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| Pope Francis speech puts Congress on defensive over immigration, climate and more – live | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 4.09pm BST16:09 | |
| Pope Francis addresses the crowd outside the Capitol. | |
| “I’m so grateful for your presence here,” he says. | |
| Updated at 4.09pm BST | |
| 4.07pm BST16:07 | |
| As the pope walks through the Statuary Hall, he cannot fail to see the statue of controversial priest Junípero Serra. | |
| Yesterday, the pope officiated a canonization mass for Serra, who presided over an era in California when the native American population were “brutalized – beaten, pressed into forced labour and infected with diseases to which they had no resistance,” the Guardian’s Andrew Gumbel reported on Wednesday. | |
| It appears Pope Francis is aware of the controversy surrounding Serra’s canonization, because he addressed it directly in his speech: | |
| Tragically, the rights of those who were here long before us were not always respected. For those peoples and their nations, from the heart of American democracy, I wish to reaffirm my highest esteem and appreciation. | |
| He defended Serra’s canonization, however: | |
| Those first contacts were often turbulent and violent, but it is difficult to judge the past by the criteria of the present. | |
| And then called for unity: | |
| We must resolve now to live as nobly and as justly as possible, as we educate new generations not to turn their back on our “neighbors” and everything around us. Building a nation calls us to recognize that we must constantly relate to others, rejecting a mindset of hostility in order to adopt one of reciprocal subsidiarity, in a constant effort to do our best. | |
| Updated at 4.09pm BST | |
| 4.04pm BST16:04 | |
| A hushed crowd watches the pope’s address: | |
| Amazing how quiet it is here. #PopeInDC pic.twitter.com/GJEsiGGkv6 | |
| 4.02pm BST16:02 | |
| The Pope’s speech lasted 50 minutes (it was scheduled to last 30). There was a total of one minute’s applause during the address. | |
| 4.00pm BST16:00 | |
| Spencer Ackerman | |
| One of the most interesting moments of the speech was when Francis spoke about ideological extremism. Spencer Ackerman had this to say: | |
| At a moment when a band of millenarian fanatics declare themselves to be the “Islamic State”, and when a boy who brings a clock into school gets arrested on suspicion he has a bomb because of his religion, Pope Francis tells Congress that “no religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism.” Francis’s message, to guard against “the simplistic reductionism which sees only good or evil”, is not one of equivocation or equivalence, as he speaks specifically about “combat[ting] violence perpetrated in the name of a religion, an ideology or an economic system”. Instead, it’s a call for more maturity: “We know that in the attempt to be freed of the enemy without, we can be tempted to feed the enemy within.” | |
| The value of a spiritual leader on the world stage is to prompt the powerful into introspection. Here is Francis telling a Congress, and a country, that is acting like Muslim lives are cheaper than Christian and Jewish ones, that “to imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place. That is something which you, as a people, reject.” | |
| The response to Francis falls to the presidential candidates demonizing Muslims, the legislators and presidential aides content to keep detaining men indefinitely without charge, the president with a Nobel peace prize who proliferates what he euphemistically calls “targeted killing”, and the voters content with all this. If Francis’s speech is to be met with more than empty and ritualistic applause, they - we - must all ask: do we actually reject it? | |
| Updated at 4.05pm BST | |
| 3.58pm BST15:58 | |
| Pope Francis will now walk through Statuary Hall in the Capitol Building. | |
| Updated at 3.59pm BST | |
| 3.56pm BST15:56 | |
| Megan Carpentier | |
| US opinion editor Megan Carpentier weighs in on abortion – specifically, that difficult-to-decipher moment at the end there about “a culture which pressures young people not to start a family”. | |
| Though the pope earlier this year ordered priests to offer absolution to women who had abortions but repented their actions, he was unequivocal in his opposition to abortion during his speech to Congress, telling the assembled members, to near-rapturous applause, “The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.” (His reminder that the responsibility to protect and defend human life also extends to opposing the death penalty was, unsurprisingly, less well-received.) | |
| But it was nearer to the end of the speech that he reminded his listeners, however obtusely, that the Church’s opposition to reproductive rights, including birth control, has its roots in the faith’s understanding of “family” and women’s role in it. | |
| ‘It is my wish that throughout my visit the family should be a recurrent theme. How essential the family has been to the building of this country! And how worthy it remains of our support and encouragement! Yet I cannot hide my concern for the family, which is threatened, perhaps as never before, from within and without. Fundamental relationships are being called into question, as is the very basis of marriage and the family. I can only reiterate the importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life. | |
| ‘In particular, I would like to call attention to those family members who are the most vulnerable, the young. For many of them, a future filled with countless possibilities beckons, yet so many others seem disoriented and aimless, trapped in a hopeless maze of violence, abuse and despair. Their problem are our problems. We cannot avoid them. We need to face them together, to talk about them and to seek effective solutions rather than getting bogged down in discussions. At the risk of oversimplifying, we might say that we live in a culture which pressures young people not to start a family, because they lack possibilities for the future. Yet this same culture presents others with so many options that they too are dissuaded from starting a family.’ | |
| Though the pope is also addressing the Church’s concern with same sex marriage, he’s also alluding to the fact that the Church conceives of motherhood as women’s most important role in the world, though he supports equal pay for those who have to work. But it’s interesting that he focuses on the intersection of economic insecurity and fertility rates as much as economic possibility (and ‘choice’) as a factor in people’s choices on whether to start families. | |
| But the focus on ‘family’ here was really a focus on women, and women’s rights, as much as it was a reference to marriage equality, and a call for women to reconsider what the Church believes to be their fundamental role as mother’s and protectors of the family. | |
| Updated at 3.58pm BST | |
| 3.56pm BST15:56 | |
| Pope Francis finishes speaking | |
| In these remarks I have sought to present some of the richness of your cultural heritage, of the spirit of the American people. It is my desire that this spirit continue to develop and grow, so that as many young people as possible can inherit and dwell in a land which has inspired so many people to dream. | |
| He ends: “God bless America!” | |
| Updated at 3.56pm BST | |
| 3.53pm BST15:53 | |
| “In particular, I would like to call attention to those family members who are the most vulnerable, the young,” he continues. “For many of them, a future filled with countless possibilities beckons, yet so many others seem disoriented and aimless, trapped in a hopeless maze of violence, abuse and despair.” | |
| Their problems are our problems. We cannot avoid them. We need to face them together, to talk about them and to seek effective solutions rather than getting bogged down in discussions. At the risk of oversimplifying, we might say that we live in a culture which pressures young people not to start a family, because they lack possibilities for the future. | |
| Yet this same culture presents others with so many options that they too are dissuaded from starting a family. | |
| Culture-wars conservatives will like this, a little. But it is still non-specific enough as to not threaten the Left. | |
| 3.51pm BST15:51 | |
| Francis obliquely addresses same-sex marriage and family | |
| Francis says that he will end his visit to the US in Philadelphia, where he will take part in the World Meeting of Families. “It is my wish that throughout my visit the family should be a recurrent theme,” he says. | |
| How essential the family has been to the building of this country! And how worthy it remains of our support and encouragement! Yet I cannot hide my concern for the family, which is threatened, perhaps as never before, from within and without. | |
| This is a section which could be read as throwing a bone in the direction of the Christian right on same-sex marriage - though, in contrast to the directness with which Pope Francis addressed the arms trade, the reference is oblique. | |
| Fundamental relationships are being called into question, as is the very basis of marriage and the family. I can only reiterate the importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life. | |
| Updated at 3.56pm BST | |
| 3.49pm BST15:49 | |
| Dan Roberts | |
| More from Dan Roberts, in the Capitol Building: | |
| The speech is having a remarkable effect on lawmakers as Democrats repeatedly lead Republicans in standing ovations when the Pope enlists moral arguments to support liberal positions. | |
| On at least four occasions, the floor of the House of Representatives resembled a Mexican wave as Republicans at first resisted the encouragement to applause but decided to stand once it was clear that Democrats were doing so. | |
