'Buon Appetito': Pope Francis Blesses Meal for the Poor at Lunch in D.C.
"Who would ever think there comes a time in your life that you meet somebody like that?"
By Andrea Swalec, Asher Klein, Cathy Rainone and Sharon Donnell ••
His message came at the start of one of the busiest weeks of Donald Trump’s transition to the White House. It’s a week when he and his team are preparing eight Cabinet picks for confirmation hearings, finalizing appointments and gearing up for his first news conference as president-elect. But at 6:29 a.m. on Monday, Trump was focused on what seemed like a less presidential problem: a five-minute Golden Globes speech in which actress Meryl Streep had suggested he was a “bully.” “One of the most overrated actresses in Hollywood,” Trump tweeted out to his 19.2 million followers. For better or worse, the president-elect’s social media feed is offering a daily glimpse into the interests, insecurities and insults that weigh on the next leader of the free world.
Fresh off his historic speech to Congress, Pope Francis blessed a meal for 200 needy residents of Washington, D.C., Wednesday, at Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington.
"Buon appetito!" the pope said after invoking "the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost" in blessing of the meals. He then plunged into the crowd waiting for him since early in the morning.
"I got goosebumps and it's still here," Sylvester Jackson, 57, one of the first to arrive to the lunch site at around 8:30 a.m., said after the pope's visit. "This was amazing. This will be one day I always remember. I'm going home to call my son and tell him about it."
The pope smiled as he worked his way through a mass of people for about five minutes, waving and shaking hands. People screamed and cheered, snapping photos and stretching out their hands to touch his – the food seemingly forgotten for a moment. While many tried to get close to the pope, others sat quietly eating their meal.
Andreea Alexandru/AP
Pope Francis arrives to celebrate Mass at the Marian shrine, in Sumuleu Ciuc, Romania, Saturday, June 1, 2019. Francis began a three-day pilgrimage to Romania on Friday that in many ways is completing the 1999 trip by St. John Paul II that marked the first-ever papal visit to a majority Orthodox country.
Gregorio Borgia/AP
Pope Francis holds a candle as he presides over a solemn Easter vigil ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Saturday, April 20, 2019.
Mosa'ab Elshamy/AP
Pope Francis celebrates Mass at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, March 31, 2019. Pope Francis was in Morocco for a two-day trip aimed at highlighting the North African nation's Christian-Muslim ties, while also showing solidarity with migrants at Europe's door and tending to a tiny Catholic flock.
Corbis/Getty Images
Pope Francis attends the opening of the meeting on the protection of minors in the Church at the Synod Hall in Vatican City, Vatican on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019. The pope has said the world expects concrete measures to tackle child sexual abuse by priests and not only simple and obvious condemnations.
Andrew Medichini/AP
Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the grand imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar, left, welcomes Pope Francis ahead of a private meeting with members of the Muslim council of elders, at the Grand Mosque of Sheikh Zayed, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 4, 2019. Francis' speech to the gathering of faith leaders on Monday evening is to be the highlight of his brief, 40-hour visit to Abu Dhabi, the first to the Arabian Peninsula by a pope.
Andrew Medichini/AP
Pope Francis twirls a soccer ball presented by a member of the Circus of Cuba, during his weekly general audience in the Pope Paul VI hall, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019.
Gregorio Borgia/AP
A child climbs onstage where Pope Francis and Archbishop George Gaenswein hold the pontiff weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Nov. 28, 2018. Pope Francis has praised the freedom, albeit undisciplined, of the hearing impaired child who climbed onto the stage during his general audience to play. The Swiss Guards and Vatican gendarmes stood by Wednesday and gamely let the young boy run around Francis as monsignors read out his catechism lesson in multiple languages.
Getty Images
Pope Francis prays inside St Mary's Pro Cathedral during his visit to Dublin, Ireland, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2018.
Matt Dunham/AP
Pope Francis passes by a banner of a protester as he leaves after visiting St Mary's Pro-Cathedral, in Dublin, Ireland, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2018.
