all the issues, not just police and security, but health. and being prepared for any contingency. it's a great opportunity for the new mayor to show her new government and let it shine. >> it's 11:00 now and we're continuing with the special coverage of the pope's visit to washington, d.c. the parade has not started. a lot of folks waiting. >> we have crews all around the parade route talking about the security, the crowds growing right now. the parade should begin very shortly. the pope and the president held a private meeting at the oval office after the welcoming ceremony there on the south lawn. and you can see all morning long people came very early to wait in those long lines. and tisha thompson mentioned she could really see security ramping up. there are fences and gates in place.

and anyone who didn't have a position along the parade route are being told to move all the way back toward the washington monument. >> there seem to be police positioned every 15 feet. the pope is going to be traveling about a mile, starting out along 17th street on the west side of the white house. from there, he will head south with crowds lined all along the way, as you can see. >> pope francis will then turn on to constitution avenue and head across and up 15th street. then he will return to the white house grounds near pennsylvania avenue. >> and thousands have been gathering all morning to catch a glimpse. we're going to catch in now with pat collins, who's waiting down there too hoping to see the pope. pat? >> barbara, take a look at the crowd now. thousands and thousands of people lining constitution avenue, waiting to try and get a glimpse of the pope when he comes by in the pope mobile. some began lining up here as early as 4:00 this morning. let's look over to the right.

you can see the security here. just about everywhere you look, there's a police officer. a law enforcement officer. this place is on lockdown. if you're in, you can't get out. if you're out, you just can't get in until after the parade is over. you know, this is starting to bring out my inner altar boy. i want you to take a look. a group of nuns. they're the servants of the lord. they came down from pennsylvania. they're standing and hugging that lamp post, hoping to get a better view of the pope when he comes by. they were singing. they were chanting. are these nuns happy? well, i had a chance to talk to some of them. >> makes a very good surprise for everyone, for everybody. i think it's a surprise for all

of argentinean people. that this is a great gift to the church. and gift for our country. i think our country needs good light, the true light, the jesus christ way. >> the anticipation here is building. we're waiting for the parade. we're waiting for the pope. we're waiting to see the pope mobile. it's just a matter of time now. back to you. >> we've just learned -- maybe i just learned. maybe everybody else just knows this. that there's going to be a camera on that pope mobile. so we will be able to see the crowd from the pope's eyes, exactly as he sees it. did you know about that? >> reporter: i don't know about that. i know there's going to be a camera in front of the pope mobile, because they just had a couple of dry runs with that truck that's going to precede the pope mobile. so we'll get a good, close-up shot of the pope as he goes through the parade. whether they have one on the

pope mobile, i don't know. but it would be an interesting shot to see all these people react as that pope mobile goes by. >> sure. and to see the nuns and their faces. peter la port, our security expert is here and he said when you look at the nuns' faces, that is somebody who might catch the pope's eye. we know the pope likes to get out of the pope mobile, greet the faithful. and maybe we'll see the pope talk to some people along the route. >> you better stand next to the nuns there. >> reporter: some of the nuns are from argentina, so maybe, who knows? he might get out. but i tell you, there's just something about talking to nuns. these such great nuns who came a long way to see the pope. it's inspiring. >> we can tell you're a catholic, raised by -- raised and educated in the catholic faith. >> did you see my knuckles? >> all the way through from nursery school through college. i know, pat collins. >> and we're seeing these live pictures of the crowds. how deep from your vantage

point, how deep are these crowds, pat? >> reporter: i'd say 20 to 30 deep along constitution avenue. as far as the eye can see here. and i can see maybe a block, block and a half down. it's a festive crowd. it's a great crowd. they just want to see the pope. >> you just wonder, pat, if there will be a surge of humanity when that pope mobile comes down. i mean, that deep a crowd, people in the back trying to get to the front. it could be pretty dangerous against those metal fences. >> people are very, very happy to be there. the surge you get at a rock concert to get in the front row. if you can get a view, that's what you're there for. to be part of that. to be part of that spirit. so i don't believe we'll see that. what we may see, though, is a great deal of emotion from folks. there's a lot of sun out there. that's my one concern. i'm watching people fan themselves. thank god it's not too hot.

but it is a beautiful sunny day. >> and earlier, you caught the crowd doing the wave as they're waiting. talk about camaraderie there as you're waiting for the pope to arrive. >> like i said, there's a great spirit in the crowd. and you can see it even in the law enforcement folks who are standing tall, and a sense of pride. this is a great day. it's a great day for d.c. >> the francis effect. >> now, how are they chosen? those who are out there working today. you say it's an honor, and i'm sure it certainly is. but are they paid to be there? >> oh, they certainly are. today is a long day for them. >> yeah. >> and the parks police, the secret service, it's an all hands on deck field. and this will go -- later on, when we get into the brookland neighborhood, that will be a challenging footprint as well security-wise. >> for sure. pat, are you still there?

