Pontiff who said yes. We have cameras around the perimeter of u. S. Capitol and we will take you inside when the events officially get under way. It is relatively quiet. We want to give you a sense of how things are unfolding a few hours before the pope arrives. Overnight, many of the security barricades were put in place along the perimeter. This is being called a National Security event, which is the highest level of protection with the vatican security, secret service, Capitol Police, d. C. Police, homeland security, and the Intelligence Community protecting the pope. The vatican site pope francis is an early riser, often up at 4 00 or 5 00 a. M. , so we can presume he is away, just a few miles from where we are located on massachusetts avenue. It is drug across the street from the Vice President s residence, in area and northwest washington, d. C. Known as embassy row. Lets take a look at the morning schedule as the pope is scheduled to arrive shortly after 9 00 a. M. Eastern time, 6 00 for those of you on the west coast. The now familiar fiat will arrive on capitol hill and greeted by the speaker of the house john boehner who is also catholic. Then at 9 45 this morning, the house will gavel in. Todays event will have a look and feel of the state of the Union Address with the Vice President in the speaker reading the names of the Escort Committee, the cheese john roberts, one of a number of Supreme Court justices who are catholic, will enter the chamber at about 9 53 a. M. Eastern time and then one minute past 10 00, the house sergeant of arms will announce the pope of the holy see. After his remarks, were told scheduled to go about 40 to 50 minutes, the pope will visit statuary hall. Yesterday, the Catholic Church on the campus of catholic university. Then the pope will meet briefly with members of the house and senate leadership. The ticket inside the House Chamber is the most sought after ticket. Each member of Congress Allowed to bring one guest. Thousands lined the west front of the was capital or the pope assembled. O those yesterday he traveled from his residence to the white house for what was a state arrivals are monday by the president. It was a day of pageantry. Here is how a double it on the south lawn of the white house as a president and first lady welcomed pope francis. [cheers and applause] [applause] ladies and gentlemen, the National Anthem of the holy sea followed by the National Anthem of the United States. Present arms. {the National Anthem] [applause] present arms. Mr. President , this concludes the honors. Good morning. [applause] what a Beautiful Day the lord has made. Holy father, on behalf of michelle and myself, welcome to the white house. [applause] i should explain our backyard is not typically this crowded. But the size and the spirit of todays gathering is just a small reflection of the deep and devotion of some 70 million american catholics. [applause] it reflects well the message of love, hope has inspired so many people across our nation and around the world, so on behalf of the mecca and people it is my great honor and privilege to welcome you to the United States of america. [applause] today we mark many firsts. Your holiness, you have been celebrated as the first pope from the americas. [applause] this is your first visit to the United States. [applause] and you are also the first pontiff to share in encyclical through a twitter account. [laughter] holy father, your visit not only allows us in some small way to reciprocate the extraordinary hospitality that you extended to meet the vatican last year, it also reveals how much all americans from every background and every faith value the role that the Catholic Church plays in strengthening america. [applause] for my time working in impoverished neighborhoods with the Catholic Church in chicago to my travels as president , i have seen firsthand how every single day catholic communities, laity are feeding the hungry, healing the sick, sheltering the homeless, educating our children, and fortifying the faith that sustains so many. And what is true in america is true around the world, from the busy streets of buenos aires to the villages in kenya, catholic organizations serve the poor, minister to prisoners, build schools, build homes, operate , andnages and hospitals just as the church has stood with those struggling to break the chains of poverty, the church so often has given voice and hope to those seeking to break the chains of violence and oppression. Believe the excitement around your visit, holy father, must be attributed not only to your role as pope, but to your unique qualities as a person. [applause] in your humility, your embrace of simplicity and the gentleness of your words and the generosity of your spirit, we see a living example of jesus teachings, a leader whose moral Authority Comes not just through words, but also through deeds. [applause] you call on all of us, catholic and noncatholic alike, to put the least of these at the center of our concerns. You remind us that in the eyes of god, our measure as individuals and our measure as a society is not determined by wealth or power or station or weebrity, but by how well lift up the poor and the marginalized. [applause] to stand up for justice and against inequality, to ensure that every human being is able to live in dignity because were all made in the image of god. [applause] you remind us that the lords most powerful message is mercy. And that means welcoming the stranger with empathy and the truly open heart. [applause] refugee who flees wartorn lands to the immigrant who leaves home in search of a better life. [applause] it means showing compassion and love for the marginalized and the outcast, for those who have suffered and those who have caused