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Pope Francis Prepares to Depart the U.S. Aired 7-8p ET

Aired September 27, 2015 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:00:06] CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: All right. You're looking live at the Philadelphia International Airport.

Welcome back. I'm Carol Costello along with Poppy Harlow.

And the Pope is in that motorcade. We believe he's driving to another building where he'll meet privately with Vice President Joe Biden and his family. We know his wife, Jill, is along with him; his son, hunter and his family.

And then we believe the Pope will be on board that plane, a special American Airlines plane called Shepherd One. And then he'll be on his way back to Rome. We expect that plane to take off at 8:00 p.m. Eastern sharp.

But Poppy, before we talk more about the Pope's departure, we have some very special guests.

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: The moment I'm kind of most excited for of the night, of course, very excited to see the pontiff. But we are joined by a pretty remarkable family with us right now.

Now Catire Walker and his wife, Noelle, their four children got to meet Pope Francis this morning. Oh my gosh -- can't wait to hear about that moment. This is after they made an epic 13,000 mile road trip -- 13,000 miles from their home in Argentina. We chronicled the journey on cnn.com. One of our great producers and writers spent time with them, had them to her home in Atlanta.

And this is sort of back in March you guys packed your belongings into a remodeled 1980 Volkswagen bus, started driving north. 13 countries, 194 days later not only are you here, but you met with the Pope.

The call, Noelle, came in this morning, 6:00 a.m., something like that and they said, it was the Vatican calling.

NOELLE WALKER, FAMILY MADE TRIP FROM ARGENTINA TO SEE POPE FRANCIS: We had a call, actually it was my sister who received a call from a friend of ours that has a friend in the Vatican. They were trying to reach us. And we were, like, in shock. And we sent our cell phone, the cell phones we use here in the states and some time later we received a phone call from here from Philadelphia from a priest that works in the organization that the Pope was very happy to meet us. So we ran -- we started running around like crazy. COSTELLO: I know -- like, I wouldn't even believe it was, like, true.

Did you believe it?

N. WALKER: I don't know. We were just, like, trying to figure out what we would wear.

COSTELLO: I know, what do you wear when you meet the Pope? That would be difficult. So Catire when -- tell me about the moment when you guys first saw the Pope.

CATIRE WALKER, FAMILY MADE TRIP FROM ARGENTINA TO SEE POPE FRANCIS: Well, he was so kind. He was, like, we were friends from, you know, all our life. So we just started talking and, like drinking a coffee together -- talking about life.

COSTELLO: You drank coffee with the Pope?

C. WALKER: No, we didn't but it was like this.

HARLOW: Let's get coffee.

N. WALKER: That must be a very -- very friendly.

COSTELLO: Didn't he tell you at one point you guys were crazy for driving all that way?

N. WALKER: Yes, that was the first thing he told us. You're the family who's driving from Buenos Aires? You're crazy.

HARLOW: On a more serious note, the message from this pope especially last night speaking to the families is the importance of family in today's society when we do see so many divorces. He said family is worth fighting for. And I think, I mean look at your beautiful family. How absolutely blessed you are. Take me Catire into the decision back in March, or before, when you two sat down and said, we're going to stop our jobs for now, we're going to pick up our family -- a road trip, 13,000-mile road trip with four kids. That's not easy. Why did you do it?

C. WALKER: Well, we wanted to celebrate the family, to celebrate our family, and to spend time with our kids. We learned a lot of things in this trip. And we are so, so happy. So much people to say thanks. And to have the opportunity to travel in light of everything without too much clothes, without -- with the things that we can put into the combi.

COSTELLO: That's right. You've learned your --

HARLOW: Should we get a final thought from you, my dear?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, when we met the Pope, I was very, very happy, very excited. And the first I did is give him a hug.

HARLOW: Did he hug you back?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. And he blessed me with rosary. And he -- HARLOW: He gave us --

He gave us another rosary from him.

[19:05:00] COSTELLO: That's really a beautiful story and a beautiful family. Thank you all so much for coming up and joining us. I so appreciate it. You're not going to drive back, are you?

C. WALKER: We would love to.

N. WALKER: Yes, we would love to, really. It's been so great. We met so many great people along the way. It's been the trip of our lives.

HARLOW: Thank you guys, so much. God bless you. And you're just very, very blessed with these beautiful children. Thank you so much.

