2015 visit by Pope Francis to North America

Pope Francis visited North America—Cuba and the United States—from 19 to 27 September 2015.^[1][2] It was his first state visit to both Cuba and the U.S.,^[3] as well as the third official papal visit to Cuba and the seventh to the United States since the U.S. established full diplomatic relations with the Holy See in 1984.^[4][5][6][7]

Apostolic Journey to Cuba, the United States of America and the United Nations

Pope Francis and President Barack Obama walk along the East Wing Colonnade
Date	19–27 September 2015
Venue	For the venues, see venues
Location	Cuba: Havana Holguín Santiago de Cuba United States: Washington, D.C. New York City United Nations Philadelphia
Theme	"Love Is Our Mission"
Cause	2015 World Meeting of Families
Organised by	Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Website	USCCB Papal Visit 2015

The published itinerary from the Vatican described the trip: "Apostolic Journey of His Holiness Pope Francis to Cuba and the United States of America, and Visit to the United Nations Organization Headquarters, on the occasion of his participation at the Eighth World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia."^[8]

Visit

Cuba

The pope's visit began with a tour of Cuba – the third by a reigning Pope (after Pope John Paul II's 1998 visit, and the subsequent visit in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI) – where he visited Havana, Holguín, and Santiago de Cuba.^[9]

19 September (Havana)

• 10:15 a.m. – Departure from Rome to Havana
• 4:05 p.m. – Arrival Ceremony at Havana airport and speech

20 September (Havana)

• 9:00 a.m. – Mass in Havana's Plaza de la Revolución with homily; recitation of the Angelus
• 4:00 p.m. – Courtesy visit with Raúl Castro in Plaza de la Revolución
• 5:15 p.m. – Celebration of Vespers with priests, religious, and seminarians in the Havana cathedral, with homily
• 6:30 p.m. – Greeting to young people at the Father Felix Varela cultural center in Havana

21 September (Holguín, Santiago de Cuba, El Cobre)

• 8:00 a.m. – Departure for Holguín
• 9:20 a.m. – Arrival in Holguín
• 10:30 a.m. – Mass in Revolution Square with homily
• 3:45 p.m. – Blessing of the city from Cross Hill
• 4:40 p.m. – Departure for Santiago de Cuba
• 5:30 p.m. – Arrival at Santiago de Cuba
• 7:00 p.m. – Meeting with bishops at the seminary of St. Basil the Great in El Cobre
• 7:45 p.m. – Prayer to Our Lady of Charity with bishops and papal entourage in the Minor Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre

22 September (El Cobre, Santiago de Cuba)

• 8:00 a.m. – Mass in the Minor Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre with homily
• 11:00 a.m. – Meeting with families in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Assumption in Santiago de Cuba with speech; blessing of the city
• 12:15 p.m. – Farewell ceremony at Santiago de Cuba's International Airport
• 12:30 p.m. – Departure for Washington, D.C.^[10]

United States

The visit to the United States consisted of three cities: Washington, D.C., New York City (including his visit to the United Nations), and Philadelphia which hosted the World Meeting of Families. Tickets to attend public events with the pope were hard to obtain or sold out very quickly.^[11][12][13]

During his visit, it was announced that he would be releasing a rock album titled Wake Up! in November 2015.^[14]

22 September (Washington, D.C.)

• 4:00 p.m. – Arrival from Cuba at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, outside Washington, D.C.^[15][16]

23 September (Washington, D.C.)

• 9:15 a.m. – The White House – welcome ceremony and meeting with President Barack Obama. The pope spoke to a crowd of more than 11,000 people on the White House South Lawn.^[17] It was the third visit by a pope to the White House, following meetings in October 1979 between Jimmy Carter and Pope John Paul II and in April 2008 between George W. Bush and Pope Benedict XVI.^[18][19]
• 11:30 a.m. – Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle – Midday Prayer with the bishops of the United States^[20]
• 4:15 p.m. – Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception – Mass for the canonization of Junípero Serra^[21][22]

Pope Francis met with Little Sisters of the Poor after Mass; a Vatican spokesman stated that this was a sign of his support for them in their opposition to a contraception mandate for Catholic hospitals.^[23]

24 September (Washington, D.C.; New York City)

Speaker Boehner introduces Pope Francis to the 114th U.S. Congress, Supreme Court, and Executive Officers