>> reporter: i'm here. >> pat, what are you noticing about security and how officers are standing by on the parade route. >> reporter: well, they're almost shoulder to shoulder on the parade route. i can see the park police all the way down constitution avenue. there's homeland security here. there's secret service here. national guard here. just about everybody who has a badge in the city of washington is on duty here today. they've even brought in homeland security officers from other cities to work this event here in washington. and you have to know, and peter will tell you this, this is what we see. there's a lot of police officers, there's a lot of agents that work here we don't see that are listening to things that are watching things, keeping an eye on things, from

rooftops over there, or through the air, or through the internet, or through devices they have in trucks that are patrolling around the area. so if anything nefarious should pop up, they're ready to deal with it. >> shoulder to shoulder police. earlier, they were standing more ten to feet 15 apart. i think we're getting a lot more police officers out there now, probably coming from some of the earlier events. >> right. an indication that the pope's parade should begin very soon. you were saying the crowds seem long. so far, so good in terms of the orderly nature of the event? >> it looks like a good event, and it will be a good event. but pat's right. there's a lot you don't see. when they have the shot of folks on the building, there are people throughout the city,

including the metro system, which a lot of people will be on the system, especially the red line this afternoon. also a plain clothed presence there as well. >> tisha mentioned that having covered other events like this, this seemed to be a much larger police presence. and yet, we are told that there has been no credible threat made. people talking about what leads to this much security. >> the event requires it. just the potential for something to happen requires a very strong footprint. this is a pope. he's going to be in an open air vehicle. this venue, as well as the event at st. matthews, and then up at catholic university requires a number of officers who will be at this venue to leapfrog to those other venues. so the significant security.

what i was happy to hear is the coordination between philadelphia, new york, and washington, d.c. the police chief -- former d.c. chief, chuck ramsey is the chief in philadelphia. he has talked to folks here in d.c. so there's that kind of coordination among the three cities, which is nice to see. >> thank you, peter. >> well, as people leave the papal welcome at the white house, news4 is there to get an inside look. >> adam tuss joins us from 15th and pennsylvania. you were talking to a lot of people as they were leaving the white house ceremony. what did they think about what the pope and president said? >> reporter: they thought it was pretty amazing. this is where the pope will come up after he makes the turn off of constitution. somewhere in that sea of humanity is the catholic boy,

the altar boy himself pat collins, who's down here fearing all the nuns who are chasing him around. everyone's been talking about just the festive atmosphere that's going on around here. we've got people showing up all over, like trying to get as close as they can to those barricades, just to catch a glimpse of this pope. you guys are talking about rock star status. this pope definitely has it. because he's different. no two ways about it. he is a different kind of pope with a different kind of message and he's bringing people not just from all over the country, but from all over the world here. i think that's the thing that's striking me the most about being outside here. just seeing people from all over. different races, nationalities. it doesn't matter. we talked to two guys who just came out of that papal greeting. they said it was an amazing event. >> it was awesome. we got to see the pope making the turn on his little fiat and

he waved. it was a good crowd. i had 15,000 of my closest friends there. >> a very special moment. a whole bunch of my fellow directors out here from around the country. to see the pope out here who represents exactly that is just thrilling. >> reporter: and you see the live picture here. the flags flapping in the gentle breeze. the papal flags are ringing the entire white house complex. i mean, we have rolled out the red carpet for this pope in more ways than one, literally at joint base andrews yesterday. and then this is as good as the city has looked in a very long time. we do big events well. we do inaugurations. we do major marathons and all that stuff. but this is a different kind of feel. it's a different kind of event. and it's a different look for the city. and the city looks good at this moment. back to you. >> and the weather is great. the president gave credit where credit is due this morning in his welcome to the pope.

he said this is the day the lord has made. and he welcomed the pope with those words. >> and it just speaks to the excitement of the city and this visit from the pope. he has such a wide-reaching universal appeal. his approval rating amongst catholics, like 63%. eight out of ten catholics believe he is leading the church in the right direction. and just the fact that this message of mercy and love, and loving your neighbor in such a way resonates with people of all faiths. and even non-catholics who have come -- it's not just catholics in the crowd. people really just wanted to be a part of this event and be in the pope's presence. >> i think these changes that he is calling for in this year of mercy really do resonate with all people. and especially americans. but from what we're hearing around the globe, people love what he has to say. >> let's bring in aaron gilchrest once again, who is live at the vatican embassy on northwest washington. aaron, just to see the pope greeting guests this morning

said it all really. >> it really speaks to really what people have come out in such huge numbers to be a part of. these are folks who wanted to be able to see the pope in person. and the very real possibility they wanted to experience the very real possibility of having even a personal moment with him as the kids who were here outside the vatican embassy did this morning. and we quite possibly may see other people have that moment later on through the day. you're looking still live here at the parade route near the ellipse along the national mall there and outside the white house. we've been talking about the fact that the pope is going to be wrapping up very soon here with the president in the white house, and then getting into the pope mobile. not the little fiat thate've seen a couple of times already. he's going to be getting into what's being retrofitted as a pope mobile. we can tell you that is a jeep wrangler that has been transformed into what we might typically see as a pope mobile where the pope will get in.

