Pope Francis gets rock-star welcome in US

Pope Francis’ maiden visit to the US has evoked a rapturous welcome from Americans, befitting a rock star. Enjoying the adulation of cheering crowds he enthralled them with his inspired talk on immigration, poverty and climate change at the White House gathering. In recent times, all three issues have been major global areas of focus.

The Pope is in the US to address the UN General Assembly during the ongoing 70th anniversary celebrations. Amid ringing applause from the crowd, Pope Francis began his speech by calling himself a son of immigrants, referring to his family migrating from Italy to Argentina. He said it was these immigrants who make countries like the US prosperous.

The Pope was greeted everywhere by joyous crowds. The crowd, both catholic and non-Catholic, flashed their cellphones and took pictures of the Pope. Pope Francis is the fourth Pope to visit the US and the third to visit Washington.

Welcoming the Pope, US President Barack Obama called Francis a living example of Jesus and a figure of humility and simplicity. “I believe the excitement around your visit, Holy Father, must be attributed not only to your role as Pope but to your unique qualities as a person,” the president said in his welcome address for the Pontiff. “In your humility, your embrace of simplicity, in the gentleness of your words and the generosity of your spirit, we see a living example of Jesus’s teachings,” Mr Obama said.

The world at present is facing a refugee crisis, especially Europe. The international community has called for accommodating these refugees and giving them a home. There have also been many reports by various analysts saying Europe can benefit from refugees by giving them legal immigrant status and making them contribute to the economy. This is largely due to an ageing demography in Europe while the refugee countries have a younger demographic dividend. “I am well aware of the immense efforts you have made to welcome and integrate those immigrants who continue to look to America, like so many others before them, in the hope of enjoying its blessings of freedom and prosperity,” Pope Francis said.

Speaking about climate change, Pope Francis acknowledged Mr Obama’s contribution to fight climate change. “Mr President, I find it encouraging that you are proposing an initiative for reducing air pollution,” the Pontiff said. “Accepting the urgency, it seems clear to me also that climate change is a problem which can no longer be left to a future generation,” emphasised Pope Francis. The US has vowed to reduce its carbon emissions by 32 per cent by 2030, making it the most ambitious fight against climate change by any US President till date.

“When it comes to the care of our ‘common home,’ we are living at a critical moment of history,” Pope Francis said. “We still have time to make the changes needed,” he added. He also spoke on the need to provide comforts to those at the margins of society. The Pope had earlier spoken about income redistribution and financial inclusion and has been vocal about the global financial crisis for a long time. “Saving banks at any cost, making the public pay the price, foregoing a firm commitment to reviewing and reforming the entire system only reaffirms the absolute power of a financial system, a power which has no future and will only give rise to new crises,” Pope Francis had said in the past.

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