News Anchor Describes Meeting Pope Francis
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- News Anchor David Muir revealed the details of a one-on-one interview with Pope Francis and previewed his trip to America, featuring his stop in Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families.
Muir told Chris Stigall on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT that the Pope was warm and inviting in their brief meeting.
"He had a smile on his face and it, to me, signaled that he really is, as so many call him, the people's Pope, that before the glare of the camera he wanted a moment with me to get to know who is this guy I'm going to be sitting with as I connect with Americans. I certainly told him, it's an honor to be here and thank you for opening up the Vatican walls to American television, because they hadn't done this before and I told them Americans are eagerly awaiting, and with that, the smile grew larger and the door opened and we were off."
He expects the Pope to be very direct and hold nothing back when he goes to Washington.
"This Pope is not going to sugarcoat the issues that are important to him when he comes. He will do mass. He will do what he's going to do there in Philadelphia, walking out on Independence Mall. But he is going to speak before a joint meeting of Congress for the first time ever and you will have in that room, John Boehner, who invited him, obviously the Speaker, Republican, devout Catholic, but you'll also have Nancy Pelosi, a devout Catholic. You'll have Republicans and Democrats, and you'll have a Pope standing there in the middle who is not afraid to dive into the issues."
Muir thinks one of the Pope's main goals is to amend the image of the Catholic church to one that is more accepting of everyone.
"He doesn't make it easier for you to follow him politically. A lot of people will say that this Pope is determined to change the conversation from the culture wars, and also that he's hoping that, for many people, faith will come first and then the politics of it all, and the controversy, and all these conversations we get into here in America would come second."