we understand that cardinal worell might be in the pope mobile. there were actually three different pope mobiles. a fourth one that the secret service has had as well. they've had all four of them the last month or so, until the pope arrived in the states. he will get in the pope mobile and go along that route. if you look at the way the barriers are set up along this route in the live pictures, this road that the pope will travel is much wider than maybe we've seen when he's visited other countries. when you've seen the pope in the mo pope mobile. even when he was in rio a few months ago, people swarmed almost literally the vehicle he was in. so they were able to get a little closer.

that doesn't mean he won't get out of the pope mobile and walk to the barriers and shake hands. we saw pat collins talking about the nuns that were there. the pope may try to approach some of them. one of the other issues -- and i think peter might be able to speak to this and whether this is a possibility for pope here. we know in other places when he's been out in the pope mobile, people have thrown things, flowers, stuffed animals, t-shirts sometimes, food even in cases. we know those are collected by the vatican and have sometimes been given out to the poor in some cases. might you anticipate people might throw flowers, and what sort of concern might the secret service have in instances like that? >> they'll certainly have concerns. don't want any projectiles to hit the holy father.

certainly people want to give gifts, but i hope they don't, but it may happen. they'd have to have a pretty good arm, because it is a very wide boulevard. >> we saw the first of the motorcade leave the white house grounds. >> reporter: right, barbara. if you can still hear me, that was the expectation. we hear about that two-minute warning so often. we got a little update that the pope was wrapping up with the president. if you look off in the distance, i believe that white vehicle you see with the open sides, that is very likely the pope mobile that is being used, that retrofitted jeep wrangler, as the pope takes what the archdiocese of washington takes what is called his parade around the national mall. >> do we know whether that vehicle is one that has been made for him here? did he bring that on the italia plane from rome? >> reporter: i don't know that

for sure. i know there were four jeep wranglers being kept here for him to use, one in each cities, and a fourth, a spare, if you will. so they've been secured and they've been -- i'm sure all the specs are something that are kept in -- you know, well-documented somewhere in the vatican, so they're able to say, you know what? the u.s. conference of catholic bishops. we're going to have this visit with the pope. we need you to secure the vehicle and make sure that these specifications are met. there's a certain type of seat that the pope needs. we know oftentimes he will stand in the pope mobile. and he needs to be able to brace himself appropriately there. so this vehicle, i'm willing to bet, is exactly what it needs to be for pope francis. ñ:ká we are now seeing the pope mobile live, getting out of the white house gates here. and about to enter the parade route. the pope is starting to wave to the crowds now. let's listen in a little bit.

[ cheers ] [ crowd cheering ] [ crowd cheering ]

>> and you just saw one of the secret service agents take a baby from the crowd and bring him to the pope. the pope kissed the baby. we were wondering how this was going to work out. so maybe the secret service will be the agents, right? to have the -- if you can't go to the crowds, the secret service will bring the crowds to the pope. i imagine that's going to happen more than once along this parade route. >> this is very moving watching this happen. people are so excited, all the way to the back of the crowd. everyone waving. and obviously very happy to see this pope. >> and as soon as the pope entered the parade route, you could hear the screams right away. people waving. putting their arms out. taking pictures. and we mentioned cardinal donald wuerl is in the pope mobile with him. there is also that photographer right behind him to get the vantage point from where the pope is standing.

and again, it looks like several security detail walking alongside the pope mobile. the one man on the far right of your screen was the one who took the baby from the audience and brought him to the pope. he also just now collected what looks like perhaps a note or a letter. so the secret service has more than one job today, apparently. >> and they must have known this was going to happen. they seem ready and willing to be of service to the pope. and he is leaning out and reaching out to all those who are screaming to see him. >> and this parade route goes around the ellipse. the pope -- look, he is, again, thumbs up. blessing people in the crowd as he moves along this parade route. he is smiling. and again, we said earlier, this is where -- and father, you can talk to this. this is where he seems happiest when he is greeting the faithful. >> oh, no doubt.

