p.m. eastern. and also on c-span radio and

c-span.org as well. the pope, pope francis, his first trip ever to the united states. but he becomes the fourth pope to visit the united states in an official capacity anyway. the third to meet with the president in the united states. it's the 10th time a pope -- a papal visit has happened in the u.s. pope john paul -- pope paul vi was the first in 1965 with lyndon johnson. and benedict xvi the most when president bush was in office. the morning started for pope francis in northwest washington. the papal embassy, his departure there where he greeted crowds before his short trip to the white house. [cheers and applause]

>> pope francis this morning leaving the vatican embassy on embassy road just northwest of the white house. and making his way to this morning's ceremony. in the fiat that's become a bit famous since his arrival yesterday, kelly o'donnell tweeting a photo of how important -- how seriously the secret service is taking the visit this week of the pope. director of the secret service, joseph chancey on site near

papal fiat. he's the man in the far left of that photo. well, coming up at 4:00 this afternoon, our live coverage will continue from the shrine of the immaculate conception on the canonization mass with pope francis and others. 4:00 p.m. eastern right here on c-span, c-span radio and c-span.org. and the pontiff will be at the capitol tomorrow for the joint meeting. that's at 10:00 tomorrow morning. live coverage here on c-span. florida representative ileana rostrost tweeting a photo from inside staff wear hall in the capitol. this is the spot in the capitol where tomorrow the pope will less the statue of saint junipero serra. the statue on the left that is already in staff wear hall. again, the joint meeting tomorrow 10:00 eastern live here on c-span. coming up next, though, we want to show you all of this morning's welcoming ceremony

with the pope arriving at the white house shortly after 9:20 eastern. >> and mrs. michelle obama.

>> ladies and gentlemen, the national anthem of the holy sea followed by the national anthem of the united states. anthem of the holy see followed by the national anthem of the united states.

♪

[cheers and applause]

> present. s >> mr. president, this concludes the honor.

>> order.

president obama: good morning. what a beautiful day the lord as made. holy father, on behalf of michelle and myself, welcome to the white house. [applause] i should explain that our back yard is not typically this crowded. but the size and the spirit of today's gathering is just a

small reflection of the deep devotion of some 70 million american catholics. [applause] it reflects as well the way that your message of love and hope has inspired so many people across our nation and around the world. so on behalf of the american people, it is my great honor and privilege to welcome you to the united states of america. [applause] today we mark many firsts. your holiness, you've been celebrated as the first pope from the americas. [applause] this is your first visit to the united states. [applause]

and you are also the first pontiff to share an encyclical through a twitter account. [laughter] holy father, your visit not only allows us in some small way to reciprocate the extraordinary hospitality at -- that you extended to me at the vatican last year, it also reveals how much all americans from every background and every faith value the role that the catholic church plays in strengthening america. from my time working in impoverished neighborhoods with the catholic church in chicago to my travels as president, i have seen firsthand how every ingle day catholic

communities, priests, nuns, are eeding the hungry, healing the sick, sheltering the homeless, educating our children and for hefying the faith that -- fortifying the faith that sustains so many. and what is true in america is true around the world, from the busy streets of buenos aries to the remote villages in kenya, catholic organizations serve the poor, minister the prisoners, build schools, build homes, operate orphanages and hospitals. and just as the church stood with those struggling to break the chains of poverty, the church so often has given voice and hope to those seeking to break the chains of violence and oppression.

and yet i believe the xcitement around your visit, holy father, must be attributed not only to your role as pope but to your unique qualities as person. [applause] in your humility, your embrace of simplicity and the gentleness of your words, and the generosity of your spirit, we see a living example of jesus' teachings, a leader whose moral authority comes not just through words but also through deeds. [applause] you call on all of us, catholic

and non-catholic alike, to put the least of these at the center of our concerns. you remind us that in the eyes of god our measure as individuals and our measure as a society is not determined by wealth or power or station or celebrity but by how well we ugh the scriptuss call to -- scriptous call to lift up the poor and the marginalized. to stand up for justice and against inequality and to ensure that every human being is able to live in dignity because we are all made in the image of god. [applause] you remind us that the lord's most powerful message is mercy. that means welcoming the

stranger with empathy and a ruly open heart. from the refugee who flees war-torn lands to the immigrant who leaves home in search of a better life. [applause] it means showing compassion and love for the marginalized and the outcast to those who suffered and those who've caused suffering and seek edemption. you remind us of the cost of war, particularly on the powerless and defenseless and urge us toward the imperative f peace. [applause] holy father, we are grateful