| This was most apparent when Pope Francis quoted from the bible in urging them to do “unto others as you would have them do unto you”. The line was used to support his call for immigration reform, but it must have been hard for many Christian Republicans to risk sitting down during a quote from the scripture. | |
| Updated at 3.50pm BST | |
| 3.49pm BST15:49 | |
| 'Money that is drenched in blood': Francis calls for end to arms trade | |
| From his tacit praise of Obama’s diplomatic efforts - which will likely not make him friends among conservative hawks - Francis turns to the arms trade. | |
| “Being at the service of dialogue and peace also means being truly determined to minimize and, in the long term, to end the many armed conflicts throughout our world,” he says. | |
| Here we have to ask ourselves: Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? | |
| Here, as before, he does not mince words. | |
| Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood. In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade. | |
| 3.48pm BST15:48 | |
| The speech is not getting much love from Rorate Caeli, a conservative Catholic blog, which tweeted out its dissatisfaction that abortion had been “glossed over”. | |
| How sad that the greatest atrocity of the last half century, abortion, gets glossed over at every level, even by the Supreme Pontiff. | |
| 3.47pm BST15:47 | |
| Pope Francis celebrates a US that has 'overcome historic differences' – with Cuba and Iran? | |
| Turning obliquely to diplomacy, Francis uses his fourth human example: Thomas Merton. | |
| A Cistertian monk, mystic and poet, Merton belonged to an order of Trappists in Kentucky. Originally born in France, he was a keen proponent of social justice, spirituality, and pacifism, and a prolific writer and essayist who pushed dialogue with Buddhist and Taoist figures and advanced the cause of interfaith understanding. His most famous work is the Seven-Storey Mountain. | |
| The pope quotes from Merton’s autobiography: | |
| I came into the world. Free by nature, in the image of God, I was nevertheless the prisoner of my own violence and my own selfishness | |
| From his example, the pope said he wished to appreciate “the efforts made in recent months to help overcome historic differences linked to painful episodes of the past”. He may be alluding to the Iran nuclear deal, or rapprochement with Cuba – in which he was directly involved – or both. | |
| He continues, for the tea-leaf readers: | |
| It is my duty to build bridges and to help all men and women, in any way possible, to do the same. 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. [Applause.] | |
| This has required, and requires, courage and daring, which is not the same as irresponsibility. A good political leader is one who, with the interests of all in mind, seizes the moment in a spirit of openness and pragmatism. | |
| Updated at 3.52pm BST | |
| 3.43pm BST15:43 | |
| Ed Pilkington | |
| Guardian US chief reporter Ed Pilkington, who has covered America’s confrontation with capital punishment for years, weighs in on the pope’s call to help abolish it – finally – in this country: | |
| Pope Francis has just thrown down the gauntlet to the handful of largely southern states who are still actively pursuing the death penalty. He put his challenge in global terms – calling for the worldwide abolition of capital punishment. But his call comes at a particularly sensitive moment in the national debate on the ultimate penalty. | |
| After the US supreme court gave the go-ahead in June to a controversial new execution drug, several states are now preparing to restart executions; Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia all have executions scheduled before the end of October. | |
| The pontiff went further than his condemnation of the death penalty. He also made an implicit attack on the US fondness for the sentencing of people to life without parole, which some people call “life means life”. | |
| The US is the only country in the world that still sentences juveniles under 18 to the sentence, which essentially commits the individual to remain locked up for their entire natural life. Some 2,500 people are currently serving that sentence for crimes they committed as a child. | |
| The pope lamented that situation, saying: ‘A just and necessary punishment must never exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation.’ | |
| Updated at 3.46pm BST | |
| 3.42pm BST15:42 | |
| Francis now calls again 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 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 says there is a need to “devise intelligent ways of… developing and limiting our power” and that America’s “outstanding academic and research institutions can make a vital contribution.” | |
| 3.41pm BST15:41 | |
| Suzanne Goldenberg | |
| Environment correspondent Suzanne Goldenberg, who is among climate activists outside the US Capitol, weighs in on this crucial environmental passage from Francis, which is getting tons of applause from Democrats: | |
| The pope appears in Congress one day after his big shout-out for Barack Obama’s clean power plant plan – arguably one of the biggest targets of Republicans in both houses as well as on the presidential campaign trail. | |
| More than half of Republicans in Congress deny the existence of climate change, or oppose government regulations to cut carbon pollution. | |
| Environmental campaigners had thrilled at the prospect of the Pope reprising his powerful message for climate action from the encyclical in front of Republican Catholics such as house speaker, John Boehner. | |
| The Pope seems to have avoided the prospect of a direct clash by diving into climate change so deeply in his visit to the White House on Tuesday. But he is still putting on pressure on Congress to act on climate change. It’s been five years since Congress last tried to pass legislation on climate change. | |
| The Pope in his speech said it was now time to act. | |
| “I have no doubt that the United States – and this Congress – have an important role to play,” the Pope said | |
| It was a lot gentler than his statements in Laudato Si, for Republican ears anyway. But even the slightest mention of the words climate change are awkward for Republicans, who have typically aligned with the Catholic church on social issues such as abortion and same sex marriage. | |
| Updated at 3.46pm BST | |
| 3.38pm BST15:38 | |
| Pope Francis now turns to Dorothy Day. | |
| Day was an American convert to Catholicism, who advocated for “distributism”, a Catholic economic ideology based on spreading – rather than centralising – the means of production, and holding property rights sacred which has often been seen as a theoretical alternative to both socialism and capitalism. | |
| A journalist and activist, she was editor of the Catholic Worker newspaper for 47 years and co-founded the pacifist Catholic Worker Movement, a pacifist movement to give aid to the poor and homeless. Her canonization is crurrently being considered by the Catholic Church. | |
| “Her social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause of the oppressed, were inspired by the Gospel, her faith, and the example of the saints,” Francis says. | |
| How much progress has been made in this area in so many parts of the world! How much has been done in these first years of the third millennium to raise people out of extreme poverty! | |
| I know that you share my conviction that much more still needs to be done, and that in times of crisis and economic hardship a spirit of global solidarity must not be lost. | |
| At the same time I would encourage you to keep in mind all those people around us who are trapped in a cycle of poverty. They too need to be given hope. The fight against poverty and hunger must be fought constantly and on many fronts, especially in its causes. I know that many Americans today, as in the past, are working to deal with this problem. | |
| It goes without saying that part of this great effort is the creation and distribution of wealth. The right use of natural resources, the proper application of technology and the harnessing of the spirit of enterprise are essential elements of an economy which seeks to be modern, inclusive and sustainable. | |
| Pope Francis highlights social activist Dorothy Day in speech to Congress http://t.co/VRxMTVsRvn pic.twitter.com/eZcifcUB9z | |
| Updated at 3.47pm BST | |
| 3.37pm BST15:37 | |
| Big applause for the line about life and the golden rule. | |
| Something for everyone here except economic conservatives, eh? | |
| Not everyone is happy: | |
| So apologists say Francis can't get specific on abortion, only a vague passing mention. But policy on the death penalty is fine? | |
| 3.35pm BST15:35 | |
| Recently my brother bishops here in the United States renewed their call for the abolition of the death penalty. | |
| Not only do I support them, but I also offer encouragement to all those who are convinced that a just and necessary punishment must never exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation. | |
| Updated at 3.36pm BST | |
| 3.34pm BST15:34 | 3.34pm BST15:34 |
| Pope calls on Congress to help abolish the death penalty | |
| The pontiff’s speech continues to address many of what in ordinary circumstances would be considered “third rails” in American politics. Now, he sets his sights on the death penalty. | |
| “The Golden Rule” - “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, from Matthew chapter 7, verse 12 - “also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development,” he says. | |
| If this is a hint at abortion, the pontiff does not develop the speech in that direction. Instead, he continues: | If this is a hint at abortion, the pontiff does not develop the speech in that direction. Instead, he continues: |
