House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) on Thursday invited Pope Francis to address a joint meeting of Congress.
“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,” Boehner said in a statement.
“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,” he added. “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.”
Read Boehner’s letter to the pope here.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi also issued a statement on the invitation.
“As we approach the first anniversary of the inauguration of Pope Francis, I am pleased to join Speaker Boehner in inviting His Holiness to address a Joint Meeting of the United States Congress,” she said in a statement.
Francis marked his one-year anniversary as pontiff with a tweet: “Please pray for me.”