Dozens of homeless families enjoyed a luncheon in association with the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington on Thursday (September 24) with a spiritual blessing from Pope Francis, who had just visited St. Patrick's Catholic Church next door.

 

Members of the largely low-income, immigrant Catholic Charities group receive medical or mental health care through the Church-sponsored program.

 

Though Francis didn't actually sit down and eat with the homeless given his busy schedule, Laverne Hines Baten, who is homeless, was nearly out of breath after meeting the Pope.

 

"It was awesome! It's indescribable. I touched him, I actually stood right in front of him. He touched my hand, he touched my shoulder, he blessed the food," Baten said.

 

Gerald Stewart is a young homeless man who had spent over a year incarcerated in the past. "I'm just happy cuz I got a chance to shake the Pope's hand and the Mayor's hand. I've never had the experience to do anything like that before," Stewart said.

 

Trying to hold onto her young daughter who was playing with the table decorations -- a yellow flower resembling the color of the flag of the Holy See -- Veronica Booker said that although she didn't get to meet the Pope, the luncheon was filled with a religious air.

 

"This was a really good spiritual experience. It was a really good feeling, like a good air here just from him coming outside and speaking to everyone, so. I still had a good time. And obviously she's having a good time."

 

Earlier Thursday morning, Francis delivered an historic speech to Congress led by Republicans who have opposed President Barack Obama on issues of importance to the pontiff including climate change and immigration.

 

Francis, who arrived Tuesday (September 22) in Washington on a U.S. trip that also will take him to New York and Philadelphia, is the first pope to address a joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives.

 

The pope met privately with Obama at the White House on Wednesday (September 23), called the Democratic president's efforts against air pollution "encouraging" and said climate change is a problem the world can no longer leave to future generations to address.

 

Following to his visit to members of Catholic Charity, the pope continued on to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to fly to New York, where he will attend evening prayer services at St. Patrick's Cathedral. — Reuters