he's in his element. he is a man comfortable in his own skin. he used to ride the bus every day, like you said earlier. so he likes being with the people. and chatting and talking. and then also, you can see, he's very much like a parish priest. he likes to bless the babies and talk to the people and make contact. >> he's been traveling a lot over his tenure. >> yes. >> so he's used to this happening. for a humble man, it must be surprising each time it happens, that so many people are so happy to be in his presence. >> it's funny, i would imagine something like this happens, every time it's like it's happening for the first time. that's part of the joy of it. it's not something that grows old, especially for somebody of his demeanor and all the gifts that he has as a leader. i think we're really blessed to have someone who enjoys people so much, and it's fresh every time it happens. >> and what message do you think he wants to bring? not only to congress tomorrow, but to the people who are

standing in line and waiting in crowds to see him and to catch a glimpse of him? >> well, i think it's a living example of what he calls the culture of encounter. where you have a culture, like i said -- like he said, we don't see ideas, we see people. he wants to build a stronger sense of family. he's starting in the family, but he wants to build a stronger sense of community. especially at the local level. i think you see that in his preaching. he talks about -- i call it living room theology. he talks about things that really hit home. i notice in a lot of his sermons, he'll talk about things like gossip. everybody has experiences with that. he'll talk about -- he'll tell families go ahead and fight all you want, but at the end of the day, do not let the sun go down on your anger. reconcile. everybody relates to things like that. >> do you think part of his mission is to get a reinvigorating spirit among american catholics? >> he not only among american catholics, but i would think

among americans and people in general. i think he sees himself not only as the leader of the catholic church, but he recognizes that he is -- you know, like it or not, he's a world figure, a moral authority for people beyond the church. >> and let's just take a look at this live picture here. we're talking about the magnitude of security. the motorcycles. behind that, the other security detail. and then balances behind that. just the huge security force that is out there to protect the pope and the crowds today. >> and again, here is the pope, moving slowly along the parade route in that jeep wrangler. he's waving to the crowds. pat collins is along the parade route. pat, i can only imagine what is going on there in terms of excitement. >> reporter: there's great anticipation. he is about, i'd say, maybe a half block away from our position here at 15th and constitution. we can see the lights of the

police motorcycles ahead of him. we can see the flashing lights. we can see the security force alongside. but we can't see the pope just yet. people are craning their necks. they're chanting. they're waiting for him to move just a little bit closer, so they can get a good glimpse of the pope as he moves by. listen to the crowd now. as he gets closer and closer. you can hear the applause. >> pat, we just saw another girl that was brought to the pope mobile to be blessed by pope francis. she just walked back into the crowd. so i imagine we're going to see this along the parade route as well. >> reporter: first the baby, then the girl. what a touching sight. and for the secret service to do that, it makes it almost doubly touching in my heart. it's just something you don't see along a parade route. certainly not in the city of washington.

here they are getting closer and closer now. >> you can just hear the screams. we heard papa. i thought i heard vida papa. people just thrilled to be in his presence. again, waving to the crowd. at one point, it looked like he was leaning out of the side so he could get closer and look at people's faces as he's moving along the parade route right now. oh, look. you see the secret service agent. he has a bouquet of flowers in his hand. that's going into the pope mobile there. earlier, that same agent grabbed a note or a letter and brought back to the pope. there goes another one. he's running out to get something. it's interesting to see -- >> oh, here comes another baby! let's watch this. >> a kiss on the head from the pope. something the parents of that baby will never forget.

>> aaron gilchrest is also standing by. we saw, aaron, earlier in the morning where you are at the vatican embassy, the pope embracing people and having conversations with children. and here he is once again along this massive parade route, meeting the faithful who have come to see him. >> you know, i have to imagine the pope sounds a lot like you when i used to show you pictures of my godson. and you would say, bring me that baby! i can hear the pope saying something like that when he sees the babies in the crowd. i can tell you that we think that the men that you see and women that you see closest to the pope mobile are part of the swiss guard. and then maybe the outer perimeters are going to be secret service agents. but the secret service sent folks over to the vatican to see how the pope likes to operate. so they knew what to expect when they were coming here. pat collins again on the parade route. are we getting close to you? >> reporter: he's getting closer and closer, even as we speak.#rv

he's probably now 150 yards away from me. you can hear the crowd react as he moves closer to our position. the pope waving to one side of the street, and then looking and waving to the other side of the street. the secret service walking. occasionally, he'll bless the people waiting to see him. it's quite a sight here. it's really a moving sight. this is a parade of one man, just one man. and to see how he impacts all these people, it's heartwarming. >> it certainly is. thumbs up! he has a huge smile on his face. just looks so happy as he blesses this crowd. >> he certainly seems to be

enjoying himself. and i'm sure as you said, father, that this is a -- that even though he has done this many times now -- pat's still talking to us. >> reporter: he's much closer to the crowd on 15th street. >> you said that it's always like a first time. >> that's right. i think the whole world is just like one gigantic parish. he certainly has that sense. >> pat just said, he seems closer from this part of the parade route. pat, are you still there? earlier, he was saying it looks like from this vantage point, he does seem somewhat closer in distance to the crowds. we've seen the pope kiss two babies. we had a girl walk up to the pope mobile and the pope blessed her as well. we see the pope and this huge security detail go down the

parade route. the pope just in his element, smiling, blessing the crowd. just taking it all in in his first visit to the united states. there he is again waving to the crowd. just a sight to behold. >> the way the security cars are flanking the pope mobile, they are leaving it really pretty much in view to both sides of the street so that everybody is getting an opportunity to see him. >> aaron, i can just imagine what the pope might be thinking. he seems to happy. i think he's probably looking for more children or babies to bring to the pope mobile to bless. >> reporter: you can tell he is loving every minute of this. barbara asked a little bit earlier about the vehicle that he's in. it's a jeopardy wrangler. fiat, chrysler makes jeep wrangler. these were shipped over, four of them shipped over from vatican city earlier in the summer to be used, to be kept by the secret