You can read more of their story if you go to cnn.com all about their journey that we've been following there.

Once again, you're looking at live pictures of Philadelphia International Airport. There you see in the background, Shepherd One, the American Airlines plane that will be carrying the Pontiff. Our Rosa Flores will be on board.

We're told, Carol, that he actually holds a press conference on the way back as if he hasn't had to say enough.

COSTELLO: I know, you think he would be just totally exhausted. He started early this morning. He had so many meetings. He had this very long -- it was a beautiful mass -- but it was a long mass, too. And then he said some words at the airport. Now he's meeting with Vice President Joe Biden.

HARLOW: Right.

COSTELLO: You just wonder where this man gets his energy.

HARLOW: I have no idea. I slept in far longer than he did this morning, I can tell you that. By the time I woke up, he had already certainly accomplished a lot this morning with very, very important meetings.

We do want to get a quick break in here. We will be live from Philadelphia when we return in just a moment. We await the Pontiff's departure.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Welcome back to our live coverage. The Pope is about to depart the United States. I'm Carol Costello along with Poppy Harlow. You're looking at live pictures from the Philadelphia International Airport. That plane will take the Pope back to the Vatican in Rome.

Rosa Flores is again on the plane. She traveled with the Pope, what, from Cuba through the United States and now back to Rome. Rosa, are you with us?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Guys, can you hear me?

HARLOW: We hear you, Rosa. What are you seeing?

FLORES: oh, phenomenal, phenomenal. We are boarding the plane as we speak right now. We're all kind of just grabbing all our gear and trying to find a seat. We are in the back of the plane. All of the journalists are in the back of the plane, and we board before Pope Francis boards.

[19:09:58] Once we're all settled in and his entourage is all settled in, in the front then that's when we see Pope Francis go up the stairs. We've been actually waiting here outside at the airport just on the tarmac for a while, and have been waiting for Pope Francis to wrap up his events before actually boarding, but just to set the scene for you, imagine a regular aircraft with a lot of journalists on the plane, a lot of us working until the very last moment to try to gather any information that we have, and also deliver any information to our news agencies that we have because during the flight we actually do not have Internet.

And what happens is very shortly after we take off, then Pope Francis will come to the back of the plane and hold a press conference. We've all been working and strategizing as to what questions we're going to ask and what we're hoping to hear from Pope Francis shortly -- guys?

HARLOW: So, Rosa, on the way here, Rosa, you had an experience that made Carol and I just, our jaws dropped. You were blessed by the Pope on the way here. So, my friend, I don't know how you top that on the way back.

FLORES: Oh, it was absolutely incredible and fascinating to be a part of this -- of this assignment and this experience. I mean just professionally it's an absolute amazing assignment to be able to report on this, to be able to travel with the Vatican press and to follow Pope Francis from one country to the other, from city to city. And to report on all of these different issues as well.

And, you know, when he speaks off the cuff, really quite frankly, it's when I get most excited because we get prepared his remarks in advance, of course. But when he speaks off the cuff, when he starts speaking Spanish I get really excited because I'm thinking yes, we're definitely going to have some news to report because he usually makes news then.

(CROSSTALK)

FLORES: Personally, Poppy -- I mean you and I, have chatted off the air, this has been just an absolute -- I don't have words to describe it. It's one of those things where I really have to pinch myself sometimes thinking about this experience and what I will be doing for the next, you know, 24 hours.

What's going to happen is I take off now. I arrive to Rome 10:00 a.m. Local time, 4:00 a.m. Eastern. And as soon as I get off the plane, I'm going to head to the CNN Rome bureau and I'll be on TV for "NEW DAY". And I will be delivering the news coming out of the presser on the plane.

So I've got a lot of work ahead of me and a lot of journalists here we're all kind of talking about the same thing. How we are ready to kind of embark on this journey and probably not sleep for more than 24 hours, but we're excited to do this.

COSTELLO: Absolutely. And Rosa, I must say you did a great job because, you know, it's hard to be blessed by the Pope and then turn around and ask him tough questions, which she did.

And Father Martin, I just want to say a word about that because the Pope said something during this trip that intrigued me. He said there was room for disagreement; that we should disagree because it makes us think deeper. And I appreciated that.