suffering and seek redemption. You remind us of the cost of war, particularly, on the , andless and defenseless urges toward the imperative of peace. [applause] holy father, we are grateful for your invaluable support of our new beginning with the cuban people, which holds out the promise [applause] promise of out the better relations between our cooperationreater across our hemisphere, and a better life for the cuban people. We thank you for your passionate voice against the deadly conflicts that ravaged the lives of so many men, women, and children, and your call for nations to resist the sirens of war and resolve disputes through diplomacy. Remind us that people are only truly free when they can practice their faith freely. [applause] here in the United States, we cherish religious liberties. Much ofhe basis for so what brought us together. And here in the United States, we cherish our religious liberty, but around the world at this very moment, children of god, including christians, are targeted and even killed because of their faith. Believers are prevented from gathering at their places of worship, the faithful are imprisoned, and churches are destroyed. So we stand with you in defense of religious freedom and interfaith dialogue, knowing that people everywhere must be able to live out their fate free from fear and free from intimidation. [applause] and, holy father, you remind us that we have a sacred obligation to protect our planet, got magnificent gift to us gods magnificent gift to us. [applause] on allort your call World Leaders to support the communities most vulnerable to changing climates and to come together to preserve our precious world for future generations. [applause] your holiness, your words and deeds, you set a profound moral example. And in these gentle but firm reminders of our obligations to , youreto one another shaking us out of our complacency. All of us may at times experience discomfort when we contemplate the distance between how we lead our daily lives and what we know to be true, what we know to be right. But i believe such discomfort is a blessing, for he points to something better. You shake our conscience from slumber, you call on us to rejoice in good news and give us confidence that we can come together in humility and service and pursue a world that is more loving, more just, and more free. Here at home and around the world, may our generation heed your call and never remain on the sidelines of this march of living hope. For that great gift of hope, holy father, we thank you and welcome you with joy and gratitude to the United States of america. [applause] good morning. President , i am deeply grateful for your welcome in the name of all americans. As the son of an immigrant to be a guestappy in this country, which was largely built by such families. [applause] i look forward to these days of encounter and dialogue, in which i hope to listen to and share many of the hopes and dreams of the american people. During my visit, i will have the honor of addressing congress where i hope, as a brother of this country, to offer words of encouragement to those called to guide the nations political in fidelity to its founding principles. I will also travel to philadelphia for the april meeting of families april , toing of families celebrate and support the institutions of marriage and the family at this am a critical moment in the history of our civilization. Mr. President , together with their fellow citizens, american catholics are committed to building a society which is inclusive, to and safeguarding the rights of individuals and communities, and to rejecting every form of unjust dissemination discrimination. [applause] with countless other people of likewise, they are concerned that efforts to build a just and was the ordered society respect their deepest and their right to religious liberty. [applause] remains one of americas most precious possessions. And as my brothers, the United States bishops have reminded us ,ll are called to be vigilant precisely as good citizens, to preserve and defend that freedom from everything that would threaten or compromise it. [applause] mr. President , i find it encouraging that you are proposing an initiative for reducing air pollution. [applause] urgency, it seems clear to me also that Climate Change is a problem which can no longer be left to a future generation. [applause] 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 about aneeded to bring sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change. [applause] such change the mans on our part a serious and responsible not only of the kind living e 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 group of the excluded which cries out to heaven and which today powerfully strikes our homes, our cities, our societies. To use a telling phrase of the , werend Martin Luther king can say that we have defaulted on a promissory note and now is the time to honor it. [applause] we know by faith that the creator does not abandon us, he sakes his for loving plan or repents of having created us. Humanity has the ability to Work Together in building our common home. As christians inspired by this certainty, we wish to commit ourselves to the conscience and responsible care of our common home. The words which were recently made the efforts which were recently made to mend broken relationships and to open new doors to cooperation within our human family alongent positive steps the path of reconciliation, justice, and freedom. I would like all men and women of good will in this great ofion to support the efforts the International Community to protect the vulnerable in our integral to stimulate and inclusive models of , so ent [applause] so that our brothers and sisters everywhere may know