service and used for this. you can see the way it's made with the glass front. and then open on the sides. previous pope mobiles had been closed on the sides, or had sort of windows that rolled down. this pope said he didn't want to be in a sardine can, so he wanted those windows on the side gone. he wanted to be able to lean out and wave and actually reach and touch a baby and kiss a baby on the head if they were able to bring one to him. so that is how this vehicle has been designed, for him, again to be able to get as close as possible to the people who are lining the secrets here, holding flags, vatican flags. we mentioned the fact that this is the first latin american pope, and his trip to the united states brings him to an archdiocese, the washington archdiocese that has 620,000 catholics as a part of that archdiocese. and of those, 240,000 are hispanic, or of hispanic

descent. so many of them, and many other latin american folks who came out to try to see the pope, those are a huge portion of the numbers lining the streets along the ellipse as this parade of the pope, if you will, starts to wrap up here. >> it looks like the parade is just ending as the pope goes back into the white house gates. what a wonderful day for the people who stood in those crowds. it looks like they're moving to try to see him one more time before they go home. but he just took his time, waving to the crowd, blessing the crowd, kissing a couple of babies, and talking to one girl, and really just seemed to happy to be here today. >> and those crowds, many have been there since 4:00 this morning. that's when i think they were allowed to begin gathering. so a lot of them have waited. it was not so slow. i mean, it was -- he did take his time. i think the pope mobile moved

along slowly enough that everybody probably felt like he saw them. >> let's check in with pat collins, who is along the parade route and saw the pope go by. what do you think, pat? >> reporter: eun and barbara, have you ever been to an event or a game or a concert and when it was over, you just stood there and you didn't want to leave? you were hoping well, maybe there'd be an encore? you didn't want to leave that moment. that's almost what it's like down here. i mean, the crowd -- they're still standing there thinking well maybe he's going to come back for a second loop. this man, this humble man, this kind man, this is a parade of one man and the impact that he has had on these people is just amazing. a unique experience for our city. i just don't know any way to describe it, other than i've never seen anything quite like this in my city before. this parade of one man that had

so many people here enthused, happy. it is quite an experience. >> pat, i know that you are a good catholic, and i want to ask you personally how this pope and his teachings and what his transformative and really revolutionary teachings have meant to you? >> reporter: well, i think this pope has brought the catholic church into the 21st century. with some of his teachings and his rulings that we've seen since he's taken over. eng he's motivated a lot of catholics to get back into their religion, and to do more to help people who are less fortunate. i think this pope has made it cool to be a catholic again. it may extend to other people of other religions, or people with

no religion at all. he preaches a lot of kindness. he preaches things that hopefully will make us all better and live more peacefully together and enjoy our lives a lot more. >> that's what he is bringing to this crowd out there. there are some parents who must be just overjoyed, because as we saw earlier, let's look at the picture. a baby being brought by someone from the secret service over to the pope, just after they came out of the white house grounds, actually. this was the first baby that he kissed. and then we see another child a little bit later who was brought to him from the crowd. a little girl. >> she's carrying the flog as well. she walks over. she had walked over. and now she's going back to the crowd. and there was one more baby that he kissed.

see, there we go. it didn't look like she was sure she could go over there. and then that huge embrace. oh, beautiful. >> it's incredibly touching to watch how he touches people. >> let's check in with adam. a lot of people just stood there, but now a lot of people are -- >> there's that third baby. >> now a lot of people are leaving the parade route. i'm sure there are still some crowds. adam tuss is down along pennsylvania avenue to tell us what it looks like from where he is. adam? >> reporter: pat was talking about a concert. and you wanted to be there. well, the concert does end. the sporting event does end. and this is what you get afterwards. a lot of people heading out on to the street. we had people coming up to the barriers here, not even close to the pope, but just trying to catch any sort of glimpse that they could have seen of him.

he came down 15th street. everybody now seemingly chasing him. i just had someone come up to me and say, where is he going next? where is he going next? well, a lot of people i can tell you right now are probably headed to connecticut avenue, because that might be the next logical place where the pope goes. as we know, he's headed to st. matthews. he's headed to the basilica of the national shrine of the immaculate conception also later today. so the pope's going to be moving around. this is part of the deal. this is what we told you about as well, about how everybody is trying to get around and about. the transportation pictures. still massive road closures. people now on the streets of the city. back to you. >> all right, adam. thanks so much. as adam mentioned, the pope's next event is at st. matthews cathedral in northwest washington. that is the mother church of the washington archdiocese. you see inside here 300 bishops assemble to have midday prayer with the pope. >> and that midday prayer is a

special liturgy, is that right? >> that's correct. it's called the liturgy of the hours. sometimes they call it the divine office. it's a part of -- it's one prayer. the daytime prayer that they're saying in a few minutes. there's a morning prayer. lauds, another morning prayer. there's daytime prayer. there's an evening prayer called vespers. what you're going to see here really is one of the shortest of those five prayers. it's comprised just completely of psalms and a reading from scripture and a closing prayer. it will be a little bit longer than usual. personally it only tab about fi minutes, but this is going to be sung, so it's going to go on a little bit longer. >> will the pope lead this liturgy? >> well, in leading it, he probably will start off with these words. "oh god come to my assistance, oh lord make haste to help me."

