by Clare Duffy |
Pope Francis has been a pope of firsts, and from Sept. 22-27 he will be embarking on a first of his own: his first-ever visit to the U.S. Both Benedict XVI and John Paul II, Francis’ most recent predecessors, traveled to the U.S. before being elected to papal office.
But the pontiff, originally from Argentina, will not miss the opportunity to further history for the Catholic Church as well. During his visit, he will become the first pope to address a joint meeting of Congress, about 30 percent of whom are Catholic, according to pewforum.org.
During his visit, Francis is scheduled to spend about a day and a half each in Washington D.C., New York City and Philadelphia. His scheduled visits (a full list of which are available on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website) include the address to Congress, an address to the United Nations General Assembly, a multi-religious service at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum and appearances at Philadelphia’s World Meeting of Families.
In keeping with his dedication to serving marginalized populations, the pope will be going directly from his Congressional address to a visit of the St. Patrick in the City and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington. He will also be making stops at the Our Lady Queen of Angels School in East Harlem, New York and the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania.
People all over the country have been preparing for the pontiff’s visit in a variety of ways. Manayunk Brewing Company in Philadelphia has created a brew called “Papal Pleasure” that honors Francis’ Argentinian roots. Members of the UP community are looking forward to the visit, too.
Clare Duffy is the news editor for The Beacon. She can be contacted at duffy17@up.edu or on Twitter @claresduff.
**Editor’s Note: We’ve all heard the criticisms: Millennials are apathetic, we care too much about ourselves and our social media networks to care about the news. Well I say they’re wrong. With news becoming increasingly digital and constant, it can be hard to know what’s important, real news and to get a grasp of complex stories with only 140-character updates. Through the “Beyond the Bluff” section, I hope to help the Pilot community to stay informed on issues in Portland, the U.S. and the world as we strive to become global citizens and difference-makers. -Clare Duffy
