As has been all over the news today, Pope Francis arrived in the US for his first ever visit.
Like many Catholics, I was eagerly awaiting his visit to my home country. From being interviewed about his arrival to the weekly prayers at Mass, having the leader of 1.2 billion Catholics come for a visit is no small affair. I especially look forward to His Holiness speaking to the US Congress, as the Holy Father is not afraid of speaking truth to power.
Interestingly enough, it was only in recent decades that Popes ever visited America. Previous presidential administrations stretching all the way back to the Founding Fathers expressed open hostility towards the Pope and the idea of a PAPIST ever setting foot in the White House would have set those presidents into carpet-chewing rage. The late Gore Vidal alluded to those sentiments in some of his historical works published during his lifetime. I believe it was Pope St. John Paul II who was the first Pope to visit the US and that was during the Reagan years, thus ending the long papal drought in DC.
If His Holiness should somehow find his way to my little corner of the internet, I would like to take this moment to say welcome to America, Holy Father. The United States may be a blight on the world, but only God can make good out of evil. I will pray that you use whatever influence you have to make that so.
Like many Catholics, I was eagerly awaiting his visit to my home country. From being interviewed about his arrival to the weekly prayers at Mass, having the leader of 1.2 billion Catholics come for a visit is no small affair. I especially look forward to His Holiness speaking to the US Congress, as the Holy Father is not afraid of speaking truth to power.
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| For all those presidential candidates who claim to be "Catholic". Pic found here |
Interestingly enough, it was only in recent decades that Popes ever visited America. Previous presidential administrations stretching all the way back to the Founding Fathers expressed open hostility towards the Pope and the idea of a PAPIST ever setting foot in the White House would have set those presidents into carpet-chewing rage. The late Gore Vidal alluded to those sentiments in some of his historical works published during his lifetime. I believe it was Pope St. John Paul II who was the first Pope to visit the US and that was during the Reagan years, thus ending the long papal drought in DC.
If His Holiness should somehow find his way to my little corner of the internet, I would like to take this moment to say welcome to America, Holy Father. The United States may be a blight on the world, but only God can make good out of evil. I will pray that you use whatever influence you have to make that so.
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