it's a verse quote from the psalms. we ask the help of god to help us to pray. and then after that, i think the choir and the other participants will be actually carrying it from there. actually, the leader doesn't have a lot to do. they open it up and they give the final blessing. >> and he will pray with the bishops. >> that's right. >> we're hearing beautiful music coming from st. matthews right now. >> yes, that's right. i understand they'll be playing some pieces written by a catholic composer who wrote dialogues of the caramelits. and there's going to be a piece by brookner, who is also a famous catholic composer in the early 20th century. >> st. francis of asisi is from whom the pope is named, chose that name. >> francis of asisi is an interesting character himself. he's sort of the icon, or the living image of what the pope is

talking about on care of our common home. so he saw that, how st. francis, because of his holiness is returned to innocence, restored not only his relationship with god and others, but also with creation. i think the pope sees that. that's another key message of the pope i think that we have to look at. about restoring our relationship with god and one another, reconciliation and mercy, but it's also about restoring our broken relationship with the created world. the world was meant for the good of man, but man also has to treat the world well in order to have a healthy relationship so the creation serves him, man also has to serve it properly. >> thank you, father. tom sherwood is standing by live outside of st. matthew where the pope will stop next in his u.s. tour. top? >> reporter: that's right, eun. let me show you behind me. that's rector ronald jamison. 20 years ago, he told me earlier

today, he was a priest. in 1979, he helped with pope john-paul ii's visit to washington. he's standing there now waiting to receive the pope. he's been the rector of st. matthew for 20 years. and he's been out talking to all kinds of people here. he was out in just a windbreaker earlier, and now you can see he's wearing the proper vestment to welcome the pope. we're hearing the park police helicopter over us. people about a block away on connecticut avenue have been periodically cheering, but there's been no sign yet that he'll be here. he's going to come here to st. matthew, the cathedral of st. matthew. he's going to be speaking in midday prayer to 300 bishops who are here from around the country. he'll talk about education and charitable services. he'll talk about immigration. he'll even mention sexual abuse among the catholic church and priests.

it's a remarkable speech. we can't tell you too much about it yet. but he's due almost any time now. all the secret service and other people who were talking with each other like they were on a coffee break have now kind of spread out. they look like they're ready to go and so are we. we'll be here when the pope arrives. back to you. >> i'm sure the bishop has seen so many changes over his 20-year history. that is a historic cathedral, right, tom? tom, are you there? this is a historic cathedral, as tom mentioned, pope john paul iii celebrated his visit there in 1979. and the funeral mass for president kennedy as well. just a beautiful church where the bishops have gathered for this midday prayer service. there's that sign in the entrance, welcome. >> you said that this is a very important church in this parish, is that right? in this diocese.

>> you mean st. matthews cathedral? yes, it absolutely is. a cathedral is the mother church of every diocese. you might call it the bishop's parish. cathedrals don't have a pastor as such because the bishop is the pastor, so the priest that pretty much runs the parish is called the rector. but yes, it is the mother church of the diocese. it's where the bishop will hold more often than not major events such as ordinations and other solemn events, like confirmations for adults are often held there during the easter season. >> some of the catholic schools even have their graduations there. >> that is right. even the basilica of the national shrine of the immaculate conception, which is not to be confused with st. matthews, it's a national basilica, and it was given that status as a minor basilica i believe by john paul ii, if i'm

not mistaken. it's not a cathedral properly speaking, but in a sense, you might call it america's national church. >> you're talking about the basilica. >> the basilica. some years back, i was chaplain of bishop o'connell high school in arlington. o'connell would have graduations at the basilica. and perhaps some of the high schools in the archdiocese in nor new york might have them. >> and you're talking about the basilica. >> i think that's the basilica right there. >> and this is a live picture of the pope now moving from the white house to st. matthews. we saw the bishop there ready to receive him for the midday prayer service. this is one of the midday stops. after that, he is going to move to the basilica, as you mentioned. and this is the mass that he's going to hold where they canonize junipero serra.