for your invaluable support of our new beginning with the cuban people which holds out the promise -- which holds out he promise of better relations between our countries, greater cooperation across our hemisphere and a better life for the cuban people. we thank you for your passionate voice against the deadly conflicts that ravaged he lives of so many men, women and children and your call for nations to resist the sirens of war and resolve disputes through diplomacy. you remind us that people are truly free when people practice faith freely. here in the united states we cherish religious liberty. of as the basis for so much

what brought us together, and here in the united states we cherish our religious liberty but around the world at this very moment children of god, including christians, are targeted and even killed ecause of their faith. believers are -- the faithful are imprisoned and churches are destroyed, so we stand with you in defense of religious freedom and interfaith dialogue knowing that people everywhere must be able to live out their faith free from fear and free from intimidation. [applause] and holy father, you remind us that we have a sacred obligation to protect our planet, god's magnificent gift

to us. [applause] we support your call to all world leaders to support the community's most vulnerable to changing climates and to come together to preserve our precious world for future generations. your holiness, your words and deeds, you set a profound moral example. and in these gentle but firm reminders of our obligations to god and to one another, you are shaking out of our complacency. all of us may at times experience discomfort when we contemplate the distance between how we lead our daily lives and what we know to be

true, what we know to be right, but i believe such discomfort is a blessing for it points to something better. you shake our conscience from slumber. you call on us to rejoice in good news and give us confidence that we can come together in humility and service and pursue a world that is more loving, more just and more free. here at home and around the world, may our generation heed your call to never remain on sidelines of this march of living hope. for that great gift of hope, holy father, we thank you and welcome you with joy and gratitude to the united states sidelines of

[applause] ope francis: good morning. mr. president, i am deeply grateful for you're welcome in the name of all americans. as the son of an immigrant family, i'm happy to be a guest in this country which was

lastly built by such families. [applause] look forward to these days of encounter in which i hope to listen to and share many of the hopes and dreams of the american people. during my visit, i will have the honor of addressing congress where i hope as a brother of this country to ffer words of encouragement to hose who guide the nation's

political future from its founding principles. i will travel to the meeting family to celebrate and support the institutions of marriage and family, this a critical moment in the history of our civilization. [applause] mr. president, together, american catholics are committed to building a society which is truly tolerant and inclusive to safeguarding the rights of individuals and communities and to rejecting

every form of injustice, discrimination. [applause] with countless other people of goodwill, they are likewise concerned of the efforts to uild a just society, respect their deepest concerns and the right to religious liberty. [applause] let freedom remind america's most precious possessions and as my brothers, the united states have reminded us all -- to be vigilant, precisely as

ood citizens and defend that freedom from everything that -- [applause] mr. president, i find it encouraging that you are proposing an initiative for reducing air pollution. [applause] accepting the urgency, it seems climate e also that change is a problem we can no longer be left to future generations. [applause]

pope francis: when it comes to our common home, we are living at a critical moment of history. we still have time to make the change needed to bring about a sustainable development, for we know that things can change. pope francis: that change emands on our part a serious response, not only of the kind of world we may be leaving for our children, but also to the millions of people living under

a system which has overlooked hem. our common home has been part of this group which carries out to heaven and which today, powerfully strikes our homes, ities and societies. to use an italian phrase -- we can say that we have defaulted now promissory note and s thetime to honor it.

pope francis: we know by faith that the creator does not bandon us. he has never forsaken us, he lovingly created us. humanity has the ability to all ogether in building our common home, inspired by this, we wish to commit ourselves to responsible care of our common ome. mr. president, -- which were recently made to mend broken

relationships and to open new cooperation within our human amily represents possibilities that are along the path of reconciliation, justice and freedom. i would like all men and women in this great nation to support the efforts of the international community to protect the vulnerable in our world and 2 -- ntegral models of -- so that our brothers and sisters

everywhere may know the blessings of peace and prosperity, which god wills for all of his children. mr. president, once again, i thank you for your welcome. i look forward to this day in your country. god bless america.

>> ladies and gentlemen, the gospel choir from washington, .c.. i will lift my eyes to the hills, knowing my help is coming rom you.

and i have a soul. you are the source of my trength. you are the strength of my ife. i live my -- i lift my hand in praise to you.

amen. amen. men. men.