FATHER JAMES MARTIN, AMERICA MAGAZINE: Absolutely. One of the things he said early in his papacy is that he wanted us to cause a mess, you know. And I think the Holy Spirit kind of asked us to sort of express ourselves and he's fine with that.

You know, the Synod of Bishops which is coming up, he encouraged the bishops to talk freely about things that affect the family and all sorts of issues. And he said to them which -- I thought was wonderful -- I don't want to hear anyone say we shouldn't talk about that. So he really wants people to discuss, and as we say in the Jesuits, to discern -- think about things prayerfully.

HARLOW: I'm interested in what you both -- what the evolution is that you've seen in the Pope over this week.

MARTIN: Well, I was able to see him in Cuba, so a week ago today when he was in Havana, he looked a little tired. He looked almost sheepish in what he was going to say and what he was going to do. And compare that to what you saw last night, he was electric, he was off the cuff, he was off the hook. He was really into this.

And then I couldn't help but compare and contrast how is he not exhausted, first of all? He's 78 years old. He's got, like a lung -- and yet he is functioning --

HARLOW: Literally he has one lung.

MARTIN: He has a lung.

COSTELLO: Do you know what his diet is? It's white rice and fish -- right. And he wanted for a snack bananas and distilled water. That's what he must --

(CROSSTALK)

MARTIN: And yet somehow his doctor is like, you have to lose weight. Somehow he's still gaining weight with that kind of a diet.

COSTELLO: It's the rice. HARLOW: Yes, the rice.

All right. On that note, stay with us, continuing live coverage from Philadelphia as the Pope gets ready to board Shepherd One after his meeting with the Vice President.

[19:15:04] We're live in Philadelphia. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Welcome back to our continuing live coverage from Philadelphia. It is dark but you can still make out Pope Francis in his signature Fiat 500l making his way to Shepherd One, the American Airlines plane that will shepherd him back to Rome, back to the Vatican.

But before he leaves a very important meeting with Vice President Joe Biden -- a strong believer, a Catholic himself. That we believe is happening shortly or may have already taken place. Before that, Carol, I know we have a special guest with us.

COSTELLO: Yes, we have Cardinal Gerald Lacroix on the phone, the archbishop of Quebec. Cardinal Gerald Lacroix -- are you there?

CARDINAL GERALD LACROIX, ARCHBISHOP OF QUEBEC: Yes, hello -- Carol and Poppy. How are you?

COSTELLO: We're good. Thank you so much for being here and bidding adieu to the Pope. As we watch the Pope get out of this tiny Fiat and get on board the plane, what will be going through your mind?

LACROIX: Well, just thanksgiving for this wonderful experience of having him so close to us here on our continent in the United States these past few days and in Cuba, for all the good that this man has sown all through this trip. I mean he's been so comforting. He's been reassuring, confirming. And we need that. That's the most spiritual thing I thought.

(CROSSTALK)

LACROIX: The second thing I thought, though, was I could get into that Fiat, but I probably couldn't get out of it. I'm not his size. I'm too big for that.

[19:20:01] COSTELLO: When the Pope was addressing the bishops, I noticed after that meeting was over, you two embraced and you were laughing. What were you laughing about?

LACROIX: Oh, well, he -- you are very curious, huh?

COSTELLO: I am very curious.

HARLOW: We are journalists. What is it Cardinal? We want to know everything about what the Pope said to you.

LACROIX: Of course you are. Well, the first thing he asked me, which surprised me quite a bit, he

asked me how my health was. He knows that I had a few health issues at the beginning of the year and he was worried about that. He asked how I was doing. I told him I was doing much better.

I told him that my face was burned because of the sun. Yesterday I stood out three hours waiting for him at Independence Hall yesterday afternoon so I got a real sunburn. But I didn't tell him it was because of that. I said it's your words that burned my heart last night and also my face so he started laughing.

COSTELLO: That's what I love about Cardinal Lacroix.

HARLOW: You have a sense of humor, Cardinal, just as the Pontiff does and that makes him so relatable I think to so many especially those who are sort of questioning their faith or who have left the faith and are wanting to come back in. This is such a relatable pope.

Interestingly the Archbishop of Philadelphia Chaput said to my colleague Jake Tapper in an interview this week, you know, we have to think about what the future of the Catholic Church is. And Carol and I were talking about you. Some would say that you in a sense embody the future of the Catholic Church and future of some of the highest people within the church. What is the future of the Catholic Church that you hope to be?

