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Pope Francis Continues U.S. Tour in Philadelphia; John Boehner Announces Resignation as House Speaker; Role of Women in Modern Catholic Church Examined. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired September 26, 2015 - 14:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:00:59] FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Pope Francis praying in the city of brotherly love. A million people expected to hear his messages throughout the day. But it was this moment earlier today emblematic of Pope Francis' special touch, a special blessing for this boy in a wheelchair on the tarmac.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He like encourages us all, like rich and poor and everyone, to just like be together as brothers and sisters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, we're following the Pope throughout Philadelphia on to Independence Hall. Hello and welcome to our viewers here in the U.S. and around the world, I'm Fredericka Whitfield. Today the city of brotherly love welcomes the Pope from mass this morning at the basilica. His speech on immigrants later on today at Independence Hall to his evening prayer of service. All of this expected to draw more than a million people. CNN is covering his visit like no other network can. Our Anderson Cooper and Christiane Amanpour are in Philadelphia for the final leg of the Pope's historic visit. Anderson and Christiane?

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, thanks very much, Fredericka. It's really a pleasure to be here with Christiane Amanpour. Pope Francis spends his final full day on American soil in Philadelphia, of course, the birthplace of American democracy and independence. His visit marked by really extraordinary moments like this. You can see Pope Francis there blessing a child at the conclusion of a mass today. And this, members of the seminary welcoming the Pope with song.

(SINGING)

COOPER: In just a matter of hours, Pope Francis delivers a major speech from one of the city's most iconic site, Independence Hall, speaking from the same lectern used by President Abraham Lincoln during the Gettysburg Address, an incredible touch stone of history. Pope Francis will focus his speech on religious freedom.

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN ANCHOR: Then it's on to a spectacular outdoor evening prayer service. Actually, it's a celebration, basically right behind where we are. That's the main stage there. More than a million people are expected to attend. But really, tonight, tomorrow, all throughout this weekend and all they think about a million people will come to see the Pope in Philadelphia. It is the world meeting of the families. It's an international gathering of the faithful, and it's an event that happens every three years. It was started by Pope John Paul II back in 1994.

COOPER: And to say that security is tight is an understatement. I've never seen a city kind of locked down as extensively as it is, as Philadelphia. I came in at 1:00 a.m. last night, and ended up having to get an escort from the National Guard just by chance because they sort of took pity on me, because it's impossible to get anywhere, and it's only gotten tighter since then. I want to check in with our Carol Costello. She's along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway where thousands are getting ready for tonight's evening prayer. Carol?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think tens of thousands are here now, Anderson. They're expecting 700,000 people at this world families festival sponsored by the Vatican. And I shouldn't be talking very loud because, as you can see behind me, oh, they're just waking up. They've been sleeping for a few hours. Hi, you're on CNN, just waking up.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: People have been waiting here for hours, Anderson. Sometimes you just have to take a break and take a nap. I'm here with Elizabeth. She came all the way from Canada. You've been here for how long now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Since Monday.

COSTELLO: Oh, my goodness. So you came to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway when? Oh, sorry.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: About three or four hours.

COSTELLO: I think you're losing track of time now, aren't you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

COSTELLO: I see you have your rosary with you. Why did you bring it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I have a devotion -- we have a devotion to our blessed mother. She's special to us. She's our heavenly mother, and we love her. So when we pray, we're not praying to her, but we're asking her to be with us and pray with us.

[14:05:00] COSTELLO: When Pope Francis, you know, drives by in his Pope mobile in the motorcade which will be hours from now, how do you think you'll react?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it will be a moment of joy because he's our kind of like our fatherly figure here on earth guiding his people. It will be a moment of joy. He really enjoys being with the people. He's the people's pope. And likewise as we're kind of like his children here, and we're happy to see him. And I think it's just going to be a joy-filled time. It's a very friendly tone here. You feel it.

COSTELLO: I know, there are people like at baseball games selling peanuts, but not beer.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: So Anderson, there's some security people walking through the crowd, too. But all in all, it's a joyous atmosphere here, and it's hard to describe the feeling. It's one of hope and happiness, and, frankly, you don't run into that every day in America anymore.

