Pope Francis has arrived in the US for a six-day trip that will be historic but could likely be marked by political controversy.
His plane touched down at Andrews Airforce Base on the outskirts of Washington. To greet him where President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
The Armed Forces Full Honour Cordon from the Military District of Washington had rolled out the red carpet for the pontiff.
The pope touched down at Andrews Air Force Base
Meanwhile, 37 boys from the DeMatha Catholic High School Wind Ensemble, dressed in maroon and navy blazers, warmed up their instruments and the crowd as they awaited the pope's arrival, the Associated Press said.
Waverly Harris, a second-year student at the all-boys school in Hyattsville, Maryland, says it was an honour greet Pope Francis on his first US tour.
The boys will serenade the pope with Happy by Pharrell Williams and Journey's Don't Stop Believin'.
Tonight, the pope will stay in Washington at the Vatican Embassy.
The trip will get under way in earnest tomorrow morning when Pope Francis will meet with President Obama at the White House and greet well-wishers in the mansion’s ground in Washington DC.
Thank you to the Cuban people! Thank you from my heart!
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) September 22, 2015
On Thursday morning, he is due to address a joint session of Congress. It is unclear if the pontiff will broach the still ongoing scandal of child abuse by priests in the Catholic Church in the United States, which has rocked dioceses from Boston to Los Angeles.
He will wrap up his visit to the US - the first by a pope in seven years - with a two-day stay in Philadelphia, a city that was also hit by child abuse allegations.
While the Vatican has not commented on whether he will meet with victims of child abuse in the US, it is highly unlikely that he would depart for Rome on Sunday without doing so.
It is likely, however, that any such meeting would not be confirmed by the Vatican until it has taken place.
It is the first time Francis has visited the US, though not the first papal visit
In New York on Friday, Pope Francis is set to address the United Nations General Assembly, where topics are likely to include the urgency to address climate change as well as the ongoing work at the organisation to combat poverty and disease.
He may also discuss climate change while on Capitol Hill on Thursday, which may put Republicans in an awkward position as theirs is a party that considers itself in tune with the Christian faithful but which also is home to many global warming deniers in the US.
