UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter
Pam Cohen | Mar. 13, 2014 NCR Today
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) reached out to the Vatican on behalf of House and Senate leaders on Thursday to invite Pope Francis to speak to both houses of Congress should he come to the United States next year, The Washington Post reports.
A copy of the letter:
It is with reverence and admiration that I have invited Pope Francis, as head of state of the Holy See and the first Pope to hail from the Americas, to address a joint meeting of the United States Congress.
Pope Francis has inspired millions of Americans with his pastoral manner and servant leadership, challenging all people to lead lives of mercy, forgiveness, solidarity, and humble service.
His tireless call for the protection of the most vulnerable among us — the ailing, the disadvantaged, the unemployed, the impoverished, the unborn — has awakened hearts on every continent.
His social teachings, rooted in ‘the joy of the gospel,’ have prompted careful reflection and vigorous dialogue among people of all ideologies and religious views in the United States and throughout a rapidly changing world, particularly among those who champion human dignity, freedom, and social justice.
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