ALASKA
Alaska Dispatch News
Erica Martinson
September 22, 2015
WASHINGTON — Alaska’s congressional delegation and visitors from the state are getting ready for an unprecedented visit from Pope Francis as he embarks on a tour of the Eastern Seaboard, including Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York City.
Pope Francis arrived in the Washington area Tuesday afternoon and was greeted by President Barack Obama and his wife, daughters and mother-in-law.
On Wednesday, Obama will welcome the pontiff at the White House, and Washingtonians will be treated to a papal parade. He’ll then meet with bishops from across the U.S. and celebrate Mass. On Thursday morning, the pope will address a joint session of Congress, the first time the leader of the Catholic Church has ever done so.
While Alaskans recently got a taste of D.C. motorcades and presidential traffic, Washington, D.C., is getting its own dose this week, with widespread street closures and expectations of hours-long transit backups. …
On Thursday, Joan Wilson, an attorney from Anchorage who attends the same church as Sullivan, will be on the Capitol lawn with her sister, who lives in D.C., and several other relatives, during the pope’s address to Congress.
Wilson originally only requested two tickets, but found out there were extras available from both Sullivan and Murkowski’s offices. “I wish people knew about that,” she said. “I think a lot of people would have come this far to see the pope. He’s a pretty magical guy.”
Wilson, a lifelong Catholic, said the pope’s visit has added importance for her.
Her mother, Mary Nockels, 83, is very ill and may not live past the weekend, she said. Nockles asked her daughter to bring her rosary to be blessed by the pope.
Like many Catholics, Wilson has had her own troubles with the church. Her brother was sexually abused by a priest when they were children in Chicago, she said.
The long history of abuse and silence from the church is not unknown to Alaskans. In 2008, the Fairbanks diocese filed for bankruptcy after being unable to settle lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by priests and church volunteers.
Wilson said she wouldn’t have come for a visit by the previous pontiff. “I had no interest in Pope Benedict’s version of the Catholic Church,” she said.
But Pope Francis “seems to be less about image and more about every individual’s ability to have a personal connection to God. It’s not about dogma; it’s about what you hold in your heart,” Wilson said.
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