Pope Francis is coming to the United States. Not only is this his first visit to the United States as Pope, but his first visit to the United States ever. As a prominent Jesuit and then Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he never visited our country. Those who know him well state he has never enjoyed being far from home, so it is not surprising that in his seventy-eight years he has never traveled to the United States.
The Pope will address the United Nations General Assembly in New York City and a Joint Meeting of Congress in Washington DC during his apostolic visit. He will canonize Blessed Junipero Serra (the Franciscan founder of the California missions) at the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and celebrate Mass at the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. He will have a busy schedule and will have numerous opportunities to speak to us Catholics living in the United States. The Pope will speak in Spanish during many of the scheduled events. Unfortunately many see this as an insult to the United States, but this is the case simply because his English is poor.
Outspoken against unbridled capitalism and economic systems that value profit at any price, especially the price of human life, we can expect strong words addressed towards American society during his visit. The Pope however does not come to scold us. Evident from the recent interview done by David Muir on ABC, Pope Francis looks forward to spending time with us and experiencing Catholicism in this part of the world. He will be surprised by the outpouring of love that will be expressed toward him by the culturally diverse Catholic Church that exists here.
During his pontificate, Francis has put into action his challenge to the Church to “go out to the peripheries.” His first official visit outside Rome as Pope was to Lampedusa, the Italian island where thousands of African immigrants arrive by boat. His recent apostolic visit to South America included the three smallest and poorest Spanish-speaking South American countries: Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay. He is now coming to the most prosperous country in the world, but it is not a coincidence that he will first stop in Cuba. In the mind of Francis, his visit to Cuba is as important as his visit to the United States. Before arriving here, he will visit a periphery which exists only ninety miles south of Florida. In fact, Francis will reach out to the periphery of our own society during his visit by visiting inmates at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility near Philadelphia and Our Lady Queen of Angels School in East Harlem which is a working class area of Manhattan with the highest violent crime rate in the city.
We anticipate the arrival of Pope Francis to the United States with great joy. Millions will gather to hear him and the words he will share with us will resound for years to come. This will be a transformative journey for the Church in our country as the successor of Saint Peter visits to share the joy of the Gospel.
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