Pope Francis sure does know how to make an entrance President Obama greets Pope Francis after the Holy Father lands at Joint Base Andrews on Sept. 22, 2015. The plane carrying Pope Francis hadn’t even finished taxiing on American soil for his first ever trip to the United States before the Holy Father had generated news. During an in-flight press conference on the two-and-a-half hour flight from Cuba, Francis was asked questions about his emphasis on the social justice teachings of the Church.
“I am certain I have never said anything more than what is in the social doctrine of the Church,” he told reporters on the plane. “I follow the Church and in this, I do not think I am wrong.”
“Maybe I have given an impression of being a little bit to the left,” he admitted. “But if they want me to recite the Creed, I can!”
It’s these candid, frank comments — among other things — that have earned Pope Francis the incredible star power that he has come to possess. Never one to shy away from a difficult question, Francis is seen as accessible, informal and approachable. In this way, he practices what he preaches: an overall way of life of one of his favorite words, encounter.
A small crowd at Joint Base Andrews were present when the plane touched down, including such dignitaries as President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Jill Biden, Ambassador to the Holy See Ken Hackett. Also present were many members of the Catholic hierarchy and Archbishop Carlo Mario Vigano, Cardinal Donal Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, D.C., and Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Pope Francis immediately deplaned, took off his zucchetto (having learned his lesson the hard way back in Cuba when it immediately flew off his head), and waved to the crowd. After speaking to President Obama for a few minutes inside and then greeting lucky young people from various schools in the Archdiocese of Washington, Francis hopped into his ride of choice: a black Fiat 500, with traditional papal license plate SCV 1.

Francis headed directly to the Nunciature on Massachusetts Avenue in the District, where he will stay during his time in Washington. He will see President Obama again first thing tomorrow morning for the Holy Father's official welcome to the United States.
Gretchen R. Crowe is editor of OSV Newsweekly. For more updates throughout the trip, follow her on Twitter @GretchenOSV.