| Pope Francis to make historical first US visit |
Pope Francis will pay his first visit to the United States this week where he is expected to be greeted with a rock star welcome, but while the progressive pontiff's popularity remains strong with political liberals, support is waning among American conservatives.
Outside the gym at the St John Paul High School in Virginia, a young cheerleader grabs a black marker and a bright pink post-it note.
On it she writes, "Will you be my best friend?"
She slams it on a wall that is covered with hundreds of fluorescent squares.
The words written on them are exactly what you would expect from adoring fans — "Can't wait till you get here" and "Welcome to America!!"
They would be fitting messages for a movie star or music celebrity, but a closer look reveals the target of their affections — "The Pope is Dope" reads one, "Keep Calm and Get Your Pope On" reads another.
They are responses to the question "What would u tweet to Pope Francis?"
Inside the gym the mood is feverish. Cheerleaders squeal and pump pompoms into the air, while hundreds of fellow students wave banners declaring their love for the 78-year-old Pope.
A cardboard cut out of the pontiff is carried around the arena.
It's a papal pep rally to celebrate the 25 students from St John Paul who have won a ballot to see Pope Francis in person when he meets US president Barack Obama at the White House.
For many of these students, he is the only Pope they remember being elected.
"I just felt drawn to him," says 17-year-old student Grant Tabler, who was so inspired by Pope Francis he converted to Catholicism earlier this year.
"Every time you hear him talk, every time you hear him smile and wave at you, he is just a calming loving presence."
For the students, this Pope is inspiring and accessible.
"He goes out into the crowds and he takes selfies with teenagers and he is so not standoffish and he wants to love all of us," says 17-year-old student Brooke Gunther.
"He always preaches love and charity to everyone and in this day and age that is something that everybody needs," senior student Audrey Davis says.
Pope for the poor
Pope Francis has focused his papacy on helping the poor and the vulnerable — his motto is "lowly but chosen" and he has attracted the nickname the "slum pope".
In his defence of the poor he has criticised capitalism and called for world leaders to act on climate change — messages that may not sit well with all politicians in the US capital.
"The role of the prophet is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable," says Father Thomas Reese, a Washington DC-based Jesuit priest and author.
"He is coming to challenge Americans, both our leaders and our people, about our responsibility as the richest and most powerful country in the world to do something, to help poor people around the world, to preserve the environment to be a force for good and peace in the world."
Pope Francis will become the first pontiff to address a joint session of Congress on September 24 and there is a lot of anticipation — and trepidation — about what he might say.
"When the Pope says 'you should welcome the immigrant, you should protect the environment, you should take care of the poor', the democrats are going to go crazy, what are the Republicans going to do?" Father Reese says.
"If they just sit there they are kind of disrespecting the Pope, and if they get up and applaud the Tea Party is going to get mad at them for applauding the Pope on these issues.
"It is going to be a fascinating piece of political theatre."
Papal popularity waning among conservatives
Pope Francis' popularity in the US has fluctuated since his papacy began in March 2013, but on average it's been higher than his predecessor Pope Benedict.
"He has poll ratings that politicians in Washington would kill for," Father Reese says.
A Gallup poll released in July shows Pope Francis' favourable rating has fallen to 59 per cent from 76 in February 2014.
The poll shows the majority of his decline in popularity has been among Catholics and political conservatives, not liberals and moderates.
"I have run into a lot of people who say 'I think I might give the Catholic Church another chance because I really like Pope Francis, I really like what he is saying'," Father Reese says.
"But the pope is not the Catholic Church.
"If people come back, if people are brought back to the Church by Pope Francis and they walk into their parish and they hear some old priest denouncing gays and hearing the same old same old they are going to turn around and walk out and they are never coming back.
"He needs the help of bishops and priests and everybody in the US to make the church much more welcoming."
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