> mr. president. >> we love you pope francis.

cheers and applause]

hotehote the welcoming remony for host: just a quick headline from this speech by the pope this

morning on the white house lawn. here's "national journal." immigration, refugees and climate change on the top of his agenda. our coverage this afternoon, :00 p.m., the mass for the founder of california missions. looking at matt flemming who tweets, catholic university waiting out of room waiting for the pope to arrive. photo of members of congress, u.s. capitol police motor cade with senators to see the pope and the mass coming up in 45 minutes. sean zeller of the number of catholics in congress. one in three and in the senate, 144 in the house and 26 members in the senate. and back to this morning's visit

of the pope. pomp and circumstance and 21-gun salute. and why no 21 gun salute for the pope at the white house ceremony? the white house decided it against based on consultations with the vatican. josh earnest was asked about it at today's white house briefing. porter: why not a 21 gun salute? mr. earnest: obviously, we had a discussion that was closely coordinated with the pentagon -- with the vatican. the pentagon may have been involved, too. but when planning events, the white house closely coordinates vatican.ities with the and obviously, the pope has a

reputation of somebody who doesn't revel in pomp and circumstance as much as some other world leaders do. and so it was in deference to his humility that the 21-gun salute was not included in the formal arrival ceremony today. reporter: humility or br military display? there is military color guards and so forth on the south lawn. mr. earnest: his humility factored in that decision. the might also recognize welcoming professed manner of peace to the white house instead of repeated firing of weapons. i think we felt like the -- what can be described as a slightly

more subdued welcome ceremony was the most appropriate way to welcome pope francis to the white house and based solely on his public reaction to the festivities, it appears that pope francis agreed with that as well. host: another state visit, the chinese president coming to washington. and he will, according to sources get the 21-gun salute. we are looking for your comments. coverage today, tomorrow and friday on c-span and post those comments at facebook.com/cspan. comments about the mass coming up this afternoon. and the mass is a travesty and insult to all of those with native blood. he founded the california missions in the 1800's. another tweet, i'm not catholic

but pope francis, like christ belongs to all of us. the president meeting with pope francis this morning. speaker boehner will get his chance tomorrow as the pope comes to capitol hill for the joint meeting of congress. the headline on politico. the pope and the speaker will meet. they will have a private one-on-one meeting. one of the mostly held details that are beginning to trickle out. and earlier article saying the house and senate leaders will welcome theehner to joint meeting of congress. following the official welcoming at the white house today, the exchange of gifts, the pope and president walked into the oval office where they held about a 30-minute meeting.

and lowing the pop president is the pope's official interpreter, although the pope today speaking to the audience at the white house in english. again, he'll speak later this afternoon and say mass in 40 minutes at catholic university at the national shrine and we will have live coverage beginning at 4:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span, c-span radio and c-span.org. the president and the pope made their way into the oval office, they let in reporters and here's a look. >> i think they are much better behaved when you're here.

i notice all of you are much better behaved than usual. >> thank you. thank you. thank you guys. thank you. host: pope francis and president obama meeting in the white house. they met 30 or 40 minutes. no full disclosure on the issues they covered, in the morning comments they talked about cuba and climate change and the pope talking about that. we'll hear more about that tomorrow in the pope's address to the joint meeting of congress . those two world leaders. a tweet, it's encouraging to see

great world leaders talking about solutions to correct bad conduct in protection of our planet. shortly thereafter after the meeting with president obama, got into the famous pope mobile for his tour around just outside the white house grounds down constitution avenue and more.

host: take you live to the vatican embassy in washington. the pope departing for the 4:00 p.m. mass.

host: pope francis did he parts the vatican's embassy in washington in the area of embassy row it's called in washington. not far from the white house. on a good day, 10, 15-minute drive over to the catholic university area where the basilica is. but because the traffic, calls by the pope and people in town to see the pope, it will be longer than that. we'll have live coverage here on c-span and over on c-span.org. tweeting about being in

we dance, congressman tim will have live coverage. up until then, we are showing some of the parade earlier. the pope's parade. let's get back to that now.

host: pop francis' first visit to the united states. white house visit, welcome at the white house and a parade, a parade down constitution avenue, brief however it may be, but dozens of people to see pope francis. the pop is on his way to the basilica, the national shrine for the scheduled 4:00 p.m. mass , live here on c-span and also on c-span radio. d they have a picture of

junipero serra. the founder of the california missions and he is being annonized at 4:00 p.m. the pope's visit to the united states. our coverage continuing tomorrow with his address to congress and joint meeting of congress at 10:00 a.m. eastern. on friday, the pope will head to new york, the united nations is meeting and will speak to the general assembly and will be live and then later at the 9/11 memorial and several other services set. our coverage continues after the u.n. speech. all of it live here on c-span, c-span dorgan c-span radio. the mass at 4:00 p.m. until our live coverage resumes, u.s.-vatican relations. joinining s jim nicholson, the former u.s.

ambassador to the holy see. just talk for a moment about u.s. vatican relations. what is the state of them right now? guest: they are good. i think there is a good chemistry in a lot of the interactions going on between the united states and the vatican and the two heads of state. being paid a state visit by the sovereign head of the the see, so at the surface relationship is good. i think below that there is some pretty serious, important issues about which we differ. host: and they are? guest: issues of faith and morals, and religious liberty. is a strongtration proponent of abortion, supporting planned parenthood, who has apparently sold the body parts of aborted fetuses.