COOPER: Yes, well, we certainly have seen that all throughout the cities we have been in Washington and New York, wherever Pope Francis has been, that sense of really celebration as people wait, don't mind the long wait. Our Miguel Marquez is at Independence Hall where the Pope is going to speak. Set the scene for us there, Miguel.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is an absolute celebration here. I want to show you the picture of Independence Hall with the thousands of people ling the mall here and then the street along the way, Market Street, where the Pope will come down. There is growing anticipation. They've been gathering here for hours. They will wait for, oh, a couple hours more before he actually gets here to hear that speech on religious freedom and immigration. I want to talk to a few people who are from Philadelphia. Dan, introduce your family to us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, I'm Dan, this is Laura, this is Jillian, and this is Dan.

MARQUEZ: What is it like? You guys are Catholics, I assume. What is it like to have the Pope come to your city and this event?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's very special. This is a once in a lifetime moment for everyone who is in this area. The Pope has never been to Philadelphia, at least in my lifetime here. So it was a once in a lifetime moment that we wanted to become a part of.

MARQUEZ: It has been a tough time for the Catholic Church in Philadelphia over the last decade or so. Does this Pope change things?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Everything that he does is symbolic of love and reaching out to people. And I think that's really what the Catholic Church wants to be about.

MARQUEZ: You were quick to agree with that. Why do you think he changes things?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that his views on the world have been very embracing. They've been welcoming of all different parts of the world and of all different issues and problems that they may be having. He's trying to be so inclusive with people and I think he's really changing the faith of the church.

MARQUEZ: And the one constituency the Pope has tried to reach everywhere he has gone are children. Are you guys excited to see this Pope?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes!

MARQUEZ: Are you really?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!

MARQUEZ: Why do you like this Pope? Why do you like this guy?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's such a kind person.

MARQUEZ: He does seem like a nice guy. He certainly seems to have a sense of humor. Are you guys excited to see the Pope? How excited are you?

(CHEER)

MARQUEZ: It is a celebration. The music out here is fantastic as well. So we're having a good time. Back to you guys.

COOPER: All right, Miguel, thanks very much.

AMANPOUR: And, of course, we get to Miguel and everything at a time when this church is in major transition. It's not just a changing look to the church, changing demographics, changing nature of the family. And that is what the Pope is going to be talking about most of this weekend. It's about the world meeting of families. Here with John Allen, senior Vatican analyst and father. We've been talking about families, and the Pope actually talked about it in his homily at church today in the basilica. What is he likely to say when he goes and does the immigration speech? And how much of a challenge is this changing face of American Catholicism?

JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN ANALYST: Well, I think we're going to hear more about the family tomorrow when he addresses, particularly the final mass at the World Meeting of Families. Today's speech is really in the theme of religious freedom.

Of course, this is a meeting in front of Independence Hall, the cradle of American democracy. Meeting with immigrants who are in some ways the primary beneficiaries of the promise of freedom in the United States. And the Pope is going to come, I think, fairly hard on the issue of the obligation America has to defend its legacy of religious freedom at a time when many religious leaders in the society perceive that legacy to be under attack.

Now, I have a column today that I think, in my view Francis could recalibrate the politics of this issue because it really shouldn't be an ideological thing. There are religious progressives and religious conservatives. They ought to have a great deal of common in terms of defending religious freedom. [14:10:00] But often in the politics of America it doesn't work that

way because the flash points tend to skew right. The contraception mandates by the Obama administration, conscientious objection from the new Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage, and so on, those are all conservative causes.

But with Francis, you have a man who has a great deal of credibility with the political left because of his advocacy of immigration reform, climate change, the perception that he's a maverick shaking up a very deeply traditional institution. And because of all of that, if he lends his personal seal of approval to the religious freedom clause, which all indications are that's what he's planning to do this afternoon, that could change the political dynamic.

AMANPOUR: That's interesting. Father Beck, how could he not? Religious freedom is a basic right of America. It's one of the founding principles of this nation. What else could he say?

FATHER EDWARD BECK, CNN RELIGIOUS CONTRIBUTOR: But does the freedom really extend to everyone equally is the question. Remember, one group is going to be addressing at this gathering are Hispanics, the large segment of that congregation today. And while the church has been growing our Hispanic population, we've also been losing Hispanics, losing them to Pentecostal churches, losing to fundamentalist churches. And why? Because they say the Catholic Church is too structured, too rigid. We can go to these other churches and we have bible study, we have small group discussion, we don't get lost in the crowd.