| This conviction has led me, from the beginning of my ministry, to advocate at different levels for the global abolition of the death penalty. | This conviction has led me, from the beginning of my ministry, to advocate at different levels for the global abolition of the death penalty. |
| I am convinced that this way is the best, since every life is sacred, every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes. | I am convinced that this way is the best, since every life is sacred, every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes. |
| The death penalty in America could reach the US supreme court. The justices are sitting right in front of the pope. | |
| Updated at 3.37pm BST | |
| 3.33pm BST15:33 | 3.33pm BST15:33 |
| Stephanie Kirchgaessner | Stephanie Kirchgaessner |
| Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Rome weighs in on this bold, almost anti-Trump immigration language from Francis: | Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Rome weighs in on this bold, almost anti-Trump immigration language from Francis: |
| Pope Francis is not mentioning any politicians by name, but certainly his comments could be seen as an antidote to the anti-immigrant rhetoric that has consumed the Republican presidential campaign, particularly in remarks by current frontrunner Donald Trump. | Pope Francis is not mentioning any politicians by name, but certainly his comments could be seen as an antidote to the anti-immigrant rhetoric that has consumed the Republican presidential campaign, particularly in remarks by current frontrunner Donald Trump. |
| The pope spoke of two crises: the refugee crisis in Europe, where tens of thousands of migrants and refugees who have escaped war and other hardships are seeking asylum, and the efforts of ‘thousands of persons’ in the US who have travelled north ‘in search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones’. | The pope spoke of two crises: the refugee crisis in Europe, where tens of thousands of migrants and refugees who have escaped war and other hardships are seeking asylum, and the efforts of ‘thousands of persons’ in the US who have travelled north ‘in search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones’. |
| Francis has always sought to humanize those who live on the margins of society and who he often says are seen as disposable. In a debate that has been consumed by questions of what immigrants take from the country, Francis sought to portray these immigrants as people who have been shaped by circumstances, but are not different from anyone else. | Francis has always sought to humanize those who live on the margins of society and who he often says are seen as disposable. In a debate that has been consumed by questions of what immigrants take from the country, Francis sought to portray these immigrants as people who have been shaped by circumstances, but are not different from anyone else. |
| ‘We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation,’ he said. | ‘We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation,’ he said. |
| Francis called on lawmakers to ‘respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal. We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome’. | Francis called on lawmakers to ‘respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal. We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome’. |
| Immigration, he suggested, needs to be seen through the prism of our shared humanity, not our differences. | Immigration, he suggested, needs to be seen through the prism of our shared humanity, not our differences. |
| Updated at 3.34pm BST | Updated at 3.34pm BST |
| 3.31pm BST15:31 | 3.31pm BST15:31 |
| 'Travel north': Francis addresses US immigration and European migration crisis | 'Travel north': Francis addresses US immigration and European migration crisis |
| Now the pontiff returns to one of American politics’ third rails - immigration. His language that could not be stronger. | Now the pontiff returns to one of American politics’ third rails - immigration. His language that could not be stronger. |
| Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War. | Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War. |
| He continues, delicately: | He continues, delicately: |
| On this continent, too, thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones, in search of greater opportunities. | On this continent, too, thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones, in search of greater opportunities. |
| Is this not what we want for our own children? | Is this not what we want for our own children? |
| Applause there. | Applause there. |
| We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation. | We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation. |
| To respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal. | To respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal. |
| This is language that many listening today have been waiting to hear from a presidential candidate. | This is language that many listening today have been waiting to hear from a presidential candidate. |
| We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ | We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ |
| 3.28pm BST15:28 | 3.28pm BST15:28 |
| Pope's "We the people of this continent are not fearful of foreigners" elicits applause at first only from Democrats. GOP rises eventually. | Pope's "We the people of this continent are not fearful of foreigners" elicits applause at first only from Democrats. GOP rises eventually. |
| 3.26pm BST15:26 | 3.26pm BST15:26 |
| Francis addresses immigration in America, 'a land of dreams' | Francis addresses immigration in America, 'a land of dreams' |
| Pope Francis now turns to talk about Martin Luther King, whose “dream” – applause there – he says “continues to inspire us all”. | Pope Francis now turns to talk about Martin Luther King, whose “dream” – applause there – he says “continues to inspire us all”. |
| I am happy that America continues to be, for many, a land of ‘dreams’. | I am happy that America continues to be, for many, a land of ‘dreams’. |
| A standing ovation there, as so-called ‘Dreamers’ are a key constituency of undocumented immigrants here in the States. | A standing ovation there, as so-called ‘Dreamers’ are a key constituency of undocumented immigrants here in the States. |
| Dreams which lead to action, to participation, to commitment. Dreams which awaken what is deepest and truest in the life of a people. | Dreams which lead to action, to participation, to commitment. Dreams which awaken what is deepest and truest in the life of a people. |
| But now his speech turns more biting, knowing he is speaking during an election campaign where rhetoric about immigration has been vicious and unbounded. | But now his speech turns more biting, knowing he is speaking during an election campaign where rhetoric about immigration has been vicious and unbounded. |
| In recent centuries, millions of people came to this land to pursue their dream of building a future in freedom. We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners. | In recent centuries, millions of people came to this land to pursue their dream of building a future in freedom. We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners. |
| Rollicking applause. | Rollicking applause. |
| I say this to you as the son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you are also descended from immigrants. | I say this to you as the son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you are also descended from immigrants. |
| 3.23pm BST15:23 | 3.23pm BST15:23 |
| From crises abroad, Pope Francis now turns his attention to crises at home – especially social and economic injustices. | From crises abroad, Pope Francis now turns his attention to crises at home – especially social and economic injustices. |
| “Even in the developed world, the effects of unjust structures and actions are all too apparent,” he says. “Our efforts must aim at restoring hope, righting wrongs, maintaining commitments, and thus promoting the well-being of individuals and of peoples.” | “Even in the developed world, the effects of unjust structures and actions are all too apparent,” he says. “Our efforts must aim at restoring hope, righting wrongs, maintaining commitments, and thus promoting the well-being of individuals and of peoples.” |
| He talks of “new global forms of slavery, born of grave injustices which can be overcome only through new policies and new forms of social consensus”. | He talks of “new global forms of slavery, born of grave injustices which can be overcome only through new policies and new forms of social consensus”. |
| Politics is, the pontiff says, “an expression of our compelling need to live as one, in order to build as one the greatest common good: that of a community which sacrifices particular interests in order to share, in justice and peace, its goods, its interests, its social life”. | Politics is, the pontiff says, “an expression of our compelling need to live as one, in order to build as one the greatest common good: that of a community which sacrifices particular interests in order to share, in justice and peace, its goods, its interests, its social life”. |
| “I do not underestimate the difficulty that this involves,” he adds, “but I encourage you in this effort.” | “I do not underestimate the difficulty that this involves,” he adds, “but I encourage you in this effort.” |
| 3.21pm BST15:21 | 3.21pm BST15:21 |
| Speaker Boehner tears up as Pope Francis begins his address http://t.co/Zrrr6SmW8R pic.twitter.com/b9z8F4uWQo | Speaker Boehner tears up as Pope Francis begins his address http://t.co/Zrrr6SmW8R pic.twitter.com/b9z8F4uWQo |
| 3.19pm BST15:19 | 3.19pm BST15:19 |
