Charlotte-area pilgrims flock north to see Pope Francis live | Charlotte Observer

Pope Francis arrived in the United States on Tuesday, and hundreds of Charlotte-area Catholics will be among the millions welcoming him during his many events this week in Washington, New York and Philadelphia.

Seeing a pope in person is a rare opportunity for Roman Catholics, who consider the pontiff a successor to St. Peter – the apostle Jesus called the rock on which he would build his church.

The Holy Father, as Catholics often refer to the pope, is like “God’s best friend,” in the words of Maggie Kuhn, a student at Charlotte Catholic High School.

But Kuhn and others traveling north by bus, car and plane for Pope Francis seem particularly excited to see this pope. They explain their enthusiasm by pointing to his solidarity with the poor, his humility in rejecting the royalist trappings of his office and his eagerness to get closer to his flock.

Pope Francis isn’t the first pontiff to jet from Rome to the United States – his predecessors Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI all came – but fans of Francis say he has a warmth and a welcoming style that make him more approachable than his predecessors.

“People would say, ‘I’d love to meet Benedict. I’d love to meet St. John Paul. But I’d love to hug Francis,’ ” said the Rev. James Shea, pastor of St. Peter Catholic Church in uptown Charlotte and, like Francis, a priest in the Jesuit order. “People feel connected with him because he’s so authentic and free. And there’s no agenda except wanting people to know God’s mercy.”

The first pope from Latin America, Francis, 78, has criticized unfettered capitalism’s effect on the poor and called on the United States and other countries to do more to address climate change. He will meet with President Barack Obama and U.S. Catholic bishops, speak to a joint session of Congress – a first for a pope – and address the United Nations General Assembly.

But this pope of the poor, as he’s been called, will also meet with undocumented immigrants, visit with children in an inner-city Catholic school and spend time with inmates in Philadelphia’s largest jail.

The Observer talked to some of the Charlotte-area Catholics who are planning to be where the pope is this week. Here’s some of what they said.

Bishop Peter Jugis, 58

Ordained a priest by Pope John Paul II, the Charlotte-born Jugis leads the 46-county Catholic Diocese of Charlotte. He and other U.S. bishops will meet with Pope Francis on Wednesday in Washington.

The pope’s visit, Jugis said, will be “a great encouragement to living our Catholic faith with joy, as he always emphasizes. … I think people’s hearts are open to him. And that’s when great things can happen.

“I love him because he is the Holy Father and he’s the one the Holy Spirit has chosen to lead the church. … Each Holy Father, in his own time, has done a wonderful job in meeting the particular challenges that were presented to him.

“The challenge is always to bring God to people, ask people to open their hearts and let the Lord back into their lives.”

What he would say to the pope: “We are so inspired by your teachings. And your presence will be a great boost to the faith of Catholics here in the United States.”

Maggie Kuhn, 16

A junior at Charlotte Catholic High School, Kuhn attends Queen of the Apostles Catholic Church in Belmont. She will be among 42 Charlotte students traveling to Philadelphia to see Pope Francis this weekend.

“What I really like about him is that he portrays Catholicism as universal and accepting. … There are always people who feel outside the faith. He does a really good job of making everybody feel included.

“We like the religion teachers that will admit that they sin sometimes. So when you see someone who’s as humble as Pope Francis, it makes him a little more relatable. He’s just accessible and easy to understand. I just think he’s really cool.

“As pope, he’s a vicar, the supreme bishop. … He’s like God’s best friend.”

What she would say to the pope: “Probably just ‘Thank you.’ I value him and I really like everything he’s done. And I want him to know that.”

N.C. Rep. Tricia Cotham, 36

A Democratic legislator from Matthews, Cotham is a member of St. Matthew Catholic Church. She will attend a White House reception for Pope Francis on Wednesday.

“It’s been a struggle at times (being Catholic). … I really kind of felt that all they wanted to talk about (in the past) was abortion and pray for more priests. I wanted a personal relationship with God. I sought out some Protestant churches.

“But since Pope Francis has come … he is just so real. You can see the genuineness. You can feel the presence of grace. He’s a really good reminder that we are here to serve.

“He’s willing to stand up and say what he believes. He’s for challenging the status quo, saying, ‘We’re going to be with the people because that’s what Jesus would do.’ There’s a lesson there for public officials: We should not marginalize people. We should understand that our decisions are impacting people.”

What she would say to the pope: “ ‘Thank you and God bless you, Holy Father.’ And I’d likely attempt it in Spanish.”

U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney, 48

A Republican congressman from Indian Land, S.C., Mulvaney has had 16 years of Catholic education – including a degree from Georgetown University – and attends Our Lady of Grace Catholic Mission in Indian Land. He’ll be in his seat in the U.S. House on Thursday when Pope Francis addresses members of Congress.