And we're losing Hispanics and we're gaining Hispanics. So he, the Latin American Pope, first Latin American Pope, will he also have the Francis effect of bringing more Hispanics into the fold of the church who feel more included and that their enculturation is really respected. They have said, you know, we really don't feel as though our Hispanic culture is represented and respected in the church sometimes. Can we do a better job of that?

COOPER: John Allen, you flew to Philadelphia from New York with the Pope on the plane. How is he doing? We saw him stumble up, someone getting up onto the aircraft when he was leaving New York. There were reports about his sciatica.

ALLEN: Yes, well, of course, we were on the plane, we didn't see the stumble because we board hours before the Pope does. But we obviously got alerts of it. We asked the Vatican spokesperson. He said the only thing that happened is the Pope got a little caught up in his cassock. In other words, this was not a health issue. It was simply a moment of clumsiness.

His sciatica, on the other hand, clearly is bothering him. It's becoming increasingly painful for him to walk, increasingly painful to stand for long periods of time. But on the other hand when I asked the Vatican spokesperson about that on the plane, he said the Holy Father's response was "One more day, I'll be fine."

COOPER: We saw during the mass today when he was going up steps and going down steps, he did have priests on either side helping him. Stepping up and down has got to be particularly painful when you have a lower back --

ALLEN: Yes, although the stairs aren't the real problem for him. I think the real problem is getting up from a seated position, having to stand for long periods and if he has to walk long distances, that tends to be when it flared up. You know how it is with sciatica. If you don't knock it down right away it tends to just get worse and worse. And obviously there's not been a lot of down time on this trip for him to recover.

COOPER: He's having some down time right now at a seminary. We saw him being welcomed there a short time ago. He got some lunch, hopefully perhaps a nap. He has a full day of events for the rest of the day today and a big day for tomorrow, as well. We're going to have more of our coverage continuing from here in Philadelphia. Right now we go back to Fredericka in Atlanta. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Anderson. A lot of developing news today, including the latest on John Boehner's exit. Up next I'll talk with one of his former colleagues to get his take on the speaker's resignation and the timing.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[14:16:39] REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) HOUSE SPEAKER: Listen, it was never about the Pope, all right. There was never any doubt about whether I could survive. I don't want my members to have to go through this. And I certainly don't want the institution to go through this.

It's really been wonderful. It's been an honor to serve in this institution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A shock wave is still rippling through the nation's capital today after House Speaker John Boehner's emotional announcement on Friday. He is giving up the gavel and resigning from Congress October 30th. Democrats say the move shows Republican infighting is at an all-time high. To discuss this I'm joined now by someone who was very close to Speaker Boehner, Marc Lampkin. He was a former general counsel for Mr. Boehner. Good to see you.

MARC LAMPKIN, FORMER GENERAL COUNSEL FOR JOHN BOEHNER: Great to see you.

WHITFIELD: So, Marc, what is your latest conversation or have you had a conversation with Mr. Boehner? Is he still as zip-a-dee-doo-dah as he was yesterday when he opened up his press conference?

LAMPKIN: Absolutely. I was with a group of what we call "Boehner- landers" last night and we saw the speaker, and I think he exhibited a certain amount of relief that he has made a hard decision and one that was ultimately pretty selfless and was actually for the betterment not just for Republicans, not just for the House, but for the country.

WHITFIELD: And what is that relief about in your view? Was there also an internal struggle, perhaps, that Mr. Boehner has been dealing with? Does that explain the tears with the Pope? Does that explain the timing of his resignation? Since you know him well, how do you assess or what is your deep belief as to what is happening with him right now?

LAMPKIN: Well, first, I think on tears, John is a very emotional person. He takes lots of things at heart and really internalizes them. And I think the Pope, think about it, he had been for over 20 years trying to have a Pope. He's a deeply religious and deeply devoted Catholic. And I thought this was, the Pope speaking to a joint session of Congress was something that was very impactful.

I think the timing was really all about turning the corner in the Congress on a number of very different policy battles. And I think he realized that Republicans in the House and joining with the colleagues in the Senate need to be focused on the policy fights, not on interparty warfare that would have happened if he had prevailed upon a struggle to keep his job. So he decided that I'm going to step aside so that as a person he doesn't become a distraction because he knew that the better fight was to fight with liberals and progressives and Democrats in terms of fighting for conservative values. And --

WHITFIELD: Go ahead. Sorry.

LAMPKIN: No, go ahead.

