What follows is a mosaic of tweets, including things heard or overheard over #PopeInDC. Here we go:
1. On climate change, Pope Francis sides himself with 99% of climate scientists—and against 56% of Congressional Republicans. He is outspoken for social justice —aka wages— “You cannot make donations to the Church on the back of the injustice that you commit with your employees,” he has said prior to his visit to the US. And a hardliner on reproductive health and LGBTQ rights. He often confuses the left and upsets the right: Is Pope Francis’ visit to the US bipartisan and bireligious? That’s the question.
2. We saw 11,000 people at the White House ceremony: The largest welcome to somebody arriving in a Fiat.
3. “Immigrants will enrich America and its church”, Francis Dixit in English. Most of his speeches in the States will be in Spanish. Pope Francis will deliver only four out of his 18 speeches in the U.S. in English. Fair balance.
4. “My greetings to my Jewish brothers”, Francis said at Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in D.C. The Pontiff started his official visit to the US on the day Jews observe Yom Kippur —The holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
5. Saying that he had not come to “judge … or to lecture” the Catholic leaders, Francis said a key purpose of his “apostolic mission” was to offer support and guidance on these challenges: “The innocent victim of abortion, children who die of hunger or from bombings, immigrants who drown in search for a better tomorrow, the elderly or the sick who are considered a burden, the victims of terrorism, wars, violence and drug trafficking, the environment…”
6. CNN was jumping to and fro between the Pope and Donald Trump.
7. In the meantime, somewhere in Univision:“El Papa es el hombre más poderoso y mejor informado del mundo incluido cualquier servicio secreto”
8. At claytoonz.com Clay Jones draws a guy yelling at Pope Francis while walks with Obama: “Go back to where you came from, you illegitimate Marxist, socialist, communists interloper!!!” Francis looks at Obama and asks: “Mine or yours?” Jones writes: “We have had almost 8 years of people accusing Obama of being something he isn’t like Muslim, Socialist, Communist, foreign born, etc. Now the Pope has to deal with it… At least no one is accusing the Pope of being Muslim. At least not yet.”
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Avendaño is Executive Editor of El Tiempo Latino, the sister publication of The Washington Post. @AlbertoAvendan1 alberto@eltiempolatino.com
