Pope Francis: Congress Must Address Poverty And Climate Change

Pope Francis addresses a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, making history as the first pontiff to do so. Listening behind the pope are Vice President Joe Biden and Ho... Pope Francis addresses a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, making history as the first pontiff to do so. Listening behind the pope are Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) MORE LESS
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In his address to Congress on Thursday, Pope Francis called on lawmakers to be “courageous” and work to help the poor and the environment.

The pontiff mentioned his recent encyclical on the environment, noting that people must serve the “common good” as well as “the earth.”

“I call for a courageous and responsible effort to redirect our steps, and to avert the most serious effects of the environmental deterioration caused by human activity. I am convinced that we can make a difference — I’m sure,” he said, as numerous members of the audience in the House stood to applaud the pope.

“And I have no doubt that the United States – and this Congress – have an important role to play. Now is the time for courageous actions and strategies, aimed at implementing a culture of care and an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature,” he said, citing themes he discussed in his encyclical.

Pope Francis said that the world must harness technology to build a “healthier” progress.

“I am confident that America’s outstanding academic and research institutions can make a vital contribution in the years ahead,” he said.

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  1. Avatar for imkmu3 imkmu3 says:

    “I call for a courageous and responsible effort to redirect our steps,
    and to avert the most serious effects of the environmental deterioration
    caused by human activity. I am convinced that we can make a difference —
    I’m sure,” he said, as numerous members of the audience in the House
    stood to applaud the pope.

    Well yes they did, but they were all Democrats. Saw that a lot in his speech.

  2. YES, and bring back the Eisnhower (sp?) 90% tax. If they take the money out of the country, tax, big time their product. It’s that simple. they stole/over charged us, let’s get some of that back!

  3. I wonder if any of those Congressmen who sat on their hands are going to at least think about what he said. Probably not. They only do what their billionaire funders tell them to do.

  4. Now we have a communist Pope to go with our gay Muslim president.

  5. You are probably joking, but I am sure that line is going to float down my facebook page as my Tea Party relatives start sharing conservative memes.

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