WHITFIELD: Do you feel like this was strictly voluntary? Or do you feel like he was kind of pushed out? Because when you look at Congressman Peter King, he says, I'm quoting him now, he says "The crazies in the Republican Party have taken over the House."

LAMPKIN: No, because I think if you think about it, this is the largest Republican majority since the 20s, I believe. And John Boehner had a solid block, a majority of the Republican conference. Were there, 25, 30 people, I won't call them crazies, but people who didn't appreciate his governing style or the way he engaged as speaker? Yes.

[14:20:02] But I think he would have prevailed to be the nominee, you know, to be the speaker again. But he decided that process of undergoing that, that kind of public bloodletting, was not in the interest of the country. It was something that was better put to the side so that we could move forward with doing the people's business.

WHITFIELD: All right, and as someone who once worked with him, as a friend, continuing friend of the speaker, Marc, in your view, what do you think is next? What is going to bring fulfillment and satisfaction for Speaker Boehner after October 30th?

LAMPKIN: I think first and foremost, you know, many people don't realize that the speaker has been very deeply committed to a group of inner city Catholic schools here in Washington, about four schools that served in some of the most difficult, most challenged, most disadvantaged areas. Probably over the course of the last 10 years he's raised millions of dollars for those schools to help with tuition, building repairs, and to give children a better life. I think he'll be very much committed to that. You may see him take on a more prominent role in that because I think that's something that he's personally committed to.

WHITFIELD: All right, and speaking of timing, this as we hear the Pope and are hosting the Pope in Philadelphia and who says Catholicism is about mercy. Marc Lampkin, thank you so much.

LAMPKIN: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right, the Kentucky clerk who gained notoriety for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples says she is joining the GOP. Coming up, why Kim Davis is accusing Democrats of abandoning her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:25:14] WHITFIELD: Welcome back. Checking our top stories now, controversial Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis says she's switching political parties and joining the GOP. Davis, who was elected as a Democrat, has been widely supported by Christian conservatives for her staunch opposition to gay marriage. Republican presidential candidates Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz both met with her after she was released from jail for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

And Russia is threatening to retaliate against Ukraine after it announced a ban on all Russian flights into the country. Kiev says the move set to take effect at the end of October is in response to Moscow's support for rebels in eastern Ukraine. Moscow calls it an act of lunacy and says it is now considering a ban on Ukrainian flights. The Ukraine crisis likely to be a prime topic when Vladimir Putin and President Barack Obama meet on Monday.

And President Obama has announced he has reached an agreement with China's president on the issue of cyber theft. Mr. Obama says the two leaders have vowed to not carry out cyber-attacks against each other and warns he is ready to impose sanctions if that promise is not kept. The news comes during a state visit by the Chinese leader.

And still to come, hear from some of the stars who will be performing for the Pope in Philadelphia today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:30:11] COOPER: We want to welcome our viewers here in the United States and around the world as we continue our special coverage of the Pope's visit to America live from Philadelphia. I'm Anderson Cooper along with my colleague Christiane Amanpour.

AMANPOUR: And a spectacular crowd is here in Philadelphia. As you can hear right behind us, it's actually the venue for tonight's celebration. That will be the big concert, a lot of music. And you can hear that they're using the P.A. system to practice. So we can barely hear ourselves speak. At the moment we think Pope Francis is having a little bit of rest.

COOPER: We hope he's far enough away from here that he can actually sleep.

AMANPOUR: Yes, we hope so. Having a little rest hopefully at the seminary, after which he'll go to Independence Hall, talk about immigrants, talk about immigration, but also most importantly about religious freedom.

COOPER: We also just got some new video in from CNN of the Pope this morning on board the aircraft. The Pope actually got into the cockpit as he flew to Philadelphia from New York. Here are just some of the moments. John Allen, our senior Vatican correspondent, was also on the plane. Father Edward Beck is with us as well. John, does the Pope often get into the cockpit?

ALLEN: Actually, on every flight the Pope takes he goes up into the cockpit. He makes a point of bringing the entire flight through. So usually at one point during the flight the flight attendants are brought up to greet him and so on. And then he'll always go up into the cockpit. Sometimes it's on the outbound flight he's sending telegrams because when the Pope flies from Italy, for example, coming here, of course he has to fly over five or six countries. And they send telegrams to the heads of state of every country he flies over.

So for example when he flew to the Philippines, China for the first time ever gave him permission to cross their airspace, so he went up into the cockpit to personally hit the send button. Here you see him just hanging out with the pilots.