| Francis calls on Congress to avoid 'polarization' in confronting extremism | Francis calls on Congress to avoid 'polarization' in confronting extremism |
| Now Pope Francis begins to get politically charged, turning from Lincoln to religious extremism and fundamentalism. | Now Pope Francis begins to get politically charged, turning from Lincoln to religious extremism and fundamentalism. |
| He says: “All of us are quite aware of, and deeply worried by, the disturbing social and political situation of the world today.” | He says: “All of us are quite aware of, and deeply worried by, the disturbing social and political situation of the world today.” |
| Francis continues: | Francis continues: |
| Our world is increasingly a place of violent conflict, hatred and brutal atrocities, committed even in the name of God and of religion. We know that no religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism. This means that we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism, whether religious or of any other kind. | Our world is increasingly a place of violent conflict, hatred and brutal atrocities, committed even in the name of God and of religion. We know that no religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism. This means that we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism, whether religious or of any other kind. |
| In a turn of phrase which is especially poignant in a legislative chamber which often turns to such rhetoric, he hits out at ideologies painted in divisive terms: | In a turn of phrase which is especially poignant in a legislative chamber which often turns to such rhetoric, he hits out at ideologies painted in divisive terms: |
| A delicate balance is required to combat violence perpetrated in the name of a religion, an ideology or an economic system, while also safeguarding religious freedom, intellectual freedom and individual freedoms. [Applause.] | A delicate balance is required to combat violence perpetrated in the name of a religion, an ideology or an economic system, while also safeguarding religious freedom, intellectual freedom and individual freedoms. [Applause.] |
| But there is another temptation which we must especially guard against: the simplistic reductionism which sees only good or evil; or, if you will, the righteous and sinners. The contemporary world, with its open wounds which affect so many of our brothers and sisters, demands that we confront every form of polarization which would divide it into these two camps. | But there is another temptation which we must especially guard against: the simplistic reductionism which sees only good or evil; or, if you will, the righteous and sinners. The contemporary world, with its open wounds which affect so many of our brothers and sisters, demands that we confront every form of polarization which would divide it into these two camps. |
| We know that in the attempt to be freed of enemy without, we can be tempted to feed the enemy within. To imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place. That is something which you, as people, reject. [Applause.] | We know that in the attempt to be freed of enemy without, we can be tempted to feed the enemy within. To imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place. That is something which you, as people, reject. [Applause.] |
| He says that the response must be one of “hope and healing, of peace and justice”. | He says that the response must be one of “hope and healing, of peace and justice”. |
| Updated at 3.24pm BST | Updated at 3.24pm BST |
| 3.16pm BST15:16 | 3.16pm BST15:16 |
| Slightly awkward pause in the chamber as they don't immediately recognise a papal applause line. The Pope's accent is very hard to follow. | Slightly awkward pause in the chamber as they don't immediately recognise a papal applause line. The Pope's accent is very hard to follow. |
| 3.15pm BST15:15 | 3.15pm BST15:15 |
| Dan Roberts | Dan Roberts |
| Some early colour from Dan Roberts, at the Capitol: | Some early colour from Dan Roberts, at the Capitol: |
| The sight of Pope Francis before an audience more typically seen for the president’s State of the Union address contrasted starkly with the more divisive speech given to Congress by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this year. | The sight of Pope Francis before an audience more typically seen for the president’s State of the Union address contrasted starkly with the more divisive speech given to Congress by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this year. |
| That was boycotted by a number of Democrats who accused him of improper intervention in domestic politics by urging them to block the White House Iran deal, but Francis was warmly received on both sides of the aisle. | That was boycotted by a number of Democrats who accused him of improper intervention in domestic politics by urging them to block the White House Iran deal, but Francis was warmly received on both sides of the aisle. |
| As he entered the room to a standing ovation, he paused briefly to shake hands with secretary of state John Kerry and Republican speaker John Boehner. Only Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative Catholic, was noticeable by his absence. | As he entered the room to a standing ovation, he paused briefly to shake hands with secretary of state John Kerry and Republican speaker John Boehner. Only Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative Catholic, was noticeable by his absence. |
| Speaking slowly in heavily-accented English that was at times hard to follow, Francis swiftly brought the audience to its feet by celebrating “the land of the free and the home of the brave”, but appeared to stick closely to a pre-prepared text. | Speaking slowly in heavily-accented English that was at times hard to follow, Francis swiftly brought the audience to its feet by celebrating “the land of the free and the home of the brave”, but appeared to stick closely to a pre-prepared text. |
| Updated at 3.18pm BST | Updated at 3.18pm BST |
| 3.14pm BST15:14 | 3.14pm BST15:14 |
| The Pope talks about four “great Americans” who “shaped fundamental values which will endure forever in the spirit of the American people.” | The Pope talks about four “great Americans” who “shaped fundamental values which will endure forever in the spirit of the American people.” |
| Those four, he says, are: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton. | Those four, he says, are: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton. |
| Day was an American journalist, theorist, and activist for the poor and needy; Merton was a Catholic mystic and poet, a prolific author, and Trappist monk in Kentucky - both are important figures in American Catholicism. | Day was an American journalist, theorist, and activist for the poor and needy; Merton was a Catholic mystic and poet, a prolific author, and Trappist monk in Kentucky - both are important figures in American Catholicism. |
| 3.12pm BST15:12 | 3.12pm BST15:12 |
| 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. | 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. |
| These are men and women who are not concerned simply with paying their taxes, but in their own quiet way sustain the life of society. They generate solidarity by their actions, and they create organizations which offer a helping hand to those most in need. | These are men and women who are not concerned simply with paying their taxes, but in their own quiet way sustain the life of society. They generate solidarity by their actions, and they create organizations which offer a helping hand to those most in need. |
| Listen up! #PopeFrancis tells Congress his speech is part of dialogue with all people of US. pic.twitter.com/GLeQTqqSPr | Listen up! #PopeFrancis tells Congress his speech is part of dialogue with all people of US. pic.twitter.com/GLeQTqqSPr |
| Francis wants to address, he says, the many elderly persons who are “a storehouse of wisdom forged by experience,” and young people who, he says, “face difficult situations, often as a result of immaturity on the part of many adults.” | Francis wants to address, he says, the many elderly persons who are “a storehouse of wisdom forged by experience,” and young people who, he says, “face difficult situations, often as a result of immaturity on the part of many adults.” |
| “I wish to dialogue with all of you, and I would like to do so through the historical memory of your people.” | “I wish to dialogue with all of you, and I would like to do so through the historical memory of your people.” |
| 3.10pm BST15:10 | 3.10pm BST15:10 |
| Updated at 3.12pm BST | Updated at 3.12pm BST |
| 3.10pm BST15:10 | 3.10pm BST15:10 |
| Now, Francis widens his scope. | Now, Francis widens his scope. |
| Today I would like not only to address you, but through you the entire people of the United States. 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. | Today I would like not only to address you, but through you the entire people of the United States. 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. |
| Many of those thousands are outside. | Many of those thousands are outside. |
| WATCH LIVE: Pope Francis heads to Capitol Hill to address Congress http://t.co/y9kAUDmwIq #PopeInDC pic.twitter.com/7TYmtbqWDZ | WATCH LIVE: Pope Francis heads to Capitol Hill to address Congress http://t.co/y9kAUDmwIq #PopeInDC pic.twitter.com/7TYmtbqWDZ |
| Updated at 3.10pm BST | Updated at 3.10pm BST |
| 3.08pm BST15:08 | 3.08pm BST15:08 |
| He addresses the legislators directly and talks about their weighty responsibility. | He addresses the legislators directly and talks about their weighty responsibility. |
| You are the face of its people, their representatives. You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics. | You are the face of its people, their representatives. You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics. |