can you talk about what we should expect? >> that mass will be primarily in spanish, so it will have broad appeal to our spanish speaking populous. the mass is a canonization, i think the first time a canonization has been done on american soil. it means that this person had led a life of conversion throughout their life. t doesn't mean they were perfect throughout their life. but throughout their life they led a conversion and grew perfect in what we call supernatural charity, the love of god or neighbor. that person attained the heights of holiness, and selfishness had been cleaned out of their soul. here comes the pope right now. >> he's back in the fiat again. >> will communion be served at this service? >> no, communion will not be distributed at the liturgy of the hours. it will be at the mass this

evening. >> let's go to tom sherwood, who is there right now as the pope arrives at st. matthews. >> reporter: if you can see right in front of me, the pope is getting out of the little fiat. he's about to go up the center steps. he's going to be greeted by ronald jamison, the rector of st. matthew. he's being told now exactly what's going to happen. i don't know if you had a camera a moment ago, but there were a zillion police officers on motorcycles and police cars, and just to the right of where the pope is, there are lots of cars following behind him. that's cardinal wuerl there with him explaining what they're going to be doing. and now they're about to go inside. let's take a moment and watch him go up the steps. there's no large crowd. this is not a good spot for the public to be. z that's a spanish reporter on the stand there.

so here he goes. he's waving. so the pope will be speaking at the midday prayer service. there are 300 bishops from around the country who will hear his -- we're told about a 15 or 20-minute speech. i think those doors will close once everyone is inside. and i'm sorry you can't see him for all the black suits. somebody made a fortune selling black suits. again, this is the famous st. matthews. funeral mass for president kennedy was here. pope john paul ii was here in 1979. again, this is the -- st. matthew is the patron saint of civil servants. there are 200,000 federal workers inside the beltway, plus all the local governments throughout the region.

this is a perfect place for him to be in washington, d.c. let's go to aaron gilchrest. >> reporter: tom sherwood for us live outside of st. matthews we expect that what we're going to see happen next here is going to move fairly quickly inside the cathedral here. the pope making his way down the aisle. he will have an opportunity to pray in the chapel there at st. matthew. we believe he will vest before cardinal wuerl and archbishop kurtz, they will make some remarks at the altar there as well. the pope obviously greeting some of the other bishops and cardinals who are here. the pope often speaks of his brothers. he was a cardinal before he was a pope, so developed very close relationships with many of the other cardinals and bishops around the world for that matter. so it's not unusual that he might have what looks like a

personal moment with some of them before he makes his way up toward the chapel and the altar here to begin this prayer. as tom alluded to, we know some of what he might say during this time when he's at the cathedral. we also know we expect to hear from cardinal wuerl and archbishop kurtz as this gathering of 300 or so bishops is happening. again, first to the chapel here. we expect that that is where he is going. and then we expect that he will vest, and then proceed to the altar for this prayer service. we know there will be a few moments of silence during this prayer gathering, and that the pope will speak we expect entirely in spanish during this gathering as well before he returns back here to the vatican embassy to rest for a time before he proceeds on to the

mass, the canonization mass that will happen later on today. the pope supposed to be going back to the chapel. and i tried to learn some of the correct terminology. that sacrosty is a sacred place. if you're still able to hear me -- >> yes, it is the vesting room for clergy. this is called the liturgy of the hours. it consists primarily of psalms. it's not to be confused with mass, because mass, which is going to be this evening during the canonization ceremonies, mass is what we call making present the death and resurrection of christ and that's where the bread and the

wine are consecrated into the body and blood of christ and that's why we give out communion during the mass, toward the end of it. however, there's not going to be consecration in this liturgy. there will be psalms that are sung. this is primarily comprised of bishops. these are from throughout the united states. as you'll notice, there are also cardinals that are in there. so the cardinals are what you might say the bishop's cabinet -- i'm sorry, the pope's cabinet. they're the ones that the pope will often go to when he needs a little bit of advice or a good word about what's going on. they are also called together for a conclave when we have to elect a new pope. >> so these bishops in attendance will be part of that conclave? >> well, the cardinals would be. there's only a handful of them. in this group of bishops right here, there's only a handful of cardinals, they would be the american cardinals.

i think it's five or six of them, i believe. i think you're looking at something to the tune of 300-some-odd bishops from throughout the country. >> and when he first entered the church, the pope kissed a cross. >> that's correct, yes. >> is that also something that happens for every prayer service? >> not necessarily. this is a particular devotion of perhaps pope francis. it's not uncommon among catholics to kiss the crucifix. we do have a liturgy on good friday where catholics come up and kiss the foot of christ on the crufix and likewise the pope was doing something similar to that. it's also common in south america for catholics to have devotions towards kissing the cross or kissing the feet of saints. >> he went back to the sacristy, but he's not expected to change into a different vestment. the pope doesn't change, does he? >> for this, probably not.