Gregorio Borgia/AP
Pope Francis signs a guest book as he meets with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, in Dublin, Ireland, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2018.
Peter Morrison/AP
Pope Francis, center, is flanked by Irish President Michael D. Higgins, left, and President's wife Sabina, upon his arrival at the Presidential residence in Dublin, Ireland, Saturday, Aug. 25, 2018.
Andrew Medichini/AP
Pope Francis is greeted by a group of nuns during his weekly general audience in the Pope Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2018.
Vatican Media via AP
Pope Francis delivers the Urbi et Orbi (to the city and to the world) blessing at the end of the Easter Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 1, 2018.
Andrew Medichini/AP
Pope Francis celebrates a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 25, 2018.
Vincenzo Pinto/AFP Pool Photo via AP
Pope Francis walks through the Plaza de Armas, in Trujillo, Peru, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018. Francis consoled Peruvians who lost their homes and livelihoods in devastating floods last year, telling them Saturday they can overcome all of life's "storms" by coming together as a community and stamping out the violence that plagues this part of the country.
Alessandro Bianchi/Pool via AP
A Peruvian Retablo is seen as Peru's President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski gifts it to Pope Francis during his visit at the Presidential palace in Lima, Peru, Jan. 19, 2018.
AP
Pope Francis marries flight attendants Carlos Ciuffardi, left, and Paola Podest, center, during a flight from Santiago to Iquique, Chile, Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018. The pope celebrated the first-ever airborne papal wedding, marrying Ciuffardi and Podest from Chileu2019s flagship airline during the flight. The couple had been married through a civil ceremony in 2010, however, they said they couldnu2019t follow-up with a church ceremony because of the 2010 earthquake that hit Chile.
AP Photo/Aliosha Marquez
Pope Francis waves to followers on his way to the Apostolic Nunciature in Santiago, Chile, Monday, Jan.15, 2018.
Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images
Pope Francis kisses the Baby Jesus as he arrives at the St. Petru00ecs Basilica for the Christmas night Mass on Dec. 24, 2017, in Vatican City, Vatican.
ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the window of the apostolic palace overlooking St. Peter's square during the Sunday Angelus prayer, on Dec. 24, 2017, in Vatican.
Simone Risoluti/AP Photo
Pope Francis blows a candle on the occasion of his 81st birthday during a private audience with children the Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017.
Gregorio Borgia/AP
Pope Francis waves as he leaves Sant' Andrea Delle Fratte church following a private visit, in Rome, Dec. 8, 2017.
Alessandra Tarantino/AP
Pope Francis prays in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary, near Rome's Spanish Steps, Dec. 8, 2017, an annual tradition marking the start of the city's holiday season.
L'Osservatore Romano/Pool photo via AP
Pope Francis meets with Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2017. While the Pope insisted that Myanmaru2019s future depends on respecting the rights of each ethnic group, an indirect show of support for Rohingya Muslims who have been subject to decades of discrimination, Pope Francis refrained from explicitly citing the crackdown. Also absent from his speech to Aung San Suu Kyi was the contested word "Rohingya.u201d
Andrew Medichini/AP
Pope Francis is welcomed with flowers by children in traditional clothes upon his arrival at Yangon's airport, Myanmar, Monday, Nov. 27, 2017. The pontiff is in Myanmar for the first stage of a week-long visit that will also take him to neighboring Bangladesh.
Andrew Medichini/AP
Pope Francis greets children in traditional clothes upon his arrival at Yangon's airport, Myanmar, Monday, Nov. 27, 2017. The pontiff is in Myanmar for the first stage of a week-long visit that will also take him to neighboring Bangladesh.
Andrew Medichini/AP
Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos talks to Pope Francis during the pontiff's welcoming ceremony at El Dorado airport in Bogota, Colombia, Sept. 6, 2017.
