WASHINGTON, D.C. — The bishop for the Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston is not surprised that Pope Francis is attracting large crowds of people wherever he goes during his first trip to the United States.
“The people absolutely love him. There’s evidence of that all the time,” Bishop Michael Bransfield said on Wednesday’s MetroNews “Talkline” from Washington, D.C.
He was one of the 300 bishops who attended a midday prayer service with Pope Francis at St. Matthew’s Cathedral.
Bishop Bransfield previously met Pope Francis in Rome in his role as Papal Foundation president. The April 2013 meeting came a month after the new Pope was selected.
“He has a very warm appearance. He’s very welcoming to people, so he sort of has everybody in the palm of his hands because of his sociability and his kindness,” Bransfield said. “The words start later, but his personality is there from the beginning.”
Of Pope Francis’ changes within the Catholic Church, “I don’t believe he’s moving it to the left. I think he’s trying to bring it more into the 21st century,” Bransfield said.
Pope Francis began his first full day in the U.S. Wednesday at the White House where he met with President Barack Obama.
On Wednesday afternoon, Pope Francis was scheduled to canonize Junipero Serra, the first saint to be canonized on U.S. soil, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception where Bransfield spent 25 years, including time as rector.
The Pope will address a joint session of Congress on Thursday morning. It will be one of four speeches he’ll deliver in English during his U.S. trip. He’ll speak his native Spanish during the rest of his appearances.
Also on Thursday, Pope Francis will visit St. Patrick’s Catholic Church for an event hosted by the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese before leaving Washington, D.C. for New York and an evening prayer service at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.