however, it might be possible that he would put on a cope. a cope is not the same vestment that a priest wears for a mass. the cope is something he would wear for another kind of solemn ceremony. sometimes a priest would wear it at a baptism. but i don't know that he's going to do that, though. it's not necessary. he doesn't have to. so who knows what he's going to do. it wouldn't surprise me if he did. >> there's an interesting story earlier this summer when the pope was visiting another country and had to change his vestments at a burger king as he prepared for the mass. >> burger king became the sacristy, that's right. sometimes you have to improvise when you're traveling around. >> it seems like he didn't mind. let's check out these pictures now from the crowds who are leaving the parade route. look at all these people. now, these people. >> along the parade route. thousands upon thousands who started their day very early in

the morning to get a good spot along the parade route. there were some 20 to 30 people deep along the fences, and now as they try to make their way back to where they're going. some of that fencing is still up. the security around this area was very tight. people could not get -- if you weren't in position early enough, you couldn't get into that area, especially as we got closer to the parade and the pope making his way down the parade route. it looks like people are now making their way out. let's check in with adam tuss, who has been talking to people as they have been moving out of this area. adam, are you there? >> reporter: yeah, i'm here, and you're right, it is one big mass exodus at this point. the interesting thing is that people now want to follow him around the city. people are asking where he's going next. people are trying to get over to st. matthews right now. i'm sure a lot of people are

going to try to get over to brookland later this afternoon. and this is what we're talking about when we're talking about the challenges of getting around. it is not going to be easy to go and just follow him, because number one, the road closures are going to start to be in place in different parts of the city. obviously right here around the white house in the ellipse, we've got a lot of security that is still in place. and is going to be in place for hours. but then after this, it changes to a different location. really, it's almost like knocking down dominos at this point. he did this event, he's going to go to this event, he's going to go to this event. he's a very, very busy guy, and if he's not tired right now, he's going to be tired after this day for sure. oh and also, don't forget, he's going to capitol hill tomorrow, so that will be a whole other challenge. back to you guys. >> i understand that the pope will speak in spanish at this event with translation. will each person be given an ear piece or something to be able to hear the translation, those who don't speak spanish? >> i would doubt that everybody

will get one of those. there will be so many people at the mass. but perhaps some of the dignitaries or some of the people sitting up front with the special seats might. >> can we ask you what we're seeing here in this live picture inside st. matthews cathedral for the midday prayers? >> yes. the pope i think is preparing. it looks like here he's facing the altar. you see here in front of him is a kneeler. that's for him to kneel and pray before the blessed sacrament and the altar. what exactly he's doing now, i think these might be some preparatory prayers. i don't know. but it looks like the actual liturgy of the hours has not started yet. >> and this is a short service you were saying, this prayer service with the bishops. >> well, it's short in and of itself, yes. i can say it in five minutes. but when it's sung, it obviously takes a little longer. so i wouldn't be surprised if it takes 15 to 20 minutes. >> and there might be some additional elements. >> that is correct. you're looking at the sanctuary

of the cathedral. that box is called the tabernacle. there's a kneeler in front of it. the tabernacle is where we put the body and blood of christ that is left over after the consecration of mass, and catholics have a long tradition of kneeling and praying in front of the presence of the eucharist. which interestingly enough was poplarized by st. francis, he was the one who really popularized the blood and body of christ. >> talk about the significance of that. >> well, the body and blood of christ, we say that our lord instituted that at the last supper when he took the bread and said this is my body, and the wine, this is the cup of my blood. he also spoke about it in john 6, yypñ when he says my flesh id for the life of the world and my blood is drink for the life of the world. right now, let me -- this is oh god come to my assistance, oh lord make haste to help me. they just made the sign of the cross. they're invoking the help of god to say these prayers.

these prayers come out of a book that is called "brevery." the songs are organized into an orderly fashion. they go by a four-week cycle. they just said oh god come to my assistance, oh lord make haste to help me. they said glory be to the father and to the son and to the holy spirit as it was in the beginning will now be forever, halle luj hallelujah. and now they're beginning with a hymn. ♪

♪ hallelujah hallelujah ♪ >> they spoke about the vestments. he has not changed, but he has added a shawl. >> it's called a stole. a stole is what a priest always wears when he says formal prayers. could be anything from the burial rights at the graveside, or leading a prayer service. he has to wear the stole during the baptism, normally. the priest always has stole during mass, but it's usually covered by another vestment. >> is the color something that he can choose? is it representative of something? >> you're seeing here he's wearing red right now. red is the color of -- we wear when we celebrate martyrs, the feast days of martyrs.

it's also for pentecost, and also on good friday. >> and the bishops who were in attendance, what are they expecting to gain out of this? this must be a special time as well. >> yes, they're praying with really the bishop that's the head of the whole church. keep in mind, a pope is a bishop. he is the bishop of rome, because that is the city where st. peter, who we call the first pope, and also st. paul, the apostle, the great evangelist, that's the city where the two of them, peter and paul, shed their blood. and in fact, today you can still goes to rome and see the relics and the remains of peter and paul at these proper churches. >> let's check back in with aaron gilchrist who is standing by. >> reporter: we should let our viewers know that we have reached the 12:00 hour and we are watching as the service, this special prayer service happens at st. matthew