HOW THE HOLY SEE VISITED THE WHITE HOUSE: PRESIDENT OBAMA WELCOMES POPE FRANCIS (2516 hits)
It was a message sure to please the Obama White House, and liberals in general. But the pope had something for conservatives, too, with a pointed call to protect religious liberties — "one of America's most precious possessions."
"All are called to be vigilant,' he said, "to preserve and defend that freedom from everything that would threaten or compromise it."
It was a welcome message to many U.S. bishops and conservatives who have objected to the Obama administration's health care mandate and the recent Supreme Court legalization of same-s*x marriage.
With flags snapping, color guard at attention and a military band's brassy marches, Francis stepped from his modest Fiat onto the South Lawn on a crisp fall morning that felt as optimistic as his own persona. Pope and president stood on a red-carpeted platform bedecked with red, white and blue bunting, standing at attention for the national anthems of the Holy See and the United States.
