Radical or not, pope has wide appeal in US capital

For some, the pope’s appeal is his simple message. “He’s an important world leader, a symbol of love,” said Ashley Vaughan, 33, a Baptist who extended a vacation for a week so she could be in Washington for the papal visit. “It’s great to have that positive force in the world.”

For others, Francis has prompted a reconsideration of their faith. Adrian Mendez, 26, said he was raised as a Catholic but had moved away from the church in his teens and early 20s. “I didn’t like what they had to say about how to live my life,” he said with a shrug.

But he said that Francis sparked his curiosity enough to prompt him to make his way through the crowds to see what this pope had to say. “I wanted to see why everyone is so interested,” Mendez said. “I like that with this pope. There’s a better message with what he’s been saying about the poor and the marginalized and about the environment.”

Christine Aquino, 38, who made a last-minute decision to take her small children from northern Virginia to see the pope, said she was gratified that Francis was engaging the church on modern issues, especially climate change.

“He’s being a very present pope,” she said. “To be effective in your mission, you do have to evolve with the times, and these are the issues that impact the people that you’re supposed to shepherd. You’re going to have step up to that and make some statements that are not going to make everyone happy.”

While some have praised — or condemned — Francis’ message as a radical change for the church, Phyllis Johnson, 55, of Alexandria, Virginia, said she believes the pope is returning Catholics to their roots. “It was always about the corporal works of mercy,” she said, referring to a Catholic tenet that urges practitioners to practice charity. “We always knew it, but were we doing it? Francis is helping us remember.”