In his remarks to Congress, Pope Francis also urged generosity and compassion in the treatment of immigrants.
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Joe Pitts is among the House’s most staunch and active social conservatives, having fought particularly hard to end abortion and prevent same-sex couples from marrying.
Pope Francis is the first Pontiff ever to address a joint meeting of Congress on immigration, environmental legislation and a blistering condemnation of the arms trade.
“I came to see him because I love him so much and I wanted to be where he is”, a tourist said.
Speaking in a soft voice and halting English at the White House, Francis delivered a firm message against those who doubt the science of climate change, saying that the warming planet “demands on our part a serious and responsible recognition” of what awaits today’s children.
But the pope wasted no time in addressing some of the most polarizing issues of the day, starting with immigration. Every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes.
They were glued to it for 50 minutes, even those with aisle seats, and many College of the Holy Cross students who gathered for the viewing party at the Worcester campus thought Pope Francis homered.
Martin on Twitter called Day an “apostle of the poor” and Merton an “apostle of dialogue”, adding of the pope’s decision to highlight them: “Amen”.
“Our efforts must aim to restore hope, righting wrongs, maintaining commitments and thus promoting the well-being of individuals among peoples”, said Pope Francis.
According to the Pew Research Center, approximately one-in-five adults say they are affiliated with the Catholic Church. “Let us remember the golden rule, do unto others as you will have them do unto you”. “But he also made it clear that we should honor life from the earliest possibilities of life on”.
A stampede during one of the last rituals of the Hajj season – the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca – killed more than 700 people and injured close to 900 others in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
The pontiff’s messages about focusing on ideas and not on the ideology is what Chitwood said Congress needed to hear. When he spoke of the need to protect human life- a reference to abortion and a smatter of applause when he called for the abolition of the death penalty globally.
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There were political messages that challenged the orthodoxy of both American political parties, but, in this 51-minute address, there were a lot more points of emphasis Democrats are happy about – and that put some pressure on Republicans.
