Pope Francis to visit the White House Wednesday
Pope Francis will begin his first full day in the United States Wednesday with a meeting at the White House.
The welcome ceremony is scheduled to begin at 9:15 a.m. with President Barack Obama and the first lady greeting the pope on the South Lawn. Pope Francis is expected to deliver remarks in English before meeting privately with Obama.
See Pope Francis' full schedule for his U.S. visit.
After leaving the White House, Pope Francis will participate in a midday prayer with U.S. bishops at St. Matthew's Cathedral and greet the crowds along the National Mall.
Wednesday afternoon, Pope Francis will canonize Junipero Serra during a Mass celebrated in Spanish at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. It will be the first canonization Mass performed on U.S. soil.
The pope will also meet with representatives from California's indigenous communities and visit the Diocesan Seminary John Paul II.
Pope Francis arrived in the United States Tuesday afternoon, when he was greeted at Joint Base Andrews outside of Washington D.C. by the first family, members of the vice president's family and members of the Archdiocese of Washington and United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Pope watchers were quick to notice his choice in transportation for the ride to the Apostolic Nunciature, the Vatican's diplomatic mission, where he will be staying. Eschewing more lavish options, the pope made the journey in relatively tiny, gray Fiat 500L. Pope Francis has been known to prefer more modest vehicles -- he gets around the Vatican in a Ford Focus and traveled in a Kia during a trip to South Korea.
The pope arrived in the U.S. after completing a four-day visit to Cuba.
Follow all of Pope Francis' events in Washington D.C. here:
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
