He’s here! Pope Francis officially kicked off his visit to the United States at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, on Tuesday, Sept. 22, following his trip to Cuba.
The Catholic leader, 78, arrived stateside at 4 p.m. ET. He was greeted by President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, their daughter Malia and Sasha Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and Biden’s wife, Jill Biden.
The special moment, captured on video via The New York Times, showed him receiving a round of applause and flowers from children. He also shook hands with people in the crowd, walked on a red carpet, and a band played Pharrell Williams‘ “Happy.”
POTUS, 54, and Pope Francis first met in March 2014 at the Vatican in Italy, where they spoke for over an hour. “It is a great honor. I’m a great admirer,” Obama said at the time. “Thank you so much for receiving me.”
The first Latin American pope will next address a Joint Session of United States Congress in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, and will later take part in the Festival of Families in Philadelphia on Sept. 26. On Sept. 24, he’ll be making his way to New York City. Plans are already under way to close several streets when he arrives to speak to the United Nations General Assembly.
Watch the video above!
