September 23, 2015:
The Pope’s Visit Will Be Comparable to a Presidential Inauguration
And it will probably wreck your commute. By Benjamin Freed | September 10, 2015
| COMMENT: Symbols, where the church is concerned, are never accidental. Notice the repetitive reference to ‘Inauguration’ in all of the following articles, from different news sources. |
Federal and local leaders are preparing giddily for Pope Francis’supcoming visit to Washington. But at a press conference Thursday, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and other officials warned that the pontiff’s schedule will cause severe disruptions to the way people move around town.
Residents and visitors alike should expect extensive road closures around the Naval Observatory, where Francis will stay during his visit from September 22 to 24, including a chunk of Massachusetts Ave., Northwest, that will greatly impact people traveling between downtown DC and upper Northwest and Maryland, said Leif Djormso, the director of the District Department of Transportation. Additionally, there will be closures, detours, and other delays near the White House when the pope meets with President Obama, on Capitol Hill when he addresses Congress, and in Brookland when he celebrates Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Coordinating the urban logistics for a papal visit is a many-tiered undertaking. With Francis’s first US visit classified as a National Security Special Event, the US Secret Service is the lead agency overseeing the public-safety and security components. James Murray, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s papal-visit operation, said there will be a “seamless security environment” to welcome the pope, but that it will be very noticeable. Murray said the closest comparison is a presidential inauguration, and the description of the parade route Francis’s popemobile will travel on September 23 as he shuttles from the White House to the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle for a mid-morning Mass does not seem far off. Multiple layers of security will block off several blocks of 15th and 17th streets and Constitution Avenue, and spectators who want to watch from the National Mall will have to pass through metal detectors and bag checks.
Click on Link:
http://www.washingtonian.com/blogs/capitalcomment/local-news/the-popes-visit-will-probably-wreck-your-commute.php
“Inauguration-like setting” for Pope Francis’ visit to Washington; address to Congress on Jumbotron
Posted 7:54 pm, July 8, 2015, by CNN Wire Service
| COMMENT: One must wonder with whom the description begins. Surely the implications cannot be overlooked. |
WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Speaker John Boehner is preparing an “inauguration-like setting” on the west front of the U.S. Capitol so members of the public can view Pope Francis’ visit to Washington in September.
The setup will include Jumbotrons so onlookers can watch the pope’s address to a joint meeting of Congress, Boehner’s office said in a press release Wednesday morning. His Holiness will also make a brief appearance on the west front after his speech inside the House chamber.
“The visit of Pope Francis to the U.S. Capitol is a historic moment for the country,” Boehner said in a statement. “Given the unprecedented nature of his visit, Pope Francis’ address to a joint meeting of Congress will be broadcast live to members of the public on the West Front of the Capitol.”
The speaker, who is Catholic, last year extended a formal invitation to the pope to address Congress and the pope officially accepted this February. The pope’s visit will mark the first time the head of the Catholic Church addresses a joint meeting of Congress.
Click on Link:
http://fox6now.com/2015/07/08/inauguration-like-setting-for-pope-francis-visit-to-washington-address-to-congress-on-jumbotron/
How the Pope in Philly security plan compares to Obama’s historic inauguration
September 9, 2015 at 9:45 am
While Philadelphia’s stringent security measures to prepare for the pope’s visit at the end of the month are new to this city and causing plenty of concern, they aren’t unique. Back in 2009, Washington D.C. shut down for Obama’s inauguration and the plans resembled those of Philadelphia’s, particularly its traffic box and road closures.
“If you take a look at our map from 2009,” said Robert Thomson, the Washington Post’s transportation columnist, “you’ll think this is the Secret Service following the playbook they used from 2009.”
Perhaps the biggest difference between the inauguration and the papal visit is the duration of the security measures. In D.C., the restrictions were in place for 15-17 hours. Philadelphia has to deal with them an entire weekend and perhaps longer. Officials still haven’t said when they’ll be lifted after the pope leaves. It could be late Sunday night or at some point on Monday.
Click on Link:
https://billypenn.com/2015/09/09/how-the-pope-in-philly-security-plan-compares-to-obamas-historic-inauguration/
The First Time a Pope Visited the U.S. Was Much More Complicated
Lily Rothman@lilyrothman - Sept. 21, 201
| COMMENT: Things have truly changed. |
Pope Paul VI and President Lyndon Johnson wound up meeting in a hotel
As the the world will see clearly this week, the United States knows how to make a big deal out of a papal visit. When Pope Francis arrives in Washington, D.C. Tuesday, it will begin days of fanfare everywhere from the White House to the United Nations.
Things were far more complicated when the first-ever papal visit to the U.S. took place almost exactly 50 years ago.
In 1965, Pope Paul VI planned a trip to New York in order to address the then-relatively-new United Nations and urge peace, especially as conflict between India and Pakistan was heating up.
The challenge for U.S. officials was that the nation didn’t have formal diplomatic relations with the Vatican. Many Americans believed that to do so would violate the separation of church and state and could give the Holy See undue influence. (Washington changed its mind in the early ’80s.) That lack for recognition meant that President Lyndon Johnson couldn’t treat Pope Paul VI like a visiting head of state. But nor could he ignore him. Snubbing the pope on his first ever visit to the U.S. would have been taken as an insult by Catholics the world over.
The solution? A clever bit of timing–or political ruse, depending on one’s perspective.
The White House said Johnson was already planning in New York for meetings. Given that, it would stand to reason that the two would find some to talk. Sure enough, the pope and the president met at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel to discuss how to make the world a more peaceful place. Other highlights of the papal visit included paying calls at St. Patrick’s Cathedral (where Pope Francis will attend Vespers on Thursday) and leading a Mass at Yankee Stadium (Pope Francis’ equivalent will be at Madison Square Garden).
