For Wichitans, pope’s visit ‘one of those experiences of a lifetime’

Bishop Carl Kemme has met Pope Francis once before — one year ago this month.

Francis ordained Kemme and the two were able to interact for a few minutes when Kemme was in Rome, he said.

“When I was able to shake his hand and look into his eyes and speak, just even for a few minutes, I was just so captivated by his warmth,” Kemme said. “He really does love people, and I think that’s evident.”

Kemme admits his chances are slim that he will get to interact personally with Francis when the pope arrives in the United States this week, but he’s satisfied just being near him.

Kemme, along with a group of 47 people from the Catholic Diocese of Wichita, will travel to Philadelphia this week to attend a weeklong convention and see the pope when he arrives there Saturday.

The last time the United States hosted a papal visit was in 2008, when then-Pope Benedict XVI visited New York and Washington, D.C.

“Just the atmosphere and the magnitude of the one-and-a-half extra million people descend upon Philadelphia — it’s one of those experiences of a lifetime,” said Diana Crook, who is traveling with the Diocese.

She said she has a foolproof plan to get close to Francis this week. Because the pope is well-known for kissing babies in public, she said she wants to “borrow somebody’s baby for the trip.”

“That might be the only opportunity I have to get close to the pope,” she said with a chuckle.

Francis has a packed schedule awaiting him stateside.

He will arrive in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday evening, where “most of the bishops in the country will be there to greet him,” Kemme said. The pope will then have a “special gathering” with the bishops at St. Matthew’s Cathedral, which Kemme will attend.

On Wednesday morning, President Obama will receive the pope, and later that day Francis will celebrate a Mass to canonize a new American saint, Junipero Serra, a Spanish-born Franciscan friar who started nine missions in California in the 1700s.

He will then address Congress on Thursday, which Kemme will attend, courtesy of Congressman Mike Pompeo. Each member of Congress can bring a guest to hear the pope speak.

It will be the first time a pope, who is the leader of the sovereign city-state Vatican City, has addressed Congress.

“I think it’s a recognition that the United States is a key player in the world, a key leader … obviously from a political, but also a very spiritual perspective,” Kemme said.

“There are so many people in the world today that are really struggling, not only materially but also emotionally and spiritually — the United States can and needs to be a leader in those efforts.”

Kemme said he anticipates the pope will speak about international issues, such as the Syrian refugee crisis, “the crisis of family and marriage,” and other social issues like homelessness and poverty.

After speaking to Congress, the pope will visit New York for a couple of days before arriving in Philadelphia on Saturday, at the World Meeting of Families convention, which the diocese’s delegation will attend all week.

He will celebrate a papal Mass on Sunday outside of the Philadelphia Museum of Art to conclude the convention, an international event which bills itself as “the biggest gathering of Catholic families in the world.”

Francis comes to the United States as a popular international figure, and he has found that popularity with Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

“I think it’s unfair to compare him to the previous popes, but I think he brings that gift to our times and evidently it’s really speaking to the hearts of many people across the world, even non-Catholics,” Kemme said.

“Everywhere I go, people will say, ‘I’m not Catholic, bishop, but I love the pope.’ I said, ‘Isn’t it wonderful? I do, too.’ ”

Crook said it’s no surprise that Francis is popular with young people — he is active on Twitter (@Pontifex) and he even has his own app.

Kemme said he hopes Francis’ visit will inspire a spiritual renewal in the United States.

“I hope all of our people in this society will feel a certain encouragement from the pope, that he came to us and he has a message for us,” he said.

“I think there will be challenging messages in his speeches, because I think that’s a part of his role as the universal pastor — sometimes he has to kind of shake us up a little bit — but I also believe there will be very encouraging words for us in our Catholic life.”

This story was originally published September 19, 2015 at 11:28 PM with the headline "For Wichitans, pope’s visit ‘one of those experiences of a lifetime’."