the blessings of peace and prosperity which god wills for all his children. Again, ident, once andk you for your welcome, i look forward to these days in your country. God bless america [applause] ladies and gentlemen, from washington, d. C. [applause] your peace you give me in time of the storm you are the source of my strength strength of my life my hands in total praise to you Amen Amen Amen amen amen n amen [applause] honor guard, attention. [applause] [applause] [applause]. Host the pomp and had your tree yesterday as the president in the first lady along with members of his welcoming pope francis and members of u. S. Conversations we are back live on capitol hill. The sun is beginning to rise. Wheres a location president s are inaugurated in this will be the view the pope will see after his speech, probably around 10 50 eastern time as he waves to thousands of assembling here, many of those people already beginning to arrive. This is a high security event, but their traveling to the Security Camera dollars perimeters. Most will enter the security gates and then wait for the pope to wave to them post up the popes motorcade will be get along massachusetts avenue. It is where he is been spending the last two nights. You will travel along pennsylvania avenue up independence avenue and literally directly in front of me or the u. S. Spring courts along 1st street and then come in overthrew that way were constitution avenue as an and make his way to the house side of u. S. Capitol. Heres a look at the schedules. He was invited by this bigger of the house john boehner and pope francis accepting that invitation the First Time Ever a pontiff has been to capitol hill to address congress. It will get underway at 10 00 p. M. Eastern time. Their 26 catholics and u. S. Senate, 50 democrats and 11 republicans. 140 catholics in the house, 70 democrats and 70 republicans. And one of those catholics represented is not attending. He is not coming because of the popes views on Climate Change. From here the pope will travel to say patricks roman Catholic Church. You will depart washington, d. C. This afternoon and board an American Airlines plane and head to new york city. Tomorrow morning at 10 00 eastern time, he will address a joint meeting of the United Nations general assembly. Then he will travel to the 9 11 memorial in lord manhattan to multireligious service that will be taking place. This is the front page of the Washington Post and this is the scene inside st. Matthews cathedral yesterday where the pope traveled after he visited the president at the white house. This is the headline in the Washington Post in order to be here, we have the security pass to get us inside the perimeter of the ease front of u. S. Capitol. Other people have different passes to get on the west front or inside u. S. Capitol. Many others lining the streets of washington, d. C. Again today for a concept the pope stepped yesterday, he was in the pope mobile and there are three. One here, one in new york and one in philadelphia. After the pope left the white house, he traveled to st. Matthews cathedral in the pope mobile. Here are a few minutes as he made that route here in washington, d. C. [cheers] [cheers] [cheers] [cheers] [cheers] [cheers] good morning to all of you on this thursday, september 24. Our live coverage of the popes visit to the United States continuing on cspan, the third day of a sixday tour and it will be an historic one. The princes becoming the first pontiffs big before joint meeting of congress. He is expected to arrive at the capital little after 9 00 a. M. Eastern time. You will meet with the speaker of the house john boehner who invited the pope and who is been trying to get the pope to come to congress for 20 years. The speech will take place at 10 01 a. M. Eastern time and then after his speech, he will be making a stop at the statue of serra. Father serra becoming a saint yesterday at a mass led by the pope in washington. He will meet briefly with house and senate leadership. Then he will be going to the west front lawn to way to the thousands that have been gathering. For all of that on this distort day, we want to hear from you this morning. What do you want to hear from the pope when he addresses these lawmakers . Here are the phone numbers for you we are going to get your calls in just a minute. First, lets go to the west front lawn of the capitol were pedro is with those that authority started to file in and talk to them of why they are gathering is morning. It was shortly after 5 15 in the morning when people started coming in, including this father from nashville, tennessee. What brings you here . To see the pope. Tell us about the group your with. Were from a group of 22 students from high school in nashville, freshmen and sophomores, juniors and seniors. We just came from nashville, just got here about an hour ago where we drove 12 hours. Were here to see the pope. What drives you to bring the students here . What do i can do learn . One thing pope francis talks about a lot is encountering christ. We expect we will not only see the pope, but we will see christ in him. That is what we want to do. The kids have the experience to encounter christ through the pope. Tell us about your impressions of pope francis, particularly as he compares to other popes. One of the things, he is the pope, and you know, a lot of times we talk about how he is when a change. He is not changing anything. The catholic doctrine and the Catholic Church is not going to be changed, he is just here and showing us how to serve one another and how to love one another. Youre probably heard the pope comments on faith and economics and climate. What is your response . He has to do that because he is the pope not just for the catholics an