By Katherine Barton

On September 21, Pope Francis arrived in Washington for his first visit to the U.S. The pope addressed many issues to give his direct opinion to the American people, and is arguably the most liberal pope yet. Among them, the pope advocated for “life,” not so much addressing the issue of abortion, but the death penalty. Pope Francis stressed the importance of climate change and the need for action to improve the environment. He was likewise very sympathetic to immigrants.

The pope does not support same-sex marriage and believes that people have the right to refuse to give marriage licenses to such couples. However, he does emphasize that churches should realize that many families are not the “idealistic” kind and should also be worked with.

While in the US, the pope rode in the “popemobile” that was constructed off of a Fiat, and even went unprotected in a Jeep. This conservative choice compared to popemobiles in the past. The pope has also humbled himself by praying with the homeless and talking with prisoners.