We interrupt today’s wall-to-wall Pope coverage for some more Pope coverage. The Pope arrived at the White House today to greet the adoring masses, pose for #popeselfies and urge us to take climate change and economic inequality seriously. (However, no miracles have been reported yet.)

Pope Francis arrived at the White House today around 9 a.m. but people hoping to catch a glimpse were camped out long before dawn:

When he did arrive, he stopped to chat with the crowd, pat the heads of schoolchildren and, yes, pose for selfies (the Associated Press has the blow-by-blow of his visit):

The Pope opened his remarks to a crowd of 15,000 by saying, “As the son of an immigrant family, I am happy to be a guest in this country, which was largely built by such families.”

He then used his visit at the White House to call attention to climate change in this “critical moment of history.” Here’s a snippet of the speech from the Pontifex (via the WSJ):

Mr. President, I find it encouraging that you are proposing an initiative for reducing air pollution. Accepting the urgency, it seems clear to me also that climate change is a problem which can no longer be left to a future generation. When it comes to the care of our “common home,” we are living at a critical moment of history. We still have time to make the changes needed to bring about “a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change” (Laudato Si’, 13). Such change demands on our part a serious and responsible recognition not only of the kind of world we may be leaving to our children, but also to the millions of people living under a system which has overlooked them. Our common home has been part of this group of the excluded which cries out to heaven and which today powerfully strikes our homes, our cities and our societies. To use a telling phrase of the Reverend Martin Luther King, we can say that we have defaulted on a promissory note and now is the time to honor it.

We know by faith that “the Creator does not abandon us; he never forsakes his loving plan or repents of having created us. Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home” (Laudato Si’, 13). As Christians inspired by this certainty, we wish to commit ourselves to the conscious and responsible care of our common home.

The efforts which were recently made to mend broken relationships and to open new doors to cooperation within our human family represent positive steps along the path of reconciliation, justice and freedom. I would like all men and women of good will in this great nation to support the efforts of the international community to protect the vulnerable in our world and to stimulate integral and inclusive models of development, so that our brothers and sisters everywhere may know the blessings of peace and prosperity which God wills for all his children.

Here is the video of the Pope offering up his remarks:

And here are some more photos from his White House visit (including VP Joe Biden probably asking for a refresher on the difference between a mortal and venial sin from some clergy in attendance).

The Pope is getting around in a humble Fiat. Give him a wave if he passes by:

He’s getting around by Fiat (Photo by Erik Cox Photography via the DCist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)