Pope Francis, who began his papacy in 2013 and passed away on April 21, 2025, made history with a memorable 2015 visit to Washington, D.C., where he met President Barack Obama and delivered a landmark speech.
The rare trip marked only the latest in a tradition since 1979, with each sitting pope making just one visit to the White House, according to PEOPLE.
Before Pope Francis’ memorable 2015 visit to Washington, D.C., the last papal trip to the White House came in 2008, when Pope Benedict XVI met with President George W. Bush.
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That followed Pope John Paul II’s historic first visit in 1979 to President Jimmy Carter. As the world mourns Francis’ passing, here are the major highlights of the Pope Francis’s visit.
In September 2015, Pope Francis kicked off a historic six-day tour of the United States, touching down in Washington, D.C., before heading to New York City and Philadelphia.
His arrival on September 22 at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland marked a significant moment, as he was warmly greeted by President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and their daughters, Sasha and Malia — a year after first meeting Obama at the Vatican.
The then-Vice President Joe Biden — a fellow Catholic — was also present to welcome the pope. The dignitaries stood beside a red carpet as the pontiff made his first steps onto American ground, marking a momentous start to his 2015 U.S. visit.
“Your Holiness, it’s so nice to see you. Welcome. We’re so glad to have you here in the United States,” President Obama told Francis as the air base crowd behind them cheered.
Pope Francis’ 2015 visit prompted the largest state arrival ceremony during President Obama’s tenure, according to the National Archives.
The historic welcome continued the next day, September 23, when the president formally hosted the pontiff inside the White House.
“What a beautiful day the Lord has made. Holy Father, on behalf of Michelle and myself, welcome to the White House,” Obama said on the South Lawn, before joking that “our backyard is not typically this crowded, but the size and spirit of today’s gathering is just a small reflection of the deep devotion of some 70 million American Catholics.”
The president also spoke about Francis’ gentle and humble nature, saying that the large number in attendance reflected the way the pope’s “message of love, of hope has inspired so many people across our nation and around the world.”
After the welcome speech, Francis addressed the South Lawn crowd himself, saying, “As a son of an immigrant family, I am happy to be a guest in this country, which was largely built by such families.”
During his landmark 2015 U.S. visit, Pope Francis also met with President Obama in the Oval Office to discuss world affairs after a warm introduction to the First Dogs, Bo and Sunny, PEOPLE reported.
He later made history by addressing a joint session of Congress — the first pontiff ever to do so — before departing Washington, D.C., for New York City, where massive crowds eagerly awaited his arrival.
“For many … a future filled with countless possibilities beckons, yet so many others seem disoriented and aimless, trapped in a hopeless maze of violence, abuse and despair,” Francis said during the historic address. “Their problems are our problems. We cannot avoid them.”
Pope Francis concluded by honoring several iconic Americans — including figures from diverse backgrounds, not limited to the Catholic faith.
“A nation can be considered great when it defends liberty as Lincoln did, when it fosters a culture which enables people to ‘dream’ of full rights for all their brothers and sisters, as Martin Luther King sought to do; when it strives for justice and the cause of the oppressed, as Dorothy Day did by her tireless work, the fruit of a faith which becomes dialogue and sows peace in the contemplative style of Thomas Merton,” he said.
“In these remarks I have sought to present some of the richness of your cultural heritage, of the spirit of the American people,” he continued. “It is my desire that this spirit continue to develop and grow, so that as many young people as possible can inherit and dwell in a land which has inspired so many people to dream.”