LACROIX: If I can interrupt you there -- if I can interrupt withdrew there, I'll say I think we're all the future of the Catholic Church -- all of us who believe and all of us who are part of this church. If we live our faith, if we try to be truthful and we try and put the gospel into our lives and live and follow Jesus, that's what renews the Church. That's where our future is. That's what our calling is.

So, of course, I'm trying to do my best but I hope all the other Catholics and all the other Christians are trying to do the same. That is what renews the world.

COSTELLO: What's the most outstanding moment during the Pope's visit to America for you, Cardinal Lacroix?

LACROIX: Well, I would say that it was -- I didn't follow him in Washington or New York or Cuba. I was just here. I spent the whole week in Philadelphia at the World Meeting of Families. I came with 350 people from my diocese of Quebec, and there were many other Canadians also. I decided to spend the week here.

But last night at the Festival of Families there on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, his catechesis at the end where he spoke spontaneously -- he put his text aside -- he spoke from the heart.

He told me that this morning when I said I was really touched by what you said, Holy Father, last night. He said, you know, I put my text aside and I let my heart speak. He gave us a catechesis showing us a how a family is a gift from God and how God loves the world so much and he wants to love us through family life. And that really touched me. It really gave me a lot of hope for our world and our church. And it gave me also a bigger invitation to sustain and work with our families. There are many challenges, of course, and he addressed that. He said it's not easy, there are difficulties. But the Lord is with us and he gives us the love and that is what will conquer.

That really touched me. I'm going home with that invitation from the Holy Father.

COSTELLO: Cardinal Lacroix, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it.

As we watch the Pope, I mean he's just about to get onboard that plane. You can see the Vice President standing there in the background, people giving their final kisses good-bye.

And Father Martin, I throw it to you. What are we seeing? What are you feeling as we're watching this?

MARTIN: Well, I think Cardinal Lacroix is right. Last night he gave this master catechesis. But I also think his whole trip has been a kind of catechesis -- a kind of teaching. He teaches -- you know, they say Jesus taught by words and by deeds. He preached but he also did the miracles. The Pope taught by not only what he said in his homilies like last night in his speeches but also what he did -- touching the head of the boy with cerebral palsy, visiting the little kids in the Harlem school, visiting the prisoners.

And so the whole trip was a kind of teaching about what's important in our faith -- mercy, love, compassion; and to use two of Pope Francis' big words: encounter and dialogue. So I think it was a great teaching moment for all of us.

HARLOW: And Father Kesicki, to you in Washington, D.C., as we look at these images that will go down in history of this pope's visit to the United States. Right there you see him just approaching the Vice President Joe Biden along with his wife Dr. Jill Biden. We've got Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter there as well.

[19:25:06] Just take a moment to let this sink in.

And Father Kesicki, as he does walk up the stairs onto Shepherd One, what would you say to all of us about carrying forward his message and his wishes as he departs?

FATHER TIMOTHY P. KESICKI, JESUIT CONFERENCE: I think it's all summed up in the name he chose. He chose Francis after Francis of Assisi. Francis has that very powerful saying "Preach and where necessary use words".

We might not remember every word Pope Francis said but we'll remember what he preached. That should fill us with great hope.

COSTELLO: You think that's the pilot? I would be nervous.

HARLOW: I think that is the pilot. What a responsibility to carry the Pope back --

COSTELLO: That's a big responsibility.

HARLOW: -- to Rome. As we watch Pope Francis board Shepherd One, where we're told he will hold a press conference with journalists. Our Rosa Flores is on board.

You will want to tune in to "NEW DAY" tomorrow morning. You will hear everything that he said aboard that plane from her.

Quick break. We're back on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: All right. I'm Carol Costello along with Poppy Harlow. You're taking a live look at Philadelphia International Airport. The Pope is already on board that plane. The plane, now getting ready to take off for Rome.

What a -- it's just like hard to put into words because this visit has been such a whirlwind and the Pope has managed to fit so much in and he's left such an impression on many Americans.

[19:30:05] HARLOW: Yes, and transformed so many lives. So many lives changed by this. I know I haven't fully processed the impact just of being here in Philadelphia this weekend. You were along with him the entire way as was our Rosa Flores who we'll get to in a moment who is on board that plane. Before I do, really to you, final thoughts as we watch Shepherd One to get ready to depart.