COOPER: The other thing, John, you said that's really interesting, it's important to fly with the Pope because it's really on the plane often when he's leaving a place that he comes back and talks to reporters in a way and sort of makes the most news.

ALLEN: Yes. In fact that's really the only time he meets the press in anything we Americans would recognize as a news conference. So it's on a return flight. He'll do it again this time. He comes to the back of the plane. It is totally spontaneous, no filters, no taboos. In the old days we used to have to submit questions in advance that were very carefully screened by the Vatican. The Vatican spokesperson took the questions to the Pope.

Francis has done away with all of that. He simply comes back, takes questions. Some of the most memorable lines in his papacy have come from those sessions. "Who am I to judge?" was on the flight coming back from Brazil. "Catholics don't have to breed like rabbits" was on the flight from Sri Lanka to the Philippines, and so on, which is why I often say that flying with the Pope is in some ways a dismal experience. The seats are uncomfortable, the food is mediocre, but I will give it this. The inflight entertainment is spectacular.

(LAUGHTER)

AMANPOUR: He did say on the plane he wished he could've come from this country via Mexico but he couldn't because of the logistics. And that's why he did it through Cuba. Obviously coincidentally the rapprochement happened, and it all turned out to be great. But I think that's an incredible thing to say given the people he's speaking to here and who he's going to be talking to this afternoon, the stuff he said regarding immigration reform at this particular time.

ALLEN: Yes, actually, what he said, if he had come in through Mexico, he would've had to go to Guadalupe because the Mexicans would have lynched him if he didn't stop at Guadalupe, and that just wasn't logistically possible.

COOPER: I wanted to check in with Rosa Flores who was on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway which is packed with people waiting to see Pope Francis. Rosa, clearly as the hour approaches a lot of people getting very excited.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am surrounded by the Francis effect. And that is thousands of people that are excited to celebrate their faith here in Philadelphia. Let me tell you something, I talked to people from all over the country who have traveled, who haven't slept, who haven't eaten because they want the chance to see Pope Francis. And I found this couple. They're here all the way from Africa. I can only imagine what a trip to see Pope Francis. Why was it important for you to be here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is very important because in Africa for us it's like a second time attending. We were in Milan. We are very eager to find out what he's going to say about the family.

FLORES: Now, they're here from Zimbabwe. And we were just chatting about how Pope Francis's theology is to evangelize from the peripheries, to go where nobody else goes. What message do you think is important to deliver in Africa given the economics, the politics, the different issues that are happening in Africa?

[14:35:14] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When the Pope is going to a country we hope the Pope is going to address specific issues about Africa, political challenges, social challenges. So what the Pope is going to focus on Africa and probably deliver something in terms of bringing the human lives for it.

FLORES: Yes, and if south America, Cuba, and the United States is any indication, I think that Pope Francis will definitely have a keen message for the leaders in Africa. Anderson, Christiane?

COOPER: No doubt about that.

AMANPOUR: No doubt about it.

And we understand, it's the central African republic, the central African republic is in full civil war mode. So it's pretty dangerous, it's pretty brave of him to go. But Father Beck, isn't Africa one of the fastest growing churches?

BECK: It is. Africa, Asia, are really the fastest growing parts of the Catholic Church right now. COOPER: Yes.

BECK: So he has to be very attentive to those areas because that is where the growth is in fact happening.

COOPER: We should point out that Sister Sledge is actually practicing. She's going to be performing. One of my producers who is incredibly young didn't know who Sister Sledge was and thought maybe Sister Sledge actually was a sister. And I had to say, not that kind of a sister.

AMANPOUR: Maybe you can sing us into a break.

COOPER: No, no. But we are family. We're going to take -- we're going to break from here. Our coverage is going to continue all throughout the afternoon and the evening. But let's go right back now to Fredericka Whitfield.

WHITFIELD: All right, Sister Sledge, at least three of them are going to be performing. They are from Philadelphia, so very fitting that "We are Family" is going to be the song. It is the mantra of that festival now, isn't it? Anderson, Christiane, thanks so much. We'll check back with you. Our continuing coverage of the visit by the Pope to Philadelphia continues right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:40:50] WHITFIELD: All right a battle royal for the House speakership could be brewing between establishment and Tea Party Republicans. This is after House Speaker John Boehner's stunning announcement on Friday that he will resign at the end of October following years of contention between the two wings of the Republican Party. Here's how some in the 2016 GOP field are reacting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARLY FIORINA, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Every leader has a season. And I appreciate Mr. Boehner's leadership, and I think he is doing the right thing stepping aside now.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's time. I mean, it's really time for him. He's -- a lot of problems. We've got to get the country going, and I think it really is time.

