Pope Francis Arrives for First Canonization on US Soil

Pope Francis concluded his day in Washington, D.C., on September 23 with a canonization Mass on the campus of the Catholic University of America. This video shows the pope’s arrival for the service.

The Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception canonized Junipero Serra, an 18th-century friar, and it marked the first time a canonization took place on US soil. Serra is credited with spreading Catholicism in California, but the choice is also controversial because of how Serra treated native people.

Pope Francis’s six-day trip to the United States is his first since becoming pope. He was welcomed to the White House earlier in the day before a papal parade and a prayer service. He was scheduled to a joint session of Congress on September 25 before leaving for New York. Credit: YouTube/Archdiocese of Washington