how much progress catholics have made in this country. that they have been accepted and been able to prosper so well in this environment of religious freedom. and also the way catholics are big supporters of religious freedom in this country. as the pope made very clear in the second thing he said on the white house lawn. i want to ask you about these extraordinary moments coming out today where he was immediately on that rope line, people were taking selfies, people were kissing him and hugging him. and at first i was a little taken aback. he had a a holy figure like the pope, how do you touch him, grab him, i m not talking about security but i m talking about accessibility and intimacy. but he seems to project an acceptance of that. he s very comfortable. he s very comfortable interacting with people.
day. it is very great to have the pope in town. reporter: you re shaking a little bit. was it a great experience? it was a great experience. yes, it was. reporter: what was it like? it was so unbelievable. yeah, we got to touch him and stuff. and it was and shake his hand. reporter: did you say anything to him? i said, god bless. and i just said, pray for us and stuff like that. reporter: being around him and in his presence, did he say anything special? he gave us a bless. he gave us three a blessing. i don t know, it was just it happened so fast, i don t even remember. reporter: you see very excited. what was this experience like to you in your life? it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. it felt great. it was amazing. reporter: and what kind of a day is this going to go down as for you? very memorable day. reporter: pretty special? yes. reporter: did you get a selfie with him? no, sadly i didn t get to get
thank you for your welcome. and you and i look forward to these days in your country. god bless america. good day. i m andrea mitchell in washington. history is being made here by the pontiff who has electrified washington with him simplicity, symbolized by his arrival at the white house by the fiat 500. we have it all covered. we have nbc s kelly o connell live outside st. matthew s cathedral where he s hosting a midday mass with the bishops. and we are live outside the emaculate conception where the
pope, i m sure, really boosted president obama s spirits. but we all see this, we look at these issues through a political lens, you have to understand the way the pope sees it. he sees this through a spiritual lens. immigration is, to him, an issue of those who have much helping, those who do not have much. the issue of climate change is an issue of taking care of what he calls god s gift to man, and that is this earth. he s not looking at it from a liberal or conservative point of view or a democrat or republican point of view. and i think the other thing that struck me about this speech is that he challenged all americans, wherever you are in the political spectrum. there was a challenge in that speech to you and there was also something for you to feel good about, just proving how difficult it is to try to put this pope in a political category that we are so familiar