SEN. TED CRUZ, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Yesterday, John Boehner was speaker of the House.

(APPLAUSE)

CRUZ: You all come to town and somehow that changes.

(APPLAUSE)

CRUZ: My only request is can you come more often?

(APPLAUSE) (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, joining me right now, Democratic strategist Nomiki Konst, and Justin Sayfie, a Republican strategist. Good to see you all.

NOMIKI KONST, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Nice to see you, too.

WHITFIELD: OK, so ouch, coming in from the Republican presidential field there. We knew there were many Dems who saw Boehner as a real nemesis. But to see now and to hear many Republicans, clearly the feelings run deep, Nomiki. So what does this say about post Boehner after October 30th? What changes, or what might we be witnessing?

KONST: Yes, you know, I think that there's going to be a huge void in the Republican Party. This is bad for Dems as well. Boehner was, he could get along with Nancy Pelosi. They could come to the table together. He could advocate for the Republican Party effectively and work with Democrats.

But the problem with the Republican Party is that they've lost Cantor now and Boehner who were two major fundraisers. And the proposed nominee or filler is going to be Kevin McCarthy, who really doesn't have that fundraising experience. And is he going to be able to control the far right wing of the party? I think as a leadership change, it's a smart -- it's a smart strategy to keep them at bay. But I don't know how long that's going to last because you do need a leader who can work with the other side. You can't just demand things and shut down the government every time you don't like something.

WHITFIELD: Justin, do you worry about what's next? Or is there relief about what potentially could be next?

JUSTIN SAYFIE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: No, I don't worry about what's next. The Republican leadership in Congress has a deep bench of people that will step up, and the Republican caucus will have to decide who is going to lead them going forward. And I think it's healthy.

Look, having people of different opinions, have different philosophies about how we should run the country is fine. But I think the overall arching issue is fiscal restraint when you know what's motivating the Tea Partiers is fiscal restraint. And I think that whoever leads the Republicans in Congress is going to bring that type of philosophy, which is the same philosophy that put Boehner and kicked out Speaker Nancy Pelosi a few years back.

WHITFIELD: All right, let's shift gears now. Let's talk Hillary Clinton and this new CNN poll of Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire showing that she is now trailing Senator Bernie Sanders 46- 30, a considerable margin there. So it is early, but what potentially, I guess, Nomiki, do you see as a real obstacle for Hillary Clinton or, perhaps, a real gain for Bernie Sanders? How do you see it?

KONST: Well, in New Hampshire, listen, she won New Hampshire in 2008, and we look back at that and we say, you know, even though Bernie Sanders is from a neighboring state, that's a problem. I think she's really struggling with millennials right now, which is probably why she went on all these talk shows, and Lena Dunham. And she's not winning millennial women, which, among my friends as a millennial woman, I don't know one woman right now who is supporting Hillary, and that's kind of shocking, I think. And I run in Democratic circles. So that's something she's going to have to overcome and it's a big, it's a big feat.

WHITFIELD: All right, we'll have to leave it there. Nomiki Konst, Justin Sayfie, thanks so much to both of you. Appreciate it. Good to see you.

[14:45:04] All right, coming up, the Pope praises women of the church and expresses his gratitude. Up next, how the Pope's historic visit could change the church's standing among many women.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our challenge today is to build on the solid foundations and foster a sense of collaboration and shared responsibility in planning for the future of our parishes and institutions. It means valuing the immense contribution which women lay and religious have made and continue to make to the life of our communities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:50:00] WHITFIELD: Pope Francis there speaking about the importance of women in the Catholic Church during today's historic mass in Philadelphia. The Pope now on the final leg of his U.S. tour. His comments on women catching the attention of many. Earlier this week, similar remarks by the Pope triggered a standing ovation from a group of nuns.

This at a time when just 16 percent of American women between the ages of 18 and 29 identify as Catholic. That's according to a Pew Research study. Will the Pope's visit help the church's standing among women? Joining me right now to talk about all of this, co-executive director of the Women's Ordination Conference Erin Saiz Hanna, and we're also joined by CNN's Carol Costello who is on the ground there in Philadelphia where crowds are gearing up for tonight's evening prayer, and, of course, an assemblage of hundreds of thousands of people all day today.