Amr Nabil/AP
Pope Francis delivers his speech at an international peace conference in Cairo, Egypt, April 28, 2017. Pope Francis is on a two-day pilgrimage to Egypt aimed at lifting the spirits of Christians in the Middle East, whose numbers have rapidly dwindled in recent decades due to war, displacement and emigration. Sitting at right, Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, the pre-eminent institute of Islamic learning in the Sunni Muslim world, listens.
Andrew Medichini, AP
Pope Francis walks past flowers as he celebrates the Easter Mass, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, April 16, 2017.
Alessandra Tarantino, AP
Pope Francis celebrates a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, April 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
L'Osservatore Romano, AP (Pool)
Pope Francis exchanges gifts with Britain's Prince Charles during a private audience at the Vatican, April 4, 2017. The heir to the British throne is on a three-country trip seen as an effort to reassure European Union nations that Britain remains a close ally despite its impending departure from the bloc.
AP
Pope Francis, right, flanked at right by Mons. Konrad Krajewski, celebrates his 80th birthday sharing a breakfast with homeless people before celebrating Mass with cardinals at the Vatican, Dec. 17, 2016. The Vatican said that the pope chatted early Saturday with each of the homeless guests u2014u00a0four Italians, two Romanians, one Moldovan, two Romanians and one Peruvianu2014u00a0and shared with them Argentinian cakes before heading to Mass.
Pope Francis waves to faithful as leaves at the end of a jubilee mass he celebrated in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016. Pope Francis has named 17 new cardinals - 13 of them under age 80 and thus eligible to vote in a conclave to elect his successor.
Pope Francis waves as he arrives in Accumoli on Oct. 4, 2016, after an earthquake hit the area on August 24, a disaster that claimed nearly 300 lives.
AP
Pope Francis is cheered by faithful as he arrives to the church of the Immaculate Conception in Baku, Azerbaijan, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016.
AP
Pope Francis reads a speech during his meeting with Georgian Orthodox Patriarch Iliya II, center right, in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Friday, Sept. 30, 2016.
Rok Rakun/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
Pope Francis is seen during Sunday Holy Mass on World Youth Day in Brzegi, Poland.
AP
Pope Francis poses for a selfie with youths after he had lunch with them at the Bishop's residence in Krakow, Poland, on July 30, 2016. The religious celebrations Saturday came on the fourth day of the popeu2019s five-day visit to Poland, his first ever visit to Eastern Europe, where he has been gathering with young Catholics attending World Youth Day, a global event.
AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis walks through the entrance of the former Nazi death camp of Auschwitz on July 29, 2016 in Oswiecim as part of his visit to the World Youth Days.
Omar Marques/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Pope Francis stands at the International Monument to the Victims of Fascism at the former Nazi-German concentration and extermination camp KL Auschwitz II-Birkenau in Brzezinka, Poland, 29 July 2016.
Czarek Sokolowski/AP
Pope Francis salutes the faithful and pilgrims on his way to the royal Wawel Castle in Krakow, Poland, Wednesday, July 27, 2016. Pope Francis is in Poland for an international Catholic youth festival with a mission to encourage openness to migrants.
AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis is helped onto his feet after falling on the stairs during a mass at the Jasna Gora Monastery in Czestochowa, Poland on July 28, 2016.
Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis, Polish President Andrzej Duda and his wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda visit the Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow, on July 27, 2016.
Babriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis greets a group of women during a Jubilee audience at St Peter's square on June 30, 2016, in Vatican.
Giuseppe Ciccia/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Pope Francis leaves at the end of the Holy Mass with the imposition of the Pallium upon the new Metropolitan Archbishops during the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, Vatican on June 29, 2016. The pallium, a woolen shawl symbolizing the bond beetween Metropolitan Archbishops and the Pope, is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church.
AP
Pope Francis, left, and Catholicos Karekin II, right, walk together at the end of an open-air liturgy at the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Etchmiadzin, Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, June 26, 2016. Pope Francis called Sunday for closer ties with Armenia's Orthodox church as he wrapped up his three-day visit with a liturgy and visit to the country's closed border with Turkey amid new tensions with Ankara over his recognition of the 1915 "genocide."
TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis visits the Apostolic Cathedral in Etchmiadzin, outside Yerevan, Armenia on June 24, 2016. He referred to the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians a century ago as a genocide for the first time, saying "sadly that tragedy, that genocide, was the first of the deplorable series of catastrophes of the past century, made possible by twisted racial, ideological or religious aims that darkened the minds of the tormentors even to the point of planning the annihilation of entire peoples."
AFP/Getty Images
A view of people from a media bus decorated with a photo of Pope Francis during his meeting with workers at the Bachilleres College in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on Feb. 17, 2016.
AP
Pope Francis wears a traditional Mexican sombrero hat he received as a gift by a Mexican journalist aboard the plane during the flight from Rome to Habana, Cuba, on his way to a week-long trip to Mexico, Feb. 12, 2016. The pontiff is scheduled to stop in Cuba for an historical meeting with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill.
AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis (L) and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill (R), approach to kiss during a historic meeting in Havana on February 12, 2016. It was the first meeting between their two branches of the church in nearly a thousand years.
AP
Pope Francis welcomes Zambia's President Edgar Lungu during a private audience at the Vatican, Feb. 5, 2016.
AP
In this photo taken on Monday, Sept. 21, 2015, children greet Pope Francis with flowers upon his arrival at Santiago de Cuba's airport, Cuba.
Getty Images
Pope Francis is escorted by Barack and Michelle Obama after arriving September 22, 2015 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.
Getty Images
Pope Francis meets Kuwait Prime Minister Sheik Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah at the Apostolic Palace on September 10, 2015 in Vatican City, Vatican.
AP
Pope Francis waves as he arrives to recite the Angelus noon prayer from his studio window overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sept. 6, 2015.
AP
Pope Francis caresses a child as he arrives for a meeting with faithful of the Holy Spirit movement in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Friday, July 3, 2015.
Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, have an audience with Pope Francis, in the Pope's study during their one-day visit to Rome on April 3, 2014 in Vatican City, Vatican. During their brief visit The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will have lunch with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican. The Queen was originally due to travel to Rome in April 2013 but the visit was postponed due to her ill health. The audience with Pope Francis will be the fifth meeting The Queen, who is head of the Church of the England, has held with a Pope in the Vatican.
Getty Images
Faithfuls stand on St Peter's square to watch the first mass by Pope Francis on a giant screen at the Vatican.
LatinContent/Getty Images
The Archbishop of Buenos Aires, 76-year old Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, is the son of an Italian railway worker.
Getty Images
Newly elected Pope Francis appears on the central balcony of St Peter's Basilica on March 13, 2013 in Vatican City, Vatican. Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as the 266th Pontiff and will lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.
AP
White smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel Wednesday and bells rang out across Rome, signaling to world that the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church have chosen a new pope.
FILE / AP
This early 1950's picture released by journalist Sergio Rubin, shows Jorge Mario Bergoglio, right, posing with unidentified schoolmates of a preparatory school in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Francis was presented a book called, "Walking With Francis," according to News4's Pat Collins.
Following his speech to a joint meeting of Congress, Francis headed directly to St. Patrick in the City, Washington's oldest Catholic Parish, where he spoke in Spanish to about 400 people, addressing parishioners, people served by Catholic Charities located next door and choirs from two local high schools.
"There are many unjust situations, but we know God is suffering with us, experiencing them at our side," the pope told them. "He does not abandon us."
He called for charity and compassion toward the homeless and the least fortunate. And he said there is no social or moral justification for a lack of housing for the people.
He prayed with the group, which included the homeless and domestic violence victims, and gave them a blessing. The pope then walked outside to bless the lunch but did not sit down for a meal.
AP
Pope Francis looks out of his car after being greeted by President Barack Obama, and first lady Michelle Obama at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.