| A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk. Legislative activity is always based on care for the people. To this you have been invited, called and convened by those who elected you. | A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk. Legislative activity is always based on care for the people. To this you have been invited, called and convened by those who elected you. |
| “Yours is a work,” he continues, “which makes me reflect in two ways on the figure of Moses.” | “Yours is a work,” he continues, “which makes me reflect in two ways on the figure of Moses.” |
| #PopeInDC thx #USCongress for invitation to address "land of the free, home of the brave." HUGE applause pic.twitter.com/sHr5zmS1rK | #PopeInDC thx #USCongress for invitation to address "land of the free, home of the brave." HUGE applause pic.twitter.com/sHr5zmS1rK |
| 3.07pm BST15:07 | 3.07pm BST15:07 |
| #BREAKING #PopeFrancis addressing Congress right now WATCH LIVE http://t.co/7lewXmODNi pic.twitter.com/T71bgm0hI6 | #BREAKING #PopeFrancis addressing Congress right now WATCH LIVE http://t.co/7lewXmODNi pic.twitter.com/T71bgm0hI6 |
| 3.06pm BST15:06 | 3.06pm BST15:06 |
| I would like to think that the reason for this is that I too am a son of this great continent, from which we have all received so much and toward which we share a common responsibility. | I would like to think that the reason for this is that I too am a son of this great continent, from which we have all received so much and toward which we share a common responsibility. |
| 3.05pm BST15:05 | 3.05pm BST15:05 |
| Here’s Francis: | Here’s Francis: |
| “I am most grateful for your invitation to address this Joint Session of Congress in ‘the land of the free and the home of the brave’,” he begins. | “I am most grateful for your invitation to address this Joint Session of Congress in ‘the land of the free and the home of the brave’,” he begins. |
| Updated at 3.06pm BST | Updated at 3.06pm BST |
| 3.04pm BST15:04 | 3.04pm BST15:04 |
| Pope Francis has arrived to give his speech before Congress. #PopeInUS pic.twitter.com/BveVVZShd1 | Pope Francis has arrived to give his speech before Congress. #PopeInUS pic.twitter.com/BveVVZShd1 |
| 3.04pm BST15:04 | 3.04pm BST15:04 |
| Pope Francis has arrived to address the joint meeting of Congress #PopeInDC http://t.co/mLUguEmxon pic.twitter.com/nNEcTeXzLq | Pope Francis has arrived to address the joint meeting of Congress #PopeInDC http://t.co/mLUguEmxon pic.twitter.com/nNEcTeXzLq |
| 3.04pm BST15:04 | 3.04pm BST15:04 |
| Pope Francis has entered the chamber to rapturous applause. | Pope Francis has entered the chamber to rapturous applause. |
| "Mr. Speaker, the pope of the Holy See." #PopeInUSA pic.twitter.com/KJOEX8KZ5O | "Mr. Speaker, the pope of the Holy See." #PopeInUSA pic.twitter.com/KJOEX8KZ5O |
| Pope Francis enters the House Chamber, shakes hands with Secretary of State John Kerry. Watch: … pic.twitter.com/1xhMqmg0gU | Pope Francis enters the House Chamber, shakes hands with Secretary of State John Kerry. Watch: … pic.twitter.com/1xhMqmg0gU |
| Updated at 3.08pm BST | Updated at 3.08pm BST |
| 3.02pm BST15:02 | 3.02pm BST15:02 |
| Pope Francis enters the House for historic address | Pope Francis enters the House for historic address |
| In case you’re just joining the 12 of us here on the Guardian’s sixth day of live coverage for the pope’s visit to the Americas, this speech is a massive deal. | In case you’re just joining the 12 of us here on the Guardian’s sixth day of live coverage for the pope’s visit to the Americas, this speech is a massive deal. |
| No pope has ever addressed the US Congress in its own house. With Republicans in control, there are bound to be tense moments. | No pope has ever addressed the US Congress in its own house. With Republicans in control, there are bound to be tense moments. |
| My colleague Stephanie Kirchgaessner, our Rome correspondent who has been watching the politics of this papacy, offers some important context as Francis walks into the seat of American power – and prepares to challenge it on policy. | My colleague Stephanie Kirchgaessner, our Rome correspondent who has been watching the politics of this papacy, offers some important context as Francis walks into the seat of American power – and prepares to challenge it on policy. |
| This pope is focused on a few key issues: the environment, poverty and taking care of those who live on the margins of society. He may talk about America’s unique role and responsibility as a superpower and will probably describe the importance of diplomacy and dialogue, especially with regard to Cuba and Iran. | This pope is focused on a few key issues: the environment, poverty and taking care of those who live on the margins of society. He may talk about America’s unique role and responsibility as a superpower and will probably describe the importance of diplomacy and dialogue, especially with regard to Cuba and Iran. |
| Immigration is sure to be a big theme, and the many other possibilities include the drug war and the migrant crisis in Europe. | Immigration is sure to be a big theme, and the many other possibilities include the drug war and the migrant crisis in Europe. |
| He will not want to alienate Republicans in the audience, but nor will he bypass the critical topic of global warming in front of such an influential crowd. | He will not want to alienate Republicans in the audience, but nor will he bypass the critical topic of global warming in front of such an influential crowd. |
| Related: Pope Francis's address to Congress: how's his English? And will Boehner cry? | Related: Pope Francis's address to Congress: how's his English? And will Boehner cry? |
| 3.01pm BST15:01 | 3.01pm BST15:01 |
| It is interesting to note that Antonin Scalia, a Catholic and the most conservative member of the Supreme Court, is absent from the chamber today. Four of his colleagues are there. | It is interesting to note that Antonin Scalia, a Catholic and the most conservative member of the Supreme Court, is absent from the chamber today. Four of his colleagues are there. |
| Shocked that Scalia and Alito did not come. Seriously? | Shocked that Scalia and Alito did not come. Seriously? |
| 3.00pm BST15:00 | 3.00pm BST15:00 |
| Ben Jacobs | Ben Jacobs |
| Presidential candidate Ben Carson is in the Capitol for the Pope’s speech this morning as a guest of South Carolina Republican Mark Sanford, reports Ben Jacobs. | Presidential candidate Ben Carson is in the Capitol for the Pope’s speech this morning as a guest of South Carolina Republican Mark Sanford, reports Ben Jacobs. |
| Carson, who is polling just behind Donald Trump among Republican primary voters, will be in the gallery watching the pontiff’s address. The former neurosurgeon has recently been the subject of controversy for claiming that a Muslim should not serve as president. | Carson, who is polling just behind Donald Trump among Republican primary voters, will be in the gallery watching the pontiff’s address. The former neurosurgeon has recently been the subject of controversy for claiming that a Muslim should not serve as president. |
| His host is no stranger to controversy either. Sanford was embroiled in scandal in 2009 when serving as governor of South Carolina when he disappeared for a week. Sanford’s staffers claimed he was “hiking the Appalachian Trail”. It turned out the then-governor of South Carolina was in Argentina visiting his mistress. | His host is no stranger to controversy either. Sanford was embroiled in scandal in 2009 when serving as governor of South Carolina when he disappeared for a week. Sanford’s staffers claimed he was “hiking the Appalachian Trail”. It turned out the then-governor of South Carolina was in Argentina visiting his mistress. |
| Updated at 3.01pm BST | Updated at 3.01pm BST |
| 2.59pm BST14:59 | 2.59pm BST14:59 |
| Press except for photographers barred from taking photos in House chamber. But lots of members snapping away with their phones on floor | Press except for photographers barred from taking photos in House chamber. But lots of members snapping away with their phones on floor |
| 2.54pm BST14:54 | 2.54pm BST14:54 |
| The pope is not only an iconoclast when it comes to politics. He’s also showing scant regard for American traditions ... | The pope is not only an iconoclast when it comes to politics. He’s also showing scant regard for American traditions ... |
| I can't believe the pope wore white after Labor Day. | I can't believe the pope wore white after Labor Day. |
| Updated at 2.58pm BST | Updated at 2.58pm BST |
| 2.53pm BST14:53 | 2.53pm BST14:53 |
| Dan Roberts | Dan Roberts |
| DC bureau chief Dan Roberts just spotted New Jersey governor and prospective Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie in the gallery. | DC bureau chief Dan Roberts just spotted New Jersey governor and prospective Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie in the gallery. |
| Floor of House crowded, Senators and reps waiting for @Pontifex to be introduced in. #PopeInUSA pic.twitter.com/O6L8co2C7z | Floor of House crowded, Senators and reps waiting for @Pontifex to be introduced in. #PopeInUSA pic.twitter.com/O6L8co2C7z |
| 2.47pm BST14:47 | 2.47pm BST14:47 |
| Ben Jacobs | Ben Jacobs |
| One Republican congressman, Paul Gosar of Arizona, is boycotting Pope Francis’s address to Congress because of the pontiff’s views on climate change, says the Guardian’s Ben Jacobs. Gosar said: | One Republican congressman, Paul Gosar of Arizona, is boycotting Pope Francis’s address to Congress because of the pontiff’s views on climate change, says the Guardian’s Ben Jacobs. Gosar said: |
