Pope to visit White House on September 23, 2015

Pope to visit White House on September 23, 2015

... Excerpt

White House Welcoming Ceremony

Start date    :September 23, 2015 at 9.15am

End  date     :September 23, 2015 at 11.15am

 

 In a statement released Thursday, March 26, 2015, White House Press Secretary John Earnest confirmed September 23rd as the finalized date for Pope Francis’ visit to the White House. Then, Pope Francis and President Barack Obama will discuss their common ground on various social, economic, environmental and ethical issues. You can read the official statement here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday, September 23rd, 2015 at 9:15 a.m. Pope Francis will arrive at the White House in Washington D.C. for a State Arrival Ceremony being the third pope to have ever visited the white house.  The event will be held on the  South Lawn of the White House with President Barack Obama and numerous other government officials in attendance. As ex officio head of state of Vatican City, it is likely that Pope Francis will deliver a speech at the event. A private meeting between President Barack Obama and Pope Francis may also occur at this time.

 

“I am very much looking forward to welcoming
Pope Francis to the United States later this year.”
– President Barack Obama –
2015 Prayer Breakfast

 

Past Papal Visits to the White House

On October 6th, 1979, Pope John Paul II made history, becoming the first reigning pope to visit the White House. There, at the tail-end of his visit to the United States, he was welcomed by then President Jimmy Carter in a formal ceremony. Afterwards, President Carter held a private meeting with the pope in the Oval Office. Nearly 30 years later, Pope Benedict XVI’s motorcade arrived at the White House in Washington D.C., making Pope Benedict XVI the second reigning pope in history to have ever visited the White House. Upon his arrival, the President, along with a crowd of over 13,000, surprised the Pope by singing happy birthday to him while officials delivered a 21-gun salute. Afterwards a private meeting was held between President Bush and Pope Benedict XVI  in the Oval Office, where the president gave him a birthday cake. During the rest of his time in D.C., Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass at Nationals Park and delivered a speech at Catholic University.

 

History of Presidential Meetings with the Pope

 

Pope Benedict XV
January 4th, 1919 –  President Woodrow Wilson meets with Pope Benedict XV in Vatican City.

 

Pope Saint John XXIII
December 6th, 1959 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower meets with Pope John XXIII in Vatican City.

 

Blessed Pope Paul VI
July 2nd, 1963 – President John F. Kennedy meets with Pope Paul VI in Vatican City.
October 4th, 1965 – President Lyndon B. Johnson meets with Pope Paul VI in New York City.
December 23rd, 1967 – President Lyndon B. Johnson meets with Pope Paul VI again, this time in Vatican City.
March 2nd, 1969 – President Richard Nixon meets with Pope Paul VI in Vatican City.
September 29, 1970 – President Richard Nixon meets again with Pope Paul VI in Vatican City.
June 3rd, 1975 – President Gerald Ford meets with Pope Paul VI in Vatican City.

 

Pope Saint John Paul II
President Jimmy Carter
October 6th, 1979 – White House in Washington D.C.
June 21st, 1980 –  Vatican City

 

Ronald Reagan
June 7th, 1982 – Vatican City
May 2nd, 1984 –  Fairbanks, Alaska
June 6th, 1987 –  Vatican City
September 10, 1987 – Miami, Florida

 

Bill Clinton
August 12th, 1993 – Denver, Colorado
June 2nd, 1994 – Vatican City
October 4th, 1995 – Newark, New Jersey
January 26th, 1999 – St. Louis, Missouri

 

George W. Bush
July 23rd, 2001 – Castel Gandolfo, Italy
May 28th, 2002 – Vatican City
June 4th, 2004 – Vatican City

 

Pope Benedict XVI
George W. Bush
June 9th, 2007 – Vatican City
April 15-16, 2008 – White House and Washington D.C.
June 13th, 2008 – Vatican City

 

Barack Obama
July 10th, 2009 – Vatican City

Sources:

• http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-31159399
• http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/eyewitness/html.php?section=21
• http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/04/16/bush-thousands-fans-welcome-pope-at-white-house-on-his-birthday/
• http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/apr/16/catholicism.usa
• http://www.pressherald.com/2015/02/05/pope-to-address-joint-session-of-congress/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_meetings_between_the_Pope_and_the_President_of_the_United_States
• https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/03/26/statement-press-secretary-visit-his-holiness-pope-francis
• http://www.usccb.org/about/leadership/holy-see/francis/papal-visit-2015/2015-papal-visit-schedule.cfm