AP
Clergy brace for the wind as they stand along the red carpet on the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, Sept. 22, 2015, as Pope Francis arrives.
Getty Images
Pope Francis waves from the back of his Fiat after arriving from Cuba September 22, 2015 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Francis will be visiting Washington, New York City and Philadelphia during his first trip to the United States as Pope.
AP
Workers set up rows of chairs in preparation of the Pope's visit at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Sept. 21, 2015, in Washington.
AP
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama greet Pope Francis upon his arrival at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2015.
AP
A Park Service Police Officer checks his telephone while waiting for Pope Francis departure from the Apostolic Nunciature, the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Washington, Sept. 23, 2015.
AP
Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill await the arrival of Pope Francis, Sept. 23, 2015, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington.
Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
US President Barack Obama and Pope Francis watch the Fife and Drum Corps during an arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, September 23, 2015.
AP
Children of parents who work at the Lithuanian Embassy take selfies with Pope Francis as he departs the Apostolic Nunciature, the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Washington, Sept. 23, 2015.
Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images
US President Barack Obama and Pope Francis wave during an arrival ceremony at the White House on September 23, 2015 in Washington,DC.
Luke Russert
Nuns waiting outside of The Catholic University of America ahead of Pope Francis' Mass.
Pope Francis waves to the crowd as he rides in a popemobile along a parade route around the National Mall on September 23, 2015 in Washington, DC.
AP
Pope Francis attends a Midday Prayer Service at the Cathedral of St. Matthew in Washington, Sept. 23, 2015.
AP
Pope Francis greets well-wishers as he departs the Apostolic Nunciature, the Vatican's diplomatic mission inWashington, Sept. 23, 2015.
AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis performs Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. on September 23, 2015.
Getty Images
The choir sings for Pope Francis at Midday Prayer of the Divine with more than 300 U.S. Bishops at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle on September 23, 2015 in Washington, D.C.
AP
A child is escorted back before Pope Francis called for the child to be brought to him, during a parade in Washington, Sept. 23, 2015.
AP
Raul Cruz, from suburban Los Angeles, holds his daughter Sophie Cruz, 5, after an interview with the Associated Press in Washington, Sept. 23, 2015. Sophie crossed a police barricade to greet Pope Francis during his parade.
AP
A group protesting the canonization of Junipero Serra gathers in a small mission cemetery at the Carmel Mission, Sept. 23, 2015, in Carmel-By-The-Sea, California. Pope Francis canonized Serra in the first canonization on U.S. soil.
AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis performs Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. on September 23, 2015.
Getty Images
Pope Francis arrives for the canonization Mass for Junipero Serra at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on September 23, 2015 in Washington, DC.
AP
President Barack Obama talks with Pope Francis in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Sept. 23, 2015.
Pete Souza
Pope Francis meets the Obama's dogs, Bo and Sunny, in the Blue Room of the White House on his visit Sept 23, 2015.
Pope Francis give the thumbs-up from the popemobile during a parade around the Ellipse near the White House in Washington, Sept. 23, 2015.
Getty Images
Father Matthew Schneider poses for a portrait in his "Popemoji" t-shirt, September 23, 2015 in Washington, D.C.
Bill Clark/Roll Call/Pool
Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, right, greets Pope Francis in the U.S. Capitol building as the Pope arrives to deliver his speech to a joint meeting of Congress on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015.
Photo by Doug Mills/Pool/The New York Times/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Pope Francis blesses a child beside U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner and Vice President Joe Biden in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on September 24, 2015.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis (C) waves, next to US Vice President Joe Biden (2L) and US Speaker of the House John Boehner (3R) at the Capitol building in Washington, DC, after addressing the US Congress on September 24, 2015.
AP
Nuns from the order of the Servants of the Lord pose for a photograph as they wait outside the U.S. Capitol for a chance to see Pope Francis in Washington, Sept. 24, 2015.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Pope Francis addresses a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, making history as the first pontiff to do so.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Pope Francis addresses a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on September 24, 2015 in Washington, DC. Pope Francis is the first pope to address a joint meeting of Congress.
Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool
Pope Francis, accompanied by members of Congress, waves to the crowd from the Speakers Balcony on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, after addressing a joint meeting of Congress inside.
Getty Images
Pope Francis speaks at St. Patrick's Catholic Church September 24, 2015 in Washington, D.C. The Pope is on his first trip to the United States, visiting Washington, D.C, New York and Philadelphia.
Getty Images
Kaydn Dorsey, 4, left, and Lionel Perkins, 4, draw on a coloring sheet bearing the image of Pope Francis as they wait for him to arrive on a visit to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington September 24, 2015, in Washington, D.C. The charity serves dinner to about 300 homeless people daily at the site, and it will serve a meal during the pope's visit.
Jewel SamadAFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis places a white rose on the names of the September 11 victims at the edge of the South Pool of the 9/11 memorial in New York on September 25, 2015.
Susan Watts/New York Daily News via AP, Pool
Pope Francis visits the 9/11 Museum, Friday, Sept. 25, 2015 in New York.
Elyse Perlmutter-Gumbiner/NBC News
A nun is checked by a TSA agent in Philadelphia ahead of the pope's arrival, Sept. 26, 2015.
AP
Pope Francis is flanked by United Nations Secretary Ban Ki-moon as they arrive at the United Nations headquarters, Sept. 25, 2015.
Getty Images
Pope Francis makes his way up Fifth Avenue toward St. Patrick's Cathedral in the popemobile September 24, 2015 in New York City.
Getty Images
Police stand watch outside St. Patrick's Cathedral awaiting the arrival of Pope Francis September 24, 2015 in New York City.
Vincezno PintoAFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis enters Madison Square Garden to lead mass on September 25, 2015 in New York City.
Michael Appleton/Pool/Getty Images
Pope Francis celebrates Mass at Madison Square Garden on September 25, 2015 in New York City.
AP
Pope Francis stops to meet people after arriving at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015.
Pope Francis blesses Michael Keating, 10, after arriving at the Philadelphia airport. Keating has cerebral palsy.
AP
Dominican Sisters from Nashville, Tenn., talk in view of City Hall ahead of the Festival of Families, Sept. 26, 2015, in Philadelphia.
AP
Pope Francis delivers his homily during a Mass at Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Sept. 26, 2015, in Philadelphia.
AP
The wind lifts Pope Francis' mantle as he delivers his speech in front of Independence Hall, Sept. 26, 2015, in Philadelphia.
Getty Images
People cheer and wave Pope Francis dolls as they gather along Benjamin Franklin Parkway as they await the arrival of Pope Francis at the Festival of Families on September 26, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pope Francis is wrapping up his trip to the United States with two days in Philadelphia where he will attend the Festival of Families and will meet with prisoners at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility.
@JesseHliu
Pope Francis blesses a small baby while riding in the popemobile through the streets of Philadelphia, Sept. 26 2015.
Getty Images
Pope Francis hugs a disabled man during the Festival of Families on September 26, 2015 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
AP
New Jersey Air Force National Guard members patrol the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Sept. 27, 2015, in Philadelphia. The bridge was shut down to vehicular traffic over the weekend during the Pope Francis' visit to the city.
AP
Pope Francis speaks in front of Independence Hall, from the lectern used by President Abraham Lincoln during the Gettysburg Address, Sept. 26, 2015 in Philadelphia.
AP
Pam Kessler, left, of Montclair, N.J., helps her mother Carmen Kessler, 84, of Queens, N.Y., put a glove on as they wait for a Mass conducted by Pope Francis to begin along Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Sept. 27, 2015, in Philadelphia.
AP
Pope Francis greets inmates during his visit to Curran Fromhold Correctional Facility in Philadelphia, Sept. 27, 2015.
Anna McNichol, 10, looks through binoculars to see Pope Francis on the altar in Philadelphia, Sept. 27, 2015.