that is not something that the vatican or this pope condones. the don't condone imperatives of providing contraceptives to employees. they don't condone gay marriage. this pope has been pretty orthodox on these fundamental values that the catholic church stands for and has for centuries. on the other hand, he is showing a great deal of openness and expansiveness in asking for people to be merciful and loving of all people. all stripes and beliefs. finenally, i think that is . i think that is christlike. but that doesn't mean that you don't have standards to which you should aspire. those standards are the difference between the holy see

and the united states currently, under this president. ast: he is making this visit the head of state. what is the significance of that? guest: the pope is a unique figure in the world. he is the head of state of one of the oldest sovereign states and the world and he is also the head of one of the major religions, the catholic church, which has about 1.2, 1.3 billion people. so he brings with him a great deal of attention and a great deal of moral authority, and a great deal of moral curiosity. that is all the interest. you don't see the president of the united states and his wife, or the vice president of the united states and his wife going to andrews to greet heads of state when they come in. you saw that yesterday for the pope. so this fellow, this man has a real reach across the world, and certainly here in the united states. host: what impact do you think

he will have on americans, on decision-makers, on lawmakers as they listen to him tomorrow in a joint meeting? guest: he will have a significant impact because he has a lot of moral authority. excuse me. loving,very humble, open, compassionate figure. i think people are yearning for leadership like that. he is filling that void across all religious stripes. i am in a law firm with about 300 lawyers and professionals of all religions, jewish, protestant. they have a great deal of interest and affection for this pope. it is so interesting to me because they come up to me all the time and want to talk about this pope. he has captured the interest of

people universally throughout the world. it is a positive influence. it is, let's care about the poor of our planet. let's care about the vulnerable of our planet. he has said other things about which i don't necessarily agree, things about global warming and some of the ways that we can deal with that. there is a divide with a lot of people, including myself o. host: we are talking about pope francis's visit to the united states, the influence he will have on policy makers and others, and all of you, americans. we are discussing dogmatic relations here with jim nicholson who served as the former u.s. ambassador to the holy see during the bush of ministration from 2001 to 2005, before that former republican

national committee chair. he is taking your thoughts us morning. we go to maryland, democrats line. good morning. caller: good morning. i would like to put my two cents .n i am from right outside philadelphia and we are looking forward to welcoming the pope. it was the mayor of philadelphia , who in concert with the world first invited the pope to the states. i think from listening to him he is change oriented, and i think he speaks well. will take that point. a nice mix of the conservative and change. what do you think about? guest: the pope, a mix in the pope? host: yes.

guest: i think that's accurate. i think he has been very orthodox on the major, contemporary discussions about values, about abortion, about marriage, about contraception. he has held the line. said, other hand he has we are all failed human beings. we are all sinners and we have to show mercy to those who do not comport necessarily with our standards, our doctrine, our faith and morals. christlike. is he has also said, sort of off-the-cuff in conversation when asked about a gay priest, he said, who am i to judge? i think that has thrown some , because some people have interpreted that to mean not to judge anything. i don't think that is what the pope meant. host: when you served as

wouldador i mean -- how you draw the differences between this pope as the previous popes? guest: the pope i was most familiar with was john paul ii, saint john paul ii. was a charismatic man of great energy before he got so .ick with parkinson's disease he to knew how to use the modern-day media very well. it was a great communicator. then there was pope and addicts who is a more cerebral, scholarly sort of person, and kept his own counsel more. and now we have prices who is a francis whowe have is a real extrovert and is a very popular is that in the world, maybe the most popular person in the world. so what he says gets a great deal of attention, which is why

this is so important about what he says and also what he thinks. there are some areas i think that maybe he is being misguided , or his experience growing up in argentina under the perrone's formed hisas thinking about capitalism and the free market. i think the united states is a perfect model to demonstrate to here, in washington at least, four days in the u.s. -- what capitalism means and what he can do for people, and how it can allow them to come out of poverty. and when it does, in the united states, we sure that with other people. that is a great model. argentina is no model. argentina, 100 years

caller: see the benefits of capitalism. the pope did grow up during times where socialism was takeover y military a -- pitalism is [bellings ringing] - bells ringing] host: national shrine of the ba

sill cap. e pope making his entrance before the mass for father junipero serra. watching live coverage. the mass will be held outside. they have constructed a complete setting there with the altar on the east side of the basilica and huge crowds have gathered to hear the mass.

[cheers] [bells ringing] [cheers]

bells ringing] [cheers] bells ringing]

bells ringing]

[cheers] [bells ringing]