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A political Pope Francis piques a spellbound Congress

by Mike Lillis - 09/24/15 7:43 PM ET

Pope Francis stormed Capitol Hill on Thursday, marking a historic visit to a captivated Washington by imploring Congress to come together to help the world’s poor and dispossessed.

Francis’s two-day tour has enchanted the nation’s capital, upending daily routines — and travel plans — as roads closed, security ramped up and thousands flocked to catch a glimpse of the cassocked pontiff as he traversed the city.

The intrigue and chaos in no way subsided inside the Capitol, where lawmakers in both parties appeared mesmerized as Francis, at times struggling with the English he hasn’t mastered, urged them to shed their differences for the sake of people’s well-being.

{mosads}”You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good,” Francis said, “for this is the chief aim of all politics.”

His 50-minute speech marked the first time a pope has addressed Congress in the nation’s history, and the chamber spilled with lawmakers and their guests, Supreme Court justices, members of President Obama’s Cabinet and reporters craning from the press gallery to take it all in. Shirking chamber rules, many lawmakers shot pictures from their seats to capture the moment.

Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) was in the middle of it all. The Catholic Speaker has been inviting popes to Capitol Hill since he arrived in Congress more than two decades ago. Francis was the first to accept.

“What a day. What a moment for our country,” he said afterward.

Francis, since becoming pope in 2013, has frequently taken up political causes, and Thursday’s speech was no exception. Most strikingly, he called for the elimination of the international arms trade, and he urged lawmakers to accept more refugees fleeing violence from around the globe while welcoming more immigrants arriving at the nation’s borders.

“We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome,” he said.

Francis also made a clear call to end the death penalty — a plea that brought Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) to her feet with a shriek of support. (Moments later, an embarrassed Velázquez was consoled by her amused neighbor, California Democratic Rep. John Garamendi).

On other topics, Francis was careful not to step too deeply into the partisan fights currently swirling around Capitol Hill — a topic of much speculation ahead of the speech.

The pope was critical of capitalism, but avoided the harsh language he’s used to demonize it in the past. He stressed the importance of protecting human life “at every stage of development,” but he didn’t mention abortion. And he protested the world’s treatment of the environment, but refrained from saying “climate change.”

The careful choice of language left lawmakers on both sides of the aisle largely hailing his message.

“What he said was that we should be good stewards of the earth,” said Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), who doubts the human influence on rising temperatures. “Who could disagree with that?”

The day launched early, with countless lawmakers, staffers and members of the media crawling the halls of the Capitol long before the sun was up.

Some were better prepared than others. A Catholic priest walking through security with Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) asked the lawmaker, “Do you think I’ll have time to shave in your office?”

Hundreds of Capitol Police officers roamed as well, monitoring the maze of hallways and checking bags two and three times. One described the security as “the State of the Union on steroids.”

House lawmakers and their guests milled around the chamber far ahead of the pope’s entrance, some arriving hours before in order to stake out the best seats on the aisle.

Tickets inside the chamber were the hottest items in Washington leading up to the event, and the guest list ran a gamut from family to activists to former lawmakers to sports and entertainment figures.

Boehner’s guests included former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), who had a front-row perch overlooking the chamber. Former Rep. Gabby Giffords, the Arizona Democrat nearly killed by a gunman in 2011, was in attendance. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) hosted Tom Steyer, the billionaire environmentalist and Democratic donor, among others. Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) brought University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari.

At least six presidential candidates were in the audience: Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) were all on the chamber floor, while Ben Carson, a former neurosurgeon, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) were there as guests. Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), another Republican seeking the White House, was apparently absent.

There was a giddy aura, bringing with it a sense of bipartisan comity rare on Capitol Hill.

Moments before the pope entered the chamber, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) crossed the center aisle to adjust the tie of Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.).

Entering the chamber, Francis made his way down the center aisle without shaking any hands — until he got to John Kerry. There the pope stopped and shook the hand of the secretary of State.

It was, perhaps, a gesture of appreciation for Kerry’s recent success in negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran — an agreement the pope has endorsed.

Francis would not mention Iran during his speech, but when he cheered diplomacy in dealing with adversaries, the reference was clear.

“When countries which have been at odds resume the path of dialogue — a dialogue which may have been interrupted for the most legitimate of reasons — new opportunities open up for all,” he said.

“This has required, and requires, courage and daring, which is not the same as irresponsibility.”

For all the frenzied anticipation, the visit itself was brief. Francis arrived at the Capitol shortly after 9 a.m. By 11:30, he’d already left the building, en route to a homeless shelter down the street. It was, to most observers, a gesture true to his message to Congress.

—Scott Wong, Cristina Marcos and Tim Cama contributed.

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