• 9:20 a.m. – United States Capitol Building – Pope Francis became the first pope to address a joint session of the United States Congress, at the invitation of House Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, both Catholics.^[24]

In his speech to Congress and other dignitaries, he devoted most of the time discussing immigration, protection for persecuted religious groups including Christians, poverty, capital punishment, and climate change.^[25]

• 11:15 a.m. – St. Patrick's Church in the city and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington visit^[26]
• 4:00 p.m. – Departure from Joint Base Andrews
• 5:00 p.m. – Arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York
• 6:45 p.m. – St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan – Evening Prayer/Vespers^[27]

Kim Davis and her husband met briefly^[28] with Pope Francis at the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington (Embassy of the Holy See) with "several dozen" other people.^{[29][30][31][32]} The Vatican issued a statement saying the Pope's meeting with Davis "should not be considered a form of support of her position in all of its particular and complex aspects."^[33] According to Father Thomas Rosica, a Vatican spokesman, Davis was not invited to the nunciature, and "the meeting may have been manipulated by her and her lawyer."^{[28][34][35][36]}

25 September (New York City, United Nations)

• 8:30 a.m. – United Nations Headquarters – address to the United Nations General Assembly
• 11:30 a.m. – National September 11 Memorial & Museum and World Trade Center – multi-religious service
• 4:00 p.m. – Our Lady Queen of Angels Elementary School, East Harlem – visit
• 4:45 – 5:15 p.m. – Papal Procession through Central Park
• 6:00 p.m. – Madison Square Garden – Mass

26 September (New York City, Philadelphia)

• 8:40 a.m. – John F. Kennedy International Airport departure
• 9:30 a.m. – Philadelphia International Airport arrival, Atlantic Aviation hangar^[37]
• 10:30 a.m. – Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul Mass
• 4:45 p.m. – Independence Mall visit
• 7:30 p.m. – Festival of Families at Benjamin Franklin Parkway visit

27 September (Philadelphia)

• 9:15 a.m. – St. Martin's Chapel, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania: meeting with bishops
• 11:00 a.m. – Visit Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Holmesburg, Philadelphia
• 3:00 p.m. – Visit and blessing at the Jesuit Saint Joseph's University
• 4:00 p.m. – World Meeting of Families, Benjamin Franklin Parkway – Mass
• 7:00 p.m. – Atlantic Aviation hangar: visit with organizers, volunteers, and benefactors
• 7:30 p.m. – Departure from Philadelphia International Airport for Rome

Commemorations

Philadelphia breweries released nine special, papal-themed beers in anticipation of the visit.^[38] The Delaware County Keystone Mint crafted a coin commemorating the pope's visit to the United States and the World Meeting of Families.^[39] Two Philadelphia radio stations introduced "pop-up stations" dedicated to extended coverage of the visit and its associated events, including WZMP-HD3's "Popecast", and WDAS's "Pope Info Radio".^[40][41][42]

Swyft Media released a sticker keyboard app to commemorate the visit, Popemoji, which featured cartoon images of Pope Francis for use in messaging apps (including nods to U.S. landmarks and Philadelphia).^[43]

See also

•  Catholicism portal
•  United States portal

• Catholic Church in the United States
• Jesuits in the United States
• List of pastoral visits of Pope Francis outside Italy

