Pope Francis addresses a joint meeting of Congress on Thursday, making history as the first pontiff to do so.
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As the pope drove by, he waived at everyone, some of whom waited up to four hours to see him.
The Republican Speaker of the House, John Boehner, a devout Catholic, cried at several junctures as he flanked Francis.
Francis wraps up his USA visit this weekend in Philadelphia, where he speaks in front of Independence Hall and celebrates Mass on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to close out a big Catholic families rally. His views, and the Church’s teachings, on these matters might seem inconsistent to American politicians but, in fact, they come from the same foundational conviction that we and our world are created and loved by God.
“All of us are quite aware of, and deeply anxious by, the disturbing social and political situation of the world today”, he said. “To this you have been invited, called, and convened by those who elected you“.
Amid criticism that he is overly critical of global capitalism and dismisses its place in lifting millions of people out of poverty, Francis acknowledged that “business is a noble vocation, directed to producing wealth and improving the world”. “To use a telling phrase of the Reverend Martin Luther King, we can say that we have defaulted on a promissory note and now is the time to honor it.”
The pope called for a “delicate balance” in fighting religious extremism to ensure that fundamental freedoms aren’t trampled at the same time. We know that no religion is immune from delusion.
“I was raised Catholic and I’ve been to Rome and been to the Vatican, never caught a glimpse of the pope there”, said New Yorker Julian Dearmas, 50. Here, together with their representatives, I would like to take this opportunity to dialogue with the many thousands of men and women who strive each day to do an honest day’s work, to bring home their daily bread, to save money and – one step at a time – to build a better life for their families.
“Catholicism as an institution has formed beliefs and interpreted the Bible and Jesus Christ in a very specific way that actually isn’t what I always agree with”, Stephanie said. That is precisely why, as the pope warned, “we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism, whether religious or any other kind”.
“When we speak of welcoming immigrants, I believe that we should refer to legal immigrants”, Cruz said.
Francis also called for the global abolition of the death penalty.
Political differences aside, most lawmakers and the thousands of people who gathered outside the Capitol building were enthusiastic about seeing and hearing Francis.
One day after the pope spoke, the Senate rejected a short-term funding bill that would defund Planned Parenthood but keep the government operating after September 30.
Pope Francis is a living example of the Catholic faith, she said. “The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development”.
Francis concluded his address to Congress by saying that he wanted family issues to be “a recurrent theme” of his visit to the United States. Francis also reached out to atheists, asking non-believers to wish him well.
Dave Santi said he didn’t hear anything new in the pope’s speech, “but it was nice he could reiterate it and say it in such a diplomatic way”.
But it would be a mistake to assume that Francis challenges only political conservatives.
The Vatican, in a master stroke of public relations, decided that the pope would hold a “virtual audience” with people from those parts of the country that Francis has not visited.
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“A selfish and boundless thirst for power and material prosperity leads both to the misuse of available natural resources and to the exclusion of the weak and disadvantaged”, Pope Francis said.
