The sergeant at arms intoned “Mr Speaker, the pope of the Holy See”, and Francis made his way up the centre aisle in his white robes, moving slowly as politicians applauded, some lowering their heads in bows.
Advertisement
“The pope is a farce”, one Facebook user wrote, before saying, “This mortal man is here to elevate this idiot of a president who is single handedly destroying the fabric of this nation”.
“Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War”, he warned, referring to the wave of refugees arriving in Europe from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. “At this point in time in our country, we really should have a more lenient policy on immigration…everybody should have the opportunity our ancestors had”.
Several lawmakers held out hope that the pope could teach Congress to work better, especially as it faced a government shutdown if it cannot agree on legislation to fund the government by next week.
On Thursday, Pope Francis addressed a joint session of Congress as part of his first visit to the United States. “We must reject what he calls the “throwaway culture” and embrace the marginalized and excluded”, Ryan said in a statement.
Clearly conscious that many conservatives in the chamber are skeptical that people are contributing to global warming, Pope Francis challenged for conversation on the issue. “They need to do something about the homeless people here”.
Let us remember the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Mt 7:12).
“I encourage you to keep in mind those people who are trapped among us who are trapped in a cycle of poverty”.
While the USA government spent more than $21 billion on climate change initiatives in 2014 (down about a billion from the year prior) Pope Francis says it’s up to “America’s outstanding academic and research institutions” to influence political decision-making when it comes to areas of technology and the environment.
Mr Sanders, who is Jewish, suggested he had a lot more in common with the Pope’s politics than his Republican counterparts.
Advertisement
Pope Francis is headed to New York and Philadelphia next, and will return to Rome on Sunday. “I can not hide my concern for the family, which is threatened, perhaps as never before, from within and without”, the pope told the crowd of legislators, Supreme Court justices and multiple presidential candidates.