UNIDENTIFED MALE: I think the fascinating thing is he gave us something for everybody and the fact of the matter is what you took away from this trip probably says more about you than it says about Pope Francis. So how you process, how you like, what you didn't like really is a reflections of your own passions, your thoughts, your ideologies, more than it is Pope Francis that he wanted to bring.

HARLOW: Sorry to interrupt but look at Pope Francis in the window there. You can see him grabbing a bottle of water before he takes off and then he'll go back and speak to the journalists there. As we look at that, continue, Lino.

UNIDENTIFED MALE: I think it's fantastic because he's so comfortable. There's so much joy. He talks about the joy of the gospel. Nobody likes long international flights. Even the Pope is smiling and as a Catholic I must say, we don't always get to smile when it comes to the Catholic church. And to have a week of smiles and serious tones as well makes a lot of us very happy to be Catholic.

COSTELLO: OK. Let's go on board that plane and check in with Rosa Flores. Rosa, set the scene for us.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a little chaotic, Carol. Imagine, more than 170 journalists trying to find a seat, trying to file as much information as they can with their news agencies. Photographers setting up their cameras, getting ready for the press conference that's going to happen as soon as we take off.

Flight attendants trying to give us a snack while we're trying to file. All of us trying to find a seat where we're comfortable working for the next probably eight to 10 hours. To make sure that we're ready to file whether it be in my case a television report, in other cases, where print reporters, blog, whatever the case might be, as soon as we land.

Now, there's an embargo on the information for a few hours is what I understand because once we land then every journalist wants to make sure they have an opportunity to get to a good internet connection so they can file their actual report. What we're expecting is to take off here in the next few moments.

As soon as we take off, Pope Francis comes to the back of the plane and sometimes, you know, says a little something, but sometimes does not. He just starts taking questions. A lot of the journalists here, what we do is we talk amongst ourselves because not everybody on the plane can ask a question because that would take the entire flight from Philly all the way to Rome.

So we discuss the big topics as to what we would all like to ask, and it's a democratic process. It's a democratic process. Who's going get to ask the question and what those questions are to make sure that every news agency has something to work with. But, again, I'm in the back of the plane. I'm working toward the front of the plane where Pope Francis is. And there's a curtain that divides our section from his section. His entourage usually sits at the front.

We understand that he always travels with full security, of course. And then also a physician to make sure that he is fine throughout his trip. And, again, this is the longest trip that Pope Francis has taken since he's been Pope. So it's a measure of his strength, at 78 years old Carol, and Poppy, and I look like I have a seat now, actually. So I'm going to head back and try to find my seat. But any other questions, guys?

COSTELLO: No. No other questions. You sit down and you relax because you deserve some relaxation as we take a look at Pope Francis through the window of the plane drinking water. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be back with much more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:38:18]

HARLOW: Well, there you have it, Shepherd One, taxiing, getting ready for takeoff. On board carrying the Holy Father, Pope Francis, after a whirlwind trip, a very successful trip I think by all accounts here to the United States following his time in Cuba. That was just moments ago when we saw him looking out the plane. He chose a window seat.

COSTELLO: Look, he's waving.

HARLOW: And waving. Waving to everyone, of course, as he boarded Shepherd One, he was greeted and spoke briefly with Vice President Joe Biden, also with Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter.

Carol, what a week.

COSTELLO: I was trying to determine which city had the best showing for Pope Francis. I can't determine that, Delia Gallagher. New York, Philadelphia, or Washington, D.C.?

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: I am not going to choose.

HARLOW: Smartly.

GALLAGHER: I will say I think this trip has surpassed all expectations. I mean, really, we obviously knew that he was already popular coming in. That it was bound to be a good experience. But I think it's been much more than a good experience. I mean, it has been absolutely the top of the top. In each city.

COSTELLO: Like, I know we were all expecting tens of thousands of people to show up, but that they actually did, Father Martin, was amazing.

FATHER JAMES MARTIN, S.J., EDITOR AT LARGE, AMERICA MAGAZINE: Well, it's very impressive, as Delia was saying to how much people love him. But one of the wonderful things is now he knows that. He had never been here before. I think people here all sorts of different things about the United States.