“He’s going to try to provoke both sides. He’s going to be an equal opportunity offender. He’ll challenge Republicans on things like treatment of the poor and climate change. And he’s going to challenge Democrats on life and on abortion. So it’s going to be a very interesting day to sit in that chamber. It’s not often that members of Congress get lectured to. And I welcome it. It’s rare to have someone who speaks with such credibility on issues of morality. To the extent he can upset the Democrats a little bit and upset the Republicans a little bit, maybe he’s doing his job.

“Catholics look to the Holy Father as a leader in the faith, not a leader in science. But to the extent he causes us to examine our positions on issues, I think that’s positive. To the extent he brings a discussion about climate as part of a larger attack on our throwaway society, I think it could be very positive for future debates.”

What he would say to the pope: “I would simply thank him for his work on promoting the introspection on how we as individuals address the truly needy in the world.”

Joe and Carol Diaz, both 61

Joe Diaz, who converted to Catholicism 12 years ago, is a deacon at Charlotte’s St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. He and his wife, Carol, who grew up Catholic, have tickets to Sunday’s Mass in Philadelphia, which will allow them to get closer to Pope Francis than many others.

Joe: “Having worked at Bank of America and now serving as a deacon, I liken it to meeting the CEO of the Catholic faith, the successor to Peter.”

Carol: “We all, on our spiritual journey, look to him.”

Joe: “He impressed me, after his election, when the first thing he did on the balcony (overlooking St. Peter’s Square) was to ask people ‘to pray for me.’ ”

Carol: “He’s not caught up in the trappings of the church. … He’s truly walking in Christ’s footsteps.”

What they would say to the pope: “(We) would ask for his prayers, for his blessings.”

Kathryn Evans, 28

A writer who works with teens and young adults at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Denver, N.C., Evans will be in Philadelphia to attend the World Meeting of Families – and to see Pope Francis.

“I know a lot of people – the more conservative – who are nervous, saying (the pope) is shaking things up. … But he’s not really saying anything different than Pope Benedict did. He’s just putting a different attitude on it. He’s very much in line (with previous popes). He’s making it so much more accessible to people.

“One of my best friends shares things about Pope Francis with me all the time. She’s a Jewish lesbian who got married to her partner last year. But she really loves this pope. … He has a very welcoming attitude, a very loving attitude.”

What she would say to the pope: “I would probably just thank him. I am praying for both him and Benedict. He has one of the hardest jobs there is.”

Abbot Placid Solari, 63

As abbot at Belmont Abbey, Solari heads the monastery and leads its Benedictine monks. He has seen three previous popes – Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. On Thursday, he will be U.S. Rep. Alma Adams’ guest in the visitors gallery of the U.S. House of Representatives when Pope Francis addresses Congress.

“It reminds me that the Church is larger than the local church we have. He is the chief pastor of the church worldwide. Each of the popes has been the right person for the right time. That’s true of Pope Francis as well. In his self-effacing way, he speaks the Gospel message forcefully and clearly but charitably. … And he is someone who walks the talk he preaches.

“Pope Francis is the first pope from outside either the Eastern Mediterranean or Europe, and he’s the first from the Western Hemisphere. And he has lived his life mostly in the wake of the Second Vatican Council (which reformed the church in the 1960s). He’s the first pope to be completely framed by that. So he’s brought a different style to the office that resonates strongly not only with Catholics but with all people of good will.

“Spanish is his first language, as it is for a large number of the world’s Catholics. He’s grown up with political issues in Argentina. And the economic realities of developing nations he knows firsthand.”

What he would say to the pope: “I live in a monastery where the first word of St. Benedict’s Rule is listen. So I really want to listen to what his message is. Then I may have questions.”

Lincoln Sigwald, 45

An English teacher at Charlotte Catholic High School, Sigwald lives in Rock Hill and attends Mass at the Rock Hill Oratory. He and other faculty will be chaperoning a group of students going to Philadelphia for the pope’s visit.

“I admire and respect Pope Francis tremendously, especially his call for solidarity with the poor, the marginalized. I feel like he’s a prophetic voice in the world today. To have an opportunity to see him, to pray with him, to celebrate Mass with him is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“I hope Pope Francis challenges us as American Catholics … to evangelize in our own church for a return to the faith, to a simplicity of life that’s in marked contrast to American consumerism, materialism.

“Through his actions as well as his words – in fact, more through his actions – he’s offering an alternative way to live the Gospel more intentionally. ... I hope he will challenge us to greater compassion, greater inclusivity and a greater spirit of dialogue within the church as well as a greater spirit of dialogue in an ecumenical manner.”

What he would say to the pope: “I would ask the Holy Father to consider seriously the (sainthood) cause of Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy … a woman who championed the rights of the poor and oppressed.”