References

1. "Viaggio Apostolico del Santo Padre a Cuba, negli Stati Uniti d'America e Visita alla Sede dell'Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite (19–28 settembre 2015) | Francesco". w2.vatican.va. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
2. "A guide to seeing the pope in Philadelphia on the last weekend in September". Fox News. Associated Press. 16 September 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
3. Binelli, Mark (10 September 2015). "Inside the Pope's Fight with U.S. Conservatives". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
4. "Schedule: 2015 Apostolic Journey of Pope Francis to the United States of America". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
5. "Pope Francis Philadelphia Mass tickets go in 30 seconds - CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
6. Terruso, Julia (1 September 2015). "Pope Francis expert: Papal panic nothing new". Philly.com. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
7. Goodstein, Laurie (5 September 2015). "Pope Francis' Visit to U.S. Is His First Ever, for Several Reasons". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
8. "Apostolic Journey of His Holiness Pope Francis to Cuba, the United States of America and Visit to the United Nations Organization Headquarters on the Occasion of His Participation at the Eighth World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia (19–28 September 2015)". Vatican.va. 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
9. "Pope Francis in Cuba: pontiff arrives in Santiago – as it happened". Guardian. 22 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
10. . CatholicHerald.co.uk. 30 June 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
11. "Pope Francis schedule for Cuba and U.S. trips - CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
12. "Pope Francis' Schedule for His U.S. Visit". The New York Times. 5 September 2015. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
13. Yee, Vivian (10 September 2015). "To Glimpse Pope Francis, Ticket or Patience Is Required". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
14. Kreps, Daniel (25 September 2015). "Pope Francis to Release Pop-Rock Album 'Wake Up!'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
15. "Pope Francis touches down in the US – as it happened". Guardian. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
16. "Pope Francis arrives in U.S. for historic visit". CNN. 22 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
17. "Pope Francis, in White House Ceremony, Praises Obama's Action on Climate Change". New York Times. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
18. Antonia Blumberg (19 August 2015). "50 Years Of Pope Visits To The United States". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
19. "Pope Francis calls for climate change action in White House speech – live". Guardian. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
20. "Pope Francis urges action on climate change on visit to US". BBC News. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
21. "Pope Francis makes saint of controversial Hispanic missionary". BBC News. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
22. "Pope Francis declares Junípero Serra a saint on surprisingly political visit to DC – live". Guardian. 23 September 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
23. Pulliam, Sarah. "Pope Francis meets with Little Sisters of the Poor, nuns involved in an Obamacare lawsuit". The Washington Post. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
24. "Pope Francis, in Congress, Pleads for Unity on World's Woes". New York Times. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
25. Carroll, Rory (24 September 2015). "Pope Francis electrifies Congress with speech laying out bold vision for US". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
26. Pope Francis Skips Lunch With Politicians To Be With Homeless In Washington, D.C. Huffington Post;24 September 2015 12:22 PM
27. "Pope Francis given rockstar welcome in New York to close historic day in US". Guardian. 25 September 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
28. Boorstein, Michelle (2 October 2015). "Why no one wants to talk about how the Pope Francis-Kim Davis meeting was arranged". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
29. Payne, Ed; Burke, Daniel (2 October 2015). "Pope's meeting with Kim Davis not an endorsement, Vatican says". CNN. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
30. Goodstein, Laurie (30 September 2015). "Kim Davis, Kentucky County Clerk, Met Pope Francis". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
31. Eversley, Melanie; Bacon, John (30 September 2015). "Vatican confirms pope met with Kim Davis". USA Today. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
32. Green, Emma (30 September 2015). "Why Did Pope Francis Meet With Kim Davis, the Gay-Marriage-Protesting Clerk From Kentucky?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
33. "Vatican says pope met with gay couple and meeting with Kim Davis not a form of support". Fox News Channel. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015. The pope did not enter into the details of the situation of Mrs. Davis and his meeting with her should not be considered a form of support of her position in all of its particular and complex aspects
34. Kington, Tom (2 October 2015). "The truth about the Kim Davis/Pope Francis meeting, according to the Vatican". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
35. Goodstein, Laurie (30 September 2015). "Kim Davis, Kentucky County Clerk, Met Pope Francis". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
36. Eversley, Melanie; Bacon, John (30 September 2015). "Vatican confirms pope met with Kim Davis". usatoday.com. USA Today. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
37. "Canceled: 'Francis Fields' campground plan". philly-archives. 11 September 2015.
38. Szkaradnik, Carly (11 September 2015). "Pope Beers Celebrate the Papal Visit in the Most Philly Way Possible". eater.com. Vox Media. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
39. "First look at the pope coin". 6abc Philadelphia. 17 September 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
40. "Philly Gets Pop-Up Pope Station". Insideradio.com. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
41. "iHeart To Launch Philadelphia Papal Pop-Up Format". RadioInsight. 13 September 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
42. "Papal Visit Prompts WDAS-A (Smooth Jazz 'JJZ)/Philadelphia To Air 'Pope Info Radio' 9/19-27". All Access. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
43. Bell, Karissa (10 September 2015). "Holy emoji: Pope Francis has his own GIF keyboard app". Mashable. Retrieved 3 February 2021.

External links

• Official site – United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Preparing for the Pope (FBI)