| This climate change talk has adopted all of the socialist talking points, wrapped false science and ideology into ‘climate justice’ and is being presented to guilt people into leftist policies ... If the Pope wants to devote his life to fighting climate change then he can do so in his personal time. | This climate change talk has adopted all of the socialist talking points, wrapped false science and ideology into ‘climate justice’ and is being presented to guilt people into leftist policies ... If the Pope wants to devote his life to fighting climate change then he can do so in his personal time. |
| Updated at 2.53pm BST | Updated at 2.53pm BST |
| 2.45pm BST14:45 | 2.45pm BST14:45 |
| Interesting spot from my colleague Angela Bruno: | Interesting spot from my colleague Angela Bruno: |
| Jorge Ramos, the Emmy-award winning journalist and Univision anchor who has more recently made headlines for his verbal scuffle with Donald Trump over immigration issues, dishes out both praise and criticism for the Pope in an opinion piece entitled, “A Sinner Pope.” | Jorge Ramos, the Emmy-award winning journalist and Univision anchor who has more recently made headlines for his verbal scuffle with Donald Trump over immigration issues, dishes out both praise and criticism for the Pope in an opinion piece entitled, “A Sinner Pope.” |
| While the Pope has been painted by many as progressive, liberal or even radical, Ramos thinks otherwise – suggesting the Pope is hardly willing to make any real hard-hitting change and highlights the issues the Pontiff has failed to address thus far: | While the Pope has been painted by many as progressive, liberal or even radical, Ramos thinks otherwise – suggesting the Pope is hardly willing to make any real hard-hitting change and highlights the issues the Pontiff has failed to address thus far: |
| “The pope’s humbleness, simplicity and accessibility don’t necessarily mean that he’s going to make deep changes in Catholic doctrine. Despite his liberal stances, Pope Francis is hardly a radical. And so far, his changes are all about style, not substance. | “The pope’s humbleness, simplicity and accessibility don’t necessarily mean that he’s going to make deep changes in Catholic doctrine. Despite his liberal stances, Pope Francis is hardly a radical. And so far, his changes are all about style, not substance. |
| “While he has been celebrated in the media as a religious leader who is refreshingly open to change, Francis still refuses to allow women into the priesthood, do away with the requirement that priests be celibate, embrace gay marriage or approve the usage of contraceptives for 1.2 billion Catholics in the world. | “While he has been celebrated in the media as a religious leader who is refreshingly open to change, Francis still refuses to allow women into the priesthood, do away with the requirement that priests be celibate, embrace gay marriage or approve the usage of contraceptives for 1.2 billion Catholics in the world. |
| “And with regard to the sex abuse scandal, Francis hasn’t dared point a finger at those within the church who covered up for criminals. It’s true that unlike his two predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, Francis has imposed a zero-tolerance policy with regard to sexual abuse, but many of the bishops and cardinals who knew for decades about crimes committed against minors remain in their posts.” | “And with regard to the sex abuse scandal, Francis hasn’t dared point a finger at those within the church who covered up for criminals. It’s true that unlike his two predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, Francis has imposed a zero-tolerance policy with regard to sexual abuse, but many of the bishops and cardinals who knew for decades about crimes committed against minors remain in their posts.” |
| Read the full story here. | Read the full story here. |
| Updated at 2.47pm BST | Updated at 2.47pm BST |
| 2.35pm BST14:35 | 2.35pm BST14:35 |
| CNN’s commentator just boasted about meeting three popes. But former speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi is out-bragging him. | CNN’s commentator just boasted about meeting three popes. But former speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi is out-bragging him. |
| I keep a folder w photos of my papal visits - the first at age 14 when I met Pope Pius XII at the Vatican. #PopeInDC pic.twitter.com/zKN1NfeB2b | I keep a folder w photos of my papal visits - the first at age 14 when I met Pope Pius XII at the Vatican. #PopeInDC pic.twitter.com/zKN1NfeB2b |
| My husband Paul and I were so honored to greet Pope John Paul II when he visited SF in the late 1980s. #PopeInDC pic.twitter.com/KjyijCCCnk | My husband Paul and I were so honored to greet Pope John Paul II when he visited SF in the late 1980s. #PopeInDC pic.twitter.com/KjyijCCCnk |
| 2.32pm BST14:32 | 2.32pm BST14:32 |
| Lauren is in the crowd. | Lauren is in the crowd. |
| Light cheering when the pope arrived, but everyone is silent to hear @SpeakerBoehner | Light cheering when the pope arrived, but everyone is silent to hear @SpeakerBoehner |
| While we wait for the address to begin ... pic.twitter.com/9r5MXmFngs | While we wait for the address to begin ... pic.twitter.com/9r5MXmFngs |
| 2.27pm BST14:27 | 2.27pm BST14:27 |
| Pope Francis compliments Boehner on his green tie, saying it is “the color of hope,” according to the Associated Press’s Trisha Thomas. | Pope Francis compliments Boehner on his green tie, saying it is “the color of hope,” according to the Associated Press’s Trisha Thomas. |
| Sharing a little chuckle before chucking photgs out of the room. @SpeakerBoehner and #PopeInDC pic.twitter.com/9pMIEGuOYW | Sharing a little chuckle before chucking photgs out of the room. @SpeakerBoehner and #PopeInDC pic.twitter.com/9pMIEGuOYW |
| 2.26pm BST14:26 | 2.26pm BST14:26 |
| A huge crowd is now gathered outside the Capitol building, which is still shrouded in scaffolding. | A huge crowd is now gathered outside the Capitol building, which is still shrouded in scaffolding. |
| 2.22pm BST14:22 | 2.22pm BST14:22 |
| Speaker Boehner greets the pope in the speaker’s ceremonial office. | Speaker Boehner greets the pope in the speaker’s ceremonial office. |
| "Your Holiness, welcome!" @SpeakerBoehner greets #PopeInDc. pic.twitter.com/qyKXLVUreB | "Your Holiness, welcome!" @SpeakerBoehner greets #PopeInDc. pic.twitter.com/qyKXLVUreB |
| 2.20pm BST14:20 | 2.20pm BST14:20 |
| CNN points out that sitting behind the Pope as he addresses the joint session of Congress in just under an hour will be two Catholics: Speaker Boehner, and of course vice-president Joe Biden, the first Catholic ever to hold the office. | CNN points out that sitting behind the Pope as he addresses the joint session of Congress in just under an hour will be two Catholics: Speaker Boehner, and of course vice-president Joe Biden, the first Catholic ever to hold the office. |
| Updated at 2.37pm BST | Updated at 2.37pm BST |
| 2.16pm BST14:16 | 2.16pm BST14:16 |
| Pope Francis arrives at the US Capitol | Pope Francis arrives at the US Capitol |
| In what is becoming his trademark humble black Fiat 500, the pontiff has just arrived at the US Capitol building. | In what is becoming his trademark humble black Fiat 500, the pontiff has just arrived at the US Capitol building. |
| #PopeInDC arriving at U.S. Capitol for historic speech to joint meeting of Congress. pic.twitter.com/89VburVESs | #PopeInDC arriving at U.S. Capitol for historic speech to joint meeting of Congress. pic.twitter.com/89VburVESs |
| 2.10pm BST14:10 | 2.10pm BST14:10 |
| The Guardian’s US environment correspondent Suzanne Goldenberg is with a group of climate protesters outside the Capitol building waiting to hear Pope Francis speak. | The Guardian’s US environment correspondent Suzanne Goldenberg is with a group of climate protesters outside the Capitol building waiting to hear Pope Francis speak. |
| Waiting for @Pontifex speech to Congress, with climate camp pic.twitter.com/wJikrUU6xQ | Waiting for @Pontifex speech to Congress, with climate camp pic.twitter.com/wJikrUU6xQ |
| 2.05pm BST14:05 | 2.05pm BST14:05 |
| At 9.25am eastern time (1.25pm GMT) Speaker of the House John Boehner is scheduled to have a one-on-one with Pope Francis in his ceremonial office. | At 9.25am eastern time (1.25pm GMT) Speaker of the House John Boehner is scheduled to have a one-on-one with Pope Francis in his ceremonial office. |
| Ceremonial Speaker's Office where Boehner will have audience with Pope Francis just off House Flr. #PopeFrancisDC pic.twitter.com/6gIfjrNkKx | Ceremonial Speaker's Office where Boehner will have audience with Pope Francis just off House Flr. #PopeFrancisDC pic.twitter.com/6gIfjrNkKx |
| Updated at 2.37pm BST | Updated at 2.37pm BST |
| 1.58pm BST13:58 | 1.58pm BST13:58 |
| This is interesting by the Pew Research Center on the religious affiliations of the US Congress: | This is interesting by the Pew Research Center on the religious affiliations of the US Congress: |
| Francis addresses today. Here's the religious affiliations of lawmakers http://t.co/E6xvqBbRRO pic.twitter.com/e9PcMlHhsC | Francis addresses today. Here's the religious affiliations of lawmakers http://t.co/E6xvqBbRRO pic.twitter.com/e9PcMlHhsC |
| 1.57pm BST13:57 | 1.57pm BST13:57 |
| Pope Francis prepares to head to the Capitol | Pope Francis prepares to head to the Capitol |
| He has left the Nunciature - the Vatican embassy - as he heads to his motorcade to travel to the Capitol. | He has left the Nunciature - the Vatican embassy - as he heads to his motorcade to travel to the Capitol. |
| Pope Francis greets and blesses kids as he emerges from Nunciature for motorcade to the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/wuBNLhi0vO | Pope Francis greets and blesses kids as he emerges from Nunciature for motorcade to the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/wuBNLhi0vO |