He probably had an idea that it was a very consumerist society, maybe pretty materialistic. Maybe we are. But he also has a sense of who we are now as people. He goes back as the universal shepherd with that information.

HARLOW: And I think also we saw some firsts from him. I mean, this is a pope of firsts. First pope to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress. The first pope to visit a U.S. prison, Delia.

GALLAGHER: Yes, and I think possibly the first pope to really come in and speak to the hearts of people from all different walks of life. So he had a message for everyone in his own way. I mean, he spoke to the immigrants, he spoke to people who are poor, he spoke to people in prisons. So literally I think every person felt touched for a particular message that he had for them.

HARLOW: Of course he's being the first Jesuit pope, the first Latin American pope and son of immigrants making that very clear in his first sentence at the White House.

COSTELLO: And another first, first pope to visit a Jesuit university. Right? St. Joseph's here in Philadelphia. I'm just thinking of all of his firsts. It is truly amazing because each and every visit meant something because he's very much into symbolism. Even that visit meant something.

GALLAGHER: I think he has had a very beautiful thing to the immigrants here and to the first generation Americans. He said don't be ashamed of your traditions. [19:40:02]

HARLOW: Yes.

GALLAGHER: Yes, because it kind of encapsulates his whole point. You know, we have to celebrate our differences. We shouldn't have a society which is consumerist and makes us all the same. And I think that was really kind of the heart of a lot of what his message was here.

COSTELLO: Will it be a lasting message, Father Martin?

MARTIN: Oh, I think it will. I think people have heard it and were very touched. Even if they don't remember his words, as Father Kesicki said, they'll remember the gestures and the moments and the visuals.

COSTELLO: All right. We're going to take a break. We'll be back with much more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARLOW: Here in the United States and around the - welcome back to our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Poppy Harlow along with my friend, Carol Costello. Thrilled to be with you in the final moments of Pope Francis' visit, historic visit here in the United States.

COSTELLO: I know, we're all witnessing history right. We've been witnessing history all week. The Pope now leaving the United States from the Philadelphia International Airport, on his way back to Rome. He has an eight to 10-hour flight. We saw him through the window of the plane a short time ago. He was drinking a bottle of water. Hopefully he'll get a meal, Delia, before he goes back to talk to reporters.

GALLAGHER: No, he'll go back and talk to reporters first. And get the work done first then he'll have his meal because that way the reporters can start writing while they're trying to have their meal. It's very exhausting, actually, on the way back because the pope comes back.

As soon as the plane talks off normally. And starts to give his press conference. And they can ask questions. They meet together in language groups and come up with a question for each language group. English and French and Italian and so on. He gets a number of questions and he often gives lengthy answers. So when the plane lands then we have a whole other bunch of news usually from the pope.

[19:45:10]

COSTELLO: You know what I was just thinking, you know, he met with Vice President Joe Biden before he got on board that plane. It must have been a very emotional meeting. I'm sure they talked about the loss of his son. And Father, I know you've done this many times, yourself. So what might that meeting have been like? MARTIN: Well, you know, I mean, it is a meeting between a pastor and

another Catholic. The formalities are stripped and you become another priest or another Christian comforting someone on their loss, asking the person who it is like and also the Pope has asked for prayers from us promising most likely Vice President Biden and Hunter and the whole family his prayers. So it seemed like a very quick encounter, but for someone like Vice President Biden who's a Catholic to hear the Pope is praying for him is enormously consoling. So I'm sure that it's very meaningful for him.

HARLOW: Father Kesicki, to you, this is a Pope who chose his name after St. Francis of Assisi. You know, clearly an indication of what he cares about the most, the poor, the needy, those in the margins, those in the periphery, what do you believe he will take away from his week here in the United States meeting with some of those most in need, what he will take home with him to the Vatican, how it will affect his papacy going forward?

FATHER TIMOTHY KESICKI, S.J., PRESIDENT, JESUIT CONFERENCE: Well, as we look at the touching image of his plane taking off, all of us feel in our heart a sense that we're going to miss him. We know that he knows us now. He's met us. He's been in our cities. He's eaten our food. He's heard our music. He's seen us laugh. He's seen many of us cry. He knows that the United States has great potential to help the world and it also faces the temptation that all nations face, the temptation to turn in on itself.

I have to think that he's looking down from that plane right now, looking down at the lights of our country as they begin to fade away thinking, the American people are good, they're faithful, they're loving, and he now has their hearts and their will to help him with his mission.