So Erin, I wonder to you first. The Pope said that the future of the church calls for more engagement on the part of the laity. Is he making a specific reference to women in your view?

ERIN SAIZ HANNA, CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WOMEN'S ORDINATION CONFERENCE: Well, I really appreciate Pope Francis' change in tone and how he speaks so positively of women. But we have seen from his actions that there's been little change from the predecessors when it comes to the role of women in the church. WHITFIELD: Do you see him making room? That, perhaps, there is

another way in which to incorporate women in authoritative roles or roles that speak to authority there within the Catholic Church?

HANNA: Possibly. But currently men and men alone still hold all the decision making power in the church. You know, it's very much linked to ordination and women are still excluded from ordination. The Pope himself has said on ordination, that door has been closed for women. And, you know, there is no sign that he plans to reopen that door.

WHITFIELD: So Carol, you're there in Philadelphia. You have talked to a lot of people, young, some women who are seasoned. And when you look at the pictures today from the basilica and that really exemplify the disparity of men and women in the church, mostly of the leadership role, they were mostly men. So then what are these young ladies telling you about their hopes about how women will be incorporated in more authority within the Catholic Church? Or do they have that hope?

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They do have a hope. And it starts with the language the Pope uses. As you know, changes in the Catholic Church happen at a glacial pace, so I don't think we'll see the ordination of women in my lifetime.

But there are other powerful roles that women can assume, and I'll just give you one of them. For the first in its 105 year history, there's a woman president of Catholic Charities USA. That is a huge organization. Sister Donna Markham is her name. She's in charge of 70,000 employees across the United States. And she told me that it means a lot that she as a woman was named to the spot. She doesn't say she was named to the spot because she was a woman, but she says it's a start. And it's a way to see women in power within the Catholic world that will make a difference in the long run.

WHITFIELD: All right, Carol Costello, we'll leave it there. Erin Saiz Hanna, thank you so much, ladies, appreciate that.

All right, let's talk about others who are being featured with the Pope's visit in Philadelphia. Those who are from there are just so excited that the Pope made his way to the city of brotherly love. And that includes the well-known disco group Sister Sledge.

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WHITFIELD: OK, "We are Family," what an appropriate anthem to play today for the World Family Festival there in Philadelphia. Joining me right now on the phone after just having sound checks there on stage, Joni Sledge with me now. So Joni, give me an idea of how important this is for you and other Sister Sledge from the Philadelphia area to be a part of today's festivities.

JONI SLEDGE, SISTER SLEDGE: I think it's absolutely wonderful and it's very, very important for us to be here. We are happy that we can represent our city as well as people who love the Lord, and also worshipper and people of all walks of life. It is just absolutely astounding seeing the convergence of so many cultures. We're just very, very excited about all of it.

WHITFIELD: So Joni, explain to me what the atmosphere is like there. Have you ever felt anything quite like this in Philadelphia?

[14:55:00] SLEDGE: I have to say no, not at all, not like this. Every year, we've got the parade, all kinds of traditional things. But this is something astounding. And I'm very happy that there's an atmosphere of love that has converged on our city. There's so much cooperation, camaraderie. And people are just smiling. They're very, very happy. It's a spirit, a sense of unity. I say unity with spirit and the bond of peace has converged on Philadelphia.

WHITFIELD: And then, Joni, talk to me about what an honor it is to be incorporated in this celebration. How did it come to be?

SLEDGE: Well, yes, the camaraderie?

WHITFIELD: How did this come to be?

SLEDGE: Oh.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SLEDGE: We're just pinching ourselves as we walk along. I mean, we know this is a door that only God could have opened because it's one that anyone else could have had the opportunity to have and we were chosen to do this. So we don't take it lightly. We're very, very grateful. And to perform this evening in this atmosphere, and his holiness is here, and the presence of the spirit of God is here.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

SLEDGE: It's all around us.

WHITFIELD: Well, congratulations, because, indeed, what an incredible honor to be a part of a huge celebration like this in your home city, the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia. Joni Sledge, thank you so much, and all the best on your performance this evening with the others Sister Sledge.

All right, and thank you very much, everybody. We have much more coverage of the Philadelphia leg of the Pope's trip. I'm Fredericka Whitfield. We'll have much more straight ahead after this.

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