WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- It was a ceremony full of pageantry.
More than 15,000 gathered on the South Lawn of the White House Wednesday morning to witness an historic joint appearance by Pope Francis and President Obama.
Pope Francis delivered a speech in English at the White House during a welcome ceremony, in which President Obama praised him for his humility and generosity.
Crowds began lining up around the White House complex well before 4 a.m.
Before arriving, Pope Francis stepped out of the Vatican Embassy to greet some of the thousands of people gathered along D.C. streets. He hugged some people and shook the hands of others before getting in a Fiat, again.
Around 9:23 a.m., the pope arrived at the White House.
President Obama greeted Pope Francis before a cheering throng of thousands of people. The national anthem was played as the president, with his hand over his heart, stood alongside the pope, who bowed his head as the music played.
During a speech on the South Lawn, President Obama praised the Catholic church for its role in helping to strengthen America and to help those in need. The president said that Pope Francis is "shaking us out of complacency" with reminders to care for the poor and for our planet.
He praised the Pontiff for "humility, your embrace of simplicity, the gentleness of your words and the generosity of your spirit."
The president also thanked the pope for his support for efforts to normalize relations between the U.S. and Cuba.
Both leaders stressed the importance of religious freedom. President Obama told the pope, "You remind us people are only free when they can practice their religion freely."
When Pope Francis took to the podium, he told the crowd, in English, that, "People everywhere must be able to live out their faith without fear." It will be one of the few statements he makes in English.
As anticipated, the pope also touched on the issue of climate change, saying it "can no longer be left to a future generation." He praised President Obama for his efforts to decrease pollution.
"Mr. President, I find it encouraging that you are proposing an initiative for reducing air pollution," the pope said. "Accepting the urgency, it seems clear to me also that climate change is a problem which can no longer be left to a future generation. When it comes to the care of our 'common home.' we are living at a critical moment of history."
People also noted that the pope paraphrased Martin Luther King, Jr., speaking of "rejecting every form of injustice and discrimination."
By the time Pope Francis left the White House, he'd etched a lasting impression on the thousands who gathered to hear him speak, including a delegation of hundreds of Cardinals and Bishops.
He ended his speech with the words, "God Bless America."
After the welcoming ceremony, the two leaders retreated to the Oval Office for a private meeting.
President Obama gave Pope Francis two gifts. A sculpture of a dove, which is both an international symbol of peace and the Christian symbol for the Holy Spirit. and he gave the pope a key from the Maryland home of Elizabeth Ann Seton. She's the first native-born American to be declared a saint.
Obama is the 11th consecutive president to meet with a pope, but Pope Francis' trip is the first papal visit to Washington since 2008.
After the events at the White House, Pope Francis climbed into his Popemobile and greeted throngs of admirers along the Ellipse. He returned briefly to the White House, to switch back into his Fiat.
MORE: The pope's full schedule
We're keeping an eye on traffic and transportation systems throughout the day. There were some glitches on Metro early in the morning, including two trains offloaded at Deanwood because one of them had a brake issue and a fire on tracks at the Waterfront station, which was extinguished by Metro employees. Officials and riders are hoping for no more serious incidents like the power outage from Tuesday.
LIST: Road closures
For those with the goal to avoid the pope events and the traffic tie-ups that will follow, it's best to steer clear of all of downtown and Northeast Washington.
Like this story? Like us on Facebook.