COSTELLO: That was so well said, Father. So beautiful. And even as we look at this plane flying off to Rome, you know, the lighted tail and the red, white, and blue. It's just - the whole visit has been such a beautiful spectacle.

HARLOW: It certainly has. And, you know, for each of us, the experience has been different. It has certainly touched me in a way that I don't know that I thought that it would. I know it's touched you, Carol, very much. For you, Delia Gallagher, as a Vatican correspondent, for you, the most poignant moment for you personally?

GALLAGHER: Well, that's a really difficult question because there's been so many wonderful moments. I don't actually know. Let's go first to Father Martin.

MARTIN: That's very honest. I feel the same way. There are so many. I have to say, I'm not embarrassed. I cried when he mentioned to Congress, two of my heroes, Dorothy Day and Thomas Martin. Dorothy Day did the great apostle of the poor, Thomas Martin, the great apostle of dialogue. One reason is that he's speaking to Americans, you know, through the example of Americans and also these two figures were kind of on the outs for a while. Social justice was something of a dirty word. HARLOW: Right.

MARTIN: Thomas Martin was kind of suspect. Here he is kind of lifting up these average Americans basically as examples for us.

HARLOW: He did that I believe in his address to Congress. We had Senator Bob Casey from Pennsylvania on the program earlier and Carol, he said he describes the pope as a servant leader and a reminder to all of us as leaders and all of our lawmakers that they are and we are all servant leaders.

As we get one more break in here before we leave you with the best moments of his trip here to the United States, stay with us.

Carol and I, our entire team, live from Philadelphia, we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:52:00]

HARLOW: All right. I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. In New York? I'm Poppy Harlow in Philadelphia. It's been a long weekend. Along with my friend, Carol Costello, in our final eight minutes with you. We want to talk through some of the most memorable moments of the pontiff's visit here to the United States. Where should we begin?

COSTELLO: I think we should begin in Washington, D.C..

HARLOW: All right.

COSTELLO: Because as I was standing there on Constitution Avenue, tens of thousands of people were gathered. And they were going to see, what, eight seconds of the Pope? And that was it.

And like I was saying to you, Father Martin, I couldn't believe that many people turned out for just a glimpse of a man.

MARTIN: And they all said it was worth it. Particularly when, you know, most people will not see the pope otherwise. A lot of people don't go to Rome to see the leader of the Catholic Church coming to address Congress, for example, coming to Washington in the flesh, is really an emotional experience for a lot of Catholics.

COSTELLO: Absolutely. People in the crowd, you know, while waiting for the pope were saying the rosary, they were singing religious songs, and those people came from all over the world and they represented every nationality and I bet every religion, too.

GALLAGHER: And in this talk which was so anticipated, what will he say, will the Democrats like it and will the Republicans like it? And it seems to me that it was received well by both sides.

MARTIN: Well, they were told not to applaud but they spontaneously stood up and applauded. I agree with Delia, I think when you meet someone who is holy like that, he or she just open their hearts and they seemed open to his message.

HARLOW: Father Kesicki to you, in Washington, D.C., where he gave the address to the joint session of Congress, the first pope ever to do that. Why do you think he decided he wanted to be there?

KESICKI: Well, I think he received an invitation from both the Speaker of the House and the democratic majority leader, both Catholics. He said yes to the invitation. He's a very gracious individual who wants to take advantage of the opportunity to share his message. You know that he's spoken to parliaments in Europe.

We know that he loves to engage people both on the street and those who have the ability to influence those on the street. And so it's a continuation of his great papacy.

COSTELLO: All right. Let's head to New York City now because that was - there are so many beautiful moments there. St. Patrick's Cathedral. His meeting with people in Central Park. And of course right here at the 9/11 Memorial.

GALLAGHER: Yes, and saying how the water was like the tears of people who weeped. Weeping is very significant for this pope. He thinks it's - you need to get out that emotion, you need to express that deep sorrow. I thought that was a beautiful metaphor, the water there in the fountain.

COSTELLO: It was also beautiful, he had many people of all faiths surrounding him, Father Martin.

MARTIN: I thought that was great. A multi-religious ceremony with Muslims and Jews and all sort. Once a again a reminder that he sees himself as a brother to people, not a leader, but a brother.