Getty Images
Pope Francis celebrates mass at the World Meeting of Families at Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Sept. 27, 2015 n Philadelphia.
AP
Bellatrix, left, and Addie, right, have their picture taken by pedestrians as they are walked outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center, host of the World Meeting of Families conference, Sept. 25, 2015, in Philadelphia.
AP
A man holds a child as Pope Francis celebrates Mass, Sept. 27, 2015, in Philadelphia.
AP
Pope Francis looks at the Statue of Liberty from the window of a helicopter on his way to the John F. Kennedy International Airport, in New York, Sept. 26, 2015.
AP
Pope Francis looks out the window a plane as he prepares to depart Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Sept. 27, 2015, on his way back to Rome.
But that didn't matter to those who had a private moment with the pope. He stopped at Cheryl Alston, then took Alston's hand and held it.
He grasped her other hand and held both of them. "I'm 67 and I feel like I'm two," Alston said afterward. "I haven't stopped shaking."
Long after the Pope departed, and with workers cleaning up around her, Alston, a lifelong Catholic, reveled in the moment. "He considers himself just a man," she said. "He doesn't hold himself higher. It feels like he is with us."
Alston is a Catholic Charities success story. Several years ago she had some difficulties and became homeless. She called a social worker for help on a Wednesday; on Monday, the worker called back and said Catholic Charities would take the case.
The organization helped her into a one-bedroom apartment. "With nine windows!," Alston said with a smile.
That was six years ago. She's gone from having her rent and utilities fully subsidized to paying for just about everything on her own. And she's now a volunteer, tutoring people to help them earn their General Equivalency Diplomas.
Sharon Donnell
Cheryl Alston.
On the menu for her lunch: chicken teriyaki, Asian pasta salad, steamed green beans and carrots and a roll, plus a brownie or blondie for dessert. The meal was prepared by a Catholic Charities program that delivers more than 1,800 meals a day to local schools, day programs and home-bound seniors, according to Catholic Charities.
The tables where the clients ate were covered in pale blue tablecloths and topped with white hydrangeas and yellow roses and daisies.
Francis was also scheduled to bless a "Homeless Jesus" sculpture by Timothy P. Schmalz, but did not appear to reach the statue before driving off in his Fiat back to& the Apostolic Nunciature.
"It's gonna be like a freeze, like a cold chill," Jackson said before pope's arrival.
"Who would ever think there comes a time in your life that you meet somebody like that?" said Jackson, who lives in a men's shelter in southeast D.C.
Alec Baldwin returned to "Saturday Night Live" this week to play President Donald Trump. And as usual, the show opened with a skewering of the commander-in-chief's latest governing hiccups and persistent personality quirks. But this week's most pointed political commentary wasn't necessarily contained within the cold open, which featured commander-in-chief Trump (Baldwin) reluctantly leading a war against extraterrestrial invaders. Rather, it may have been the short, pre-taped commercial spoof for a fictional women's fragrance hocked by first daughter Ivanka Trump (played by fifth-time SNL host Scarlett Johansson).
One of Francis' central messages to the faithful since becoming pope in 2013 has been to remember and give back to the poor. He's been lauded for washing the feet of the poor and the imprisoned. Many who've flocked to Washington said they were excited to see him because he connects so well with everyday people.
Jackson is Baptist, but he said that didn't change how he would perceive the head of the Roman Catholic church at Wednesday's lunch.
"It's one God. He's speaking for one God to the whole world," Jackson said.
See what happens when the actress starts ignoring Kyle in this exclusive clip!
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington tweeted Wednesday morning that St. Patrick's decided to employ men from its shelters to clean the church, rather than hire a cleaning crew.
Myishashona Williams-Barnes, 38 and disabled, credited Catholic Charities for helping her through a very hard period in her life, providing her and her two sons with beds, clothing and household items.
"If I didn't have them, I wouldn't know where to go," Williams-Barnes said.