| 1.54pm BST13:54 | 1.54pm BST13:54 |
| The Guardian’s Lauren Gambino is on the West Lawn of the US Capitol. | The Guardian’s Lauren Gambino is on the West Lawn of the US Capitol. |
| Lots of excitement ! pic.twitter.com/6oPPeMDW4q | Lots of excitement ! pic.twitter.com/6oPPeMDW4q |
| She sends this dispatch: | She sends this dispatch: |
| Ada Bermejo of DREAMers Moms walked to Washington DC from York, Pennsylvania, as party of pilggramge to the nation’s capital to see the pope and draw attention to the immigrants’ plight. | Ada Bermejo of DREAMers Moms walked to Washington DC from York, Pennsylvania, as party of pilggramge to the nation’s capital to see the pope and draw attention to the immigrants’ plight. |
| “We brought our stories and experiences as immigrants to Washington,” she said. | “We brought our stories and experiences as immigrants to Washington,” she said. |
| Bermejo immigrated to the U.S. Illegally from Argentina in 2001. Her three children all qualify for temporary legal status under DACA, the program that defers deportation for those brought to the U.S. As children. Bermejo said she wouldn’t qualify under DAPA, the program that defers action for the parents of US citizens, because her children were not born here. The program has been held up in court. | Bermejo immigrated to the U.S. Illegally from Argentina in 2001. Her three children all qualify for temporary legal status under DACA, the program that defers deportation for those brought to the U.S. As children. Bermejo said she wouldn’t qualify under DAPA, the program that defers action for the parents of US citizens, because her children were not born here. The program has been held up in court. |
| DREAMers Moms stood outside the entrance to the Capitol’s west lawn holding a sign that says “Be our voice. Immigration reform.” | DREAMers Moms stood outside the entrance to the Capitol’s west lawn holding a sign that says “Be our voice. Immigration reform.” |
| Bermejo hopes Congress will listen carefully to the pope’s message on Thursday and finally pass the long-promised comprehensive immigration reform. | Bermejo hopes Congress will listen carefully to the pope’s message on Thursday and finally pass the long-promised comprehensive immigration reform. |
| “We want Pope Francis to be our voice,” she said, “Because we are here and we are not going anywhere. | “We want Pope Francis to be our voice,” she said, “Because we are here and we are not going anywhere. |
| Updated at 2.09pm BST | Updated at 2.09pm BST |
| 1.52pm BST13:52 | 1.52pm BST13:52 |
| The House just gavelled in after morning prayer, reports Dan Roberts at the Capitol. | The House just gavelled in after morning prayer, reports Dan Roberts at the Capitol. |
| Congressmen were reminded not to try to sneak their staff with them onto the floor. “regulations will be strictly enforced” | Congressmen were reminded not to try to sneak their staff with them onto the floor. “regulations will be strictly enforced” |
| 1.48pm BST13:48 | 1.48pm BST13:48 |
| More from Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Rome: | More from Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Rome: |
| It is important to put this moment in historical context, which will not be lost on some of the Catholic politicians who will be sitting in the gallery. The US has a long history of anti-Catholic bigotry, which was fuelled by white protestants in the 20th century by groups like the Ku Klux Klan, which saw the faith as a threat to American democracy. By the beginning of the 20th century, noted James Martin in America magazine, one-sixth of the population in the US was Catholic, but Catholicism was not really assimilated into society until the 1950s and 1960s. | It is important to put this moment in historical context, which will not be lost on some of the Catholic politicians who will be sitting in the gallery. The US has a long history of anti-Catholic bigotry, which was fuelled by white protestants in the 20th century by groups like the Ku Klux Klan, which saw the faith as a threat to American democracy. By the beginning of the 20th century, noted James Martin in America magazine, one-sixth of the population in the US was Catholic, but Catholicism was not really assimilated into society until the 1950s and 1960s. |
| And yet, it would have been unheard of for a pope to speak before Congress. When John F Kennedy, the only Catholic president in US history, was running for office, he had to give a now-famous speech to a group of protestant ministers in which he reaffirmed that he was not a “Catholic candidate”, but the Democratic candidate who happened to be Catholic, and one that would not take orders from his church. | And yet, it would have been unheard of for a pope to speak before Congress. When John F Kennedy, the only Catholic president in US history, was running for office, he had to give a now-famous speech to a group of protestant ministers in which he reaffirmed that he was not a “Catholic candidate”, but the Democratic candidate who happened to be Catholic, and one that would not take orders from his church. |
| Given today’s events, it is somewhat ironic that Kennedy urged his audience at the time to consider the “real issues” of the day, including the “spread of communist influence until it now festers only 90 miles from the coast of Florida”. The speech would become a model for other candidates whose personal biographies were considered “different”, including candidate Barack Obama’s “A More Perfect Union” speech on race in 2008 and Republican Mitt Romney’s speech on his Mormon faith in his first run for president in 2007. | Given today’s events, it is somewhat ironic that Kennedy urged his audience at the time to consider the “real issues” of the day, including the “spread of communist influence until it now festers only 90 miles from the coast of Florida”. The speech would become a model for other candidates whose personal biographies were considered “different”, including candidate Barack Obama’s “A More Perfect Union” speech on race in 2008 and Republican Mitt Romney’s speech on his Mormon faith in his first run for president in 2007. |
| You can watch Kennedy’s historic speech here. | You can watch Kennedy’s historic speech here. |
| 1.29pm BST13:29 | 1.29pm BST13:29 |
| Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner, who will welcome Pope Francis to congress today, has written a post to his blog detailing the order of today’s proceedings as well as his thoughts about them. | Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner, who will welcome Pope Francis to congress today, has written a post to his blog detailing the order of today’s proceedings as well as his thoughts about them. |
| “By about 9:15, I will be in my ceremonial office across from the House floor, getting ready to greet him. People have asked me what I’ll be thinking about. It’s not really a quiet moment, per since you’ve got a pack of photographers there waiting too. | “By about 9:15, I will be in my ceremonial office across from the House floor, getting ready to greet him. People have asked me what I’ll be thinking about. It’s not really a quiet moment, per since you’ve got a pack of photographers there waiting too. |
| One thing I can tell you: typically, I ask our guest how their economy is doing, and go from there. Will have to think of something else. | One thing I can tell you: typically, I ask our guest how their economy is doing, and go from there. Will have to think of something else. |
| It’ll come to me. | It’ll come to me. |
| It does contain some fascinating titbits about the morning’s procedures. At 10:01 and 30 seconds, the speaker says: “...history. Paul Irving, the House Sergeant-at-Arms, will make the announcement: ‘Mr. Speaker, the Pope of the Holy See.’” | It does contain some fascinating titbits about the morning’s procedures. At 10:01 and 30 seconds, the speaker says: “...history. Paul Irving, the House Sergeant-at-Arms, will make the announcement: ‘Mr. Speaker, the Pope of the Holy See.’” |
| Boehner ends: | Boehner ends: |
| When you grow up Catholic, you learn about the Pope as a distant figure, closer to God than any of us. To have him here, at our Capitol, among our people, is a once-in-a-lifetime moment. A glimpse of grace. | When you grow up Catholic, you learn about the Pope as a distant figure, closer to God than any of us. To have him here, at our Capitol, among our people, is a once-in-a-lifetime moment. A glimpse of grace. |
| Updated at 1.32pm BST | Updated at 1.32pm BST |
| 1.27pm BST13:27 | 1.27pm BST13:27 |
| Later today, Pope Francis will travel to New York. Police commissioner Bill Bratton - who is in charge of what has been called an “unprecedented” security operation for the visit - especially as it is taking place during the UN General Assembly - just tweeted a message of welcome to the pontiff: | Later today, Pope Francis will travel to New York. Police commissioner Bill Bratton - who is in charge of what has been called an “unprecedented” security operation for the visit - especially as it is taking place during the UN General Assembly - just tweeted a message of welcome to the pontiff: |
| My message to the members of the NYPD regarding the Pope's visit to NYC. http://t.co/8bfnmFBCQ2 pic.twitter.com/wCqMVIgreV | My message to the members of the NYPD regarding the Pope's visit to NYC. http://t.co/8bfnmFBCQ2 pic.twitter.com/wCqMVIgreV |
| Updated at 1.28pm BST | Updated at 1.28pm BST |
| 1.24pm BST13:24 | 1.24pm BST13:24 |
| Dan is inside the House of Representatives press gallery right now, and it’s rather crowded... | Dan is inside the House of Representatives press gallery right now, and it’s rather crowded... |
| 1.14pm BST13:14 | 1.14pm BST13:14 |