[19:55:08]

HARLOW: I think that specially struck me actually when our coverage of that was going on, I was listening to it all. I couldn't see it, I was listening to it. I stopped in my tracks listen to the different religions reading the readings important to their faith. I thought of the moment in time when it was all happening and how divided our country seems to be in some ways at this moment in time and what that must have done for so many.

COSTELLO: I have to share this moment with you, I was in Central Park, you know, and I was standing along with hundreds of thousands of others in that long, long security line to get in, and people were taking it pretty well for the most part, and all of a sudden, and there was no rain in the forecast, mind you, we looked up and there was a rainbow.

GALLAGHER: Right.

COSTELLO: It was like this is impossible. But I swear to you, there was a rainbow. People were taking pictures of it, they were moved to tears. It was amazing.

GALLAGHER: Very strange because it wasn't rainbow weather.

COSTELLO: It was beautiful weather, right? The sun was out but we looked up and it was - I swear to you, there was a rainbow.

HARLOW: And if it's going to happen for anyone, it's going to happen -

COSTELLO: That's what we all figured.

MARTIN: He certainly deserves it.

HARLOW: Father Kesicki, to you, as you have watched his time here in Philadelphia with the families, one thing that struck me last night as we were broadcasting live, he, you know, Aretha Franklin performed for him, the Fray. Guess who he got up and embraced? He embraced the average people. He embraced the family. He embraced a young man with cerebral palsy who came here from Ukraine.

It seems it is in those moments where this Pope finds his joy and his energy and encouragement, Father.

KESICKI: Yes. You know, my favorite memory was actually on Wednesday morning, I had the good fortune of being on the south lawn of the White House. I was seated right behind the choir from St. Agustine's. They sang a spiritual for him. They came back, they had emotion in their eyes. Some people turned to them and said, did it feel like you were singing to god? The choir actually said, we were.

I think that's the greatest gift of this pope is that he has brought us all closer to god. Even nonbelievers on the balcony of the capitol, he said, I ask you to pray for me and if you don't believe in god, wish me well. So he brought us closer, brought us out of ourselves. Brought us closer to god and reminded us where we all come from.

HARLOW: Humble is a word many of you, our viewers, have used to describe this pope. This is a pope you'll remember as Jorge Bergoglio in Argentina who took the bus, he (INAUDIBLE) the comforts of life, he lived in a simple apartment and he rode with others on the subway and on the bus. That has very much informed even how he's acted in the Vatican, Delia Gallagher.

GALLAGHER: Absolutely. From the first choice of where to live, how to dress, to what to say to his own priests and bishops about how they live, what cars they drive, and what shoes they wear, and what's interesting is in many of the comments that I've heard from people about this visit, it is - self-reflective and they say, oh, well maybe I shouldn't, you know, keep buying these expensive shoes if Pope Francis is here.

There is a sense that they are thinking and reflecting on his example. Not falling prey to consumerism.

COSTELLO: I have heard from more than one conservative Catholic that they're not so sure about this humble thing that's going on. They want the Pope to be the Pope. You know, they want him to wear the fancy vestments - because he's our authority figure and they want to see him as such.

MARTIN: Well, as Delia was saying, this is who he is. As a Jesuit he took a vow of poverty as we all do. This is just part of who he is. But I think if they saw Jesus, he wouldn't have been all dressed up. He said beware of people who wear long robes and like to have the seats of power. He really is emulating Jesus and he showing us the way. I think the simplicity of life is something that really connects with people. It's an invitation for all of us.

HARLOW: And bringing back to the fore those who many of us walk by every day.

MARTIN: Yes, for Pope Francis and for the Christian, there is no other. We're all us.

HARLOW: Right. Thank you both so much for being with us. I want to tell you what is ahead here on CNN tonight.

Next at 8:00 Eastern, the season premiere of "Anthony Bourdain parts Unknown - Prime Cuts" will be on.

COSTELLO: Coming along your away long at 9:00 Eastern, the new season of "Anthony Bourdain parts unknown" he's in Cuba. Then at 10:00 Eastern, the season premiere of "Mike Rowe Somebodyh's Got to do it."

For now we have to bid you adieu from Philadelphia and may safe travels to Pope Francis. I'm Carol Costello.

HARLOW: I'm Poppy Harlow. What a wonderful week. Thank you so much for being with us. Good night.