Whirlwind trip: Pope Francis back in Rome, Archbishop Listecki back in Milwaukee, reflecting on papal visit

MILWAUKEE -- It was a whirlwind six-day trip with stops in Washington, D.C., New York, and Philadelphia, as Pope Francis made his first official visit to the United States. On Monday, September 28th, Pope Francis was back in Rome, and Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki was back in Milwaukee -- each reflecting on the papal visit.

Pope Francis prepares to head back to Rome after U.S. visit

Pope Francis shared this message on Twitter Monday:

This, as FOX6 News caught up with Archbishop Listecki as he returned from the East Coast.

"I was in D.C. with him when he was basically, when he was there and then back to, basically, Philadelphia. Every place you went, it was just a tremendous amount of energy," Archbishop Listecki said.

Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki

Archbishop Listecki says he believes that energy came from a desire to hear Pope Francis' message.

"Here's a man who preaches unity at a time when oftentimes we feel a lot of divisions," Archbishop Listecki said.

Among some 71 million Catholics in the United States, Archbishop Listecki says people who participated in the papal visit were pretty pumped about the opportunity to see the pope in person during his first U.S. trip.

"There was, I think, a tremendous amount of excitement for him to learn about our culture," Archbishop Listecki said.

Pope Francis greets crowds along the streets of Philadelphia on his way to Independence Hall.

But the leader of the Catholic Church, Archbishop Listecky says, remains the same -- redirecting all the focus on him to its rightful destination.

Pope Francis celebrates mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

"He always kinda throws that adulation back to the message, back to sharing, back to reaching out to others. Because in the end, you know, if you're truly a religious leader and the pope is a real religious leader, it's not about you. It's about the man upstairs," Archbishop Listecki said.

Listecki says one woman in Philadelphia traveled 13 hours with her eight-year-old son to see Pope Francis for just seven seconds. She said the trip was well worth it.