| Nuns from the order of the Servants of the Lord pose for a photograph as they wait outside the U.S. Capitol for a chance to see Pope Francis in Washington. Francis is expected to greet the crowd outside from a balcony after addressing members of Congress. | Nuns from the order of the Servants of the Lord pose for a photograph as they wait outside the U.S. Capitol for a chance to see Pope Francis in Washington. Francis is expected to greet the crowd outside from a balcony after addressing members of Congress. |
| 12.59pm BST12:59 | 12.59pm BST12:59 |
| It is customary for representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas to arrive hours in advance to stake out her seat on the aisle of the chamber for a State of the Union address, so that she can shake hands and take a picture with the President. | It is customary for representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas to arrive hours in advance to stake out her seat on the aisle of the chamber for a State of the Union address, so that she can shake hands and take a picture with the President. |
| Fox News’ Gretawire blog reports that while congressional leadership have tried to discourage that by blocking access to the centre aisle. | Fox News’ Gretawire blog reports that while congressional leadership have tried to discourage that by blocking access to the centre aisle. |
| But Dan Roberts confirms that, nonetheless, Lee is there early as usual - staking out a seat, as close as she can get to where the pope will pass. | But Dan Roberts confirms that, nonetheless, Lee is there early as usual - staking out a seat, as close as she can get to where the pope will pass. |
| 12.52pm BST12:52 | 12.52pm BST12:52 |
| This is a sneak peek from the Guardian’s DC bureau chief Dan Roberts of the chamber of the US House of Representatives, where Pope Francis will speak. | This is a sneak peek from the Guardian’s DC bureau chief Dan Roberts of the chamber of the US House of Representatives, where Pope Francis will speak. |
| It’s where the State of the Union address and all joint speeches to congress are held. “I’m told we may get some Supreme Court justices today too, so it will really feel like a State Of The Union,” Dan says. | It’s where the State of the Union address and all joint speeches to congress are held. “I’m told we may get some Supreme Court justices today too, so it will really feel like a State Of The Union,” Dan says. |
| 12.43pm BST12:43 | 12.43pm BST12:43 |
| Stephanie Kirchgaessner | Stephanie Kirchgaessner |
| Some context this morning from Guardian correspondent Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Rome. | Some context this morning from Guardian correspondent Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Rome. |
| When Francis steps up to the podium today in the US Capitol, he will be the first pope to address a joint session of Congress, an occasion that is usually reserved for visiting heads of state. Anticipation has reached a fever pitch - both in Washington and around the world - precisely because this pope is expected to speak on issues that are central to the highly-partisan and often bitter debates that consume American politics today: the environment, immigration, poverty, and the US role in the world. | When Francis steps up to the podium today in the US Capitol, he will be the first pope to address a joint session of Congress, an occasion that is usually reserved for visiting heads of state. Anticipation has reached a fever pitch - both in Washington and around the world - precisely because this pope is expected to speak on issues that are central to the highly-partisan and often bitter debates that consume American politics today: the environment, immigration, poverty, and the US role in the world. |
| To be sure, his speech will not be a bland recitation that seeks only to please and assure the gathered lawmakers. While most Vatican watchers believe the pope’s primary motivation for visiting the US was to attend the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia this weekend, he clearly sees his visit to the nation’s capital as an opportunity to issue a call to conscience and challenge lawmakers on the issues at the heart of his papacy. | To be sure, his speech will not be a bland recitation that seeks only to please and assure the gathered lawmakers. While most Vatican watchers believe the pope’s primary motivation for visiting the US was to attend the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia this weekend, he clearly sees his visit to the nation’s capital as an opportunity to issue a call to conscience and challenge lawmakers on the issues at the heart of his papacy. |
| Francis has already indicated in speeches that he is not shying away from controversy. Although his language is not abrasive, his repeated references to himself as the son of immigrants, for example, marks an attempt not only to identify with the American experience, but to gently chastise those who have vilified immigrants as freeloaders who take but do not enrich society. He will seek not to lecture, but to nudge the assembled politicians - who are overwhelmingly Christian - to see things from a different and more nuanced perspective, and to free themselves of political rigidity. | Francis has already indicated in speeches that he is not shying away from controversy. Although his language is not abrasive, his repeated references to himself as the son of immigrants, for example, marks an attempt not only to identify with the American experience, but to gently chastise those who have vilified immigrants as freeloaders who take but do not enrich society. He will seek not to lecture, but to nudge the assembled politicians - who are overwhelmingly Christian - to see things from a different and more nuanced perspective, and to free themselves of political rigidity. |
| The pope will stand in front of John Boehner, the Republican speaker of the House, and Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic vice president who also has the role of president of the Senate. Both men are Catholic and represent the diversity of views within the church across the political spectrum. As a savvy operator, the pope knows he cannot just appeal to one of them. | The pope will stand in front of John Boehner, the Republican speaker of the House, and Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic vice president who also has the role of president of the Senate. Both men are Catholic and represent the diversity of views within the church across the political spectrum. As a savvy operator, the pope knows he cannot just appeal to one of them. |
| Updated at 12.45pm BST | Updated at 12.45pm BST |
| 12.20pm BST12:20 | 12.20pm BST12:20 |
| If the sunrise was anything to go by, it’s looking set to be a spectacularly beautiful day in Washington, DC for Pope Francis’ address to Congress. | If the sunrise was anything to go by, it’s looking set to be a spectacularly beautiful day in Washington, DC for Pope Francis’ address to Congress. |
| Check out the sky....unedited photo. #PopeInDC pic.twitter.com/8cO5RFSOcW | Check out the sky....unedited photo. #PopeInDC pic.twitter.com/8cO5RFSOcW |
| 12.07pm BST12:07 | 12.07pm BST12:07 |
| Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of day three of Pope Francis’ visit to the United States. | Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of day three of Pope Francis’ visit to the United States. |
| It's a beautiful morning at the Capitol for Pope Francis. pic.twitter.com/HGJTeoz3um | It's a beautiful morning at the Capitol for Pope Francis. pic.twitter.com/HGJTeoz3um |
| After a politically-charged speech urging action on climate change at the White House yesterday, expectations are high for the pontiff’s speech to a joint session of both houses of Congress, scheduled for 9.20am ET (1.20pm GMT) today. | After a politically-charged speech urging action on climate change at the White House yesterday, expectations are high for the pontiff’s speech to a joint session of both houses of Congress, scheduled for 9.20am ET (1.20pm GMT) today. |
| After that, Francis will visit St. Patrick’s Catholic church and the Catholic charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, before heading back to Andrews Joint Air Base to fly to New York City. Here’s his full schedule: | After that, Francis will visit St. Patrick’s Catholic church and the Catholic charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, before heading back to Andrews Joint Air Base to fly to New York City. Here’s his full schedule: |
| 9.20am (1.20pm GMT): Pope Francis addresses a joint session of the US Congress. On the West Front of the US Capitol, a jumbotron broadcast shows the event. This is the first time a reigning pontiff has ever addressed Congress. | 9.20am (1.20pm GMT): Pope Francis addresses a joint session of the US Congress. On the West Front of the US Capitol, a jumbotron broadcast shows the event. This is the first time a reigning pontiff has ever addressed Congress. |
| 11.15am (3.15pm GMT): Pope Francis meets with the poor and the homeless during a visit to St Patrick in the City and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington. Later that afternoon, he departs for New York. | 11.15am (3.15pm GMT): Pope Francis meets with the poor and the homeless during a visit to St Patrick in the City and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington. Later that afternoon, he departs for New York. |
| 6.45pm (10.45pm GMT): The pope leads the evening prayer at a Vespers service at St Patrick’s Cathedral. The event is only open to clergy of St Patrick’s Cathedral. | 6.45pm (10.45pm GMT): The pope leads the evening prayer at a Vespers service at St Patrick’s Cathedral. The event is only open to clergy of St Patrick’s Cathedral. |
| It’s going to be an eventful day. Stay tuned for live updates. | It’s going to be an eventful day. Stay tuned for live updates. |
| Updated at 12.12pm BST | Updated at 12.12pm BST |