[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 14729-14730]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, today Members of Congress from both Houses 
were honored to attend a joint meeting of Congress and receive an 
address from His Holiness Pope Francis, the 266th Pope of the Catholic 
Church.
  The Holy Father's visit to address a joint meeting was made possible 
by the foresight and efforts of Speaker John Boehner, as well as the 
hard work and dedication of the House and the Senate Sergeant at Arms 
and the entire congressional community. Everything worked out just 
fine. Pope Francis captured the heart and consciousness of the world 
with his message of love, compassion, respect, and good will to all.
  Sitting and listening to the speaker of the day, His Holiness Pope 
Francis, I am told this is the longest he has ever spoken at one time 
in English. He spoke slowly, and we had to listen very closely. So I 
went back and got a copy of the speech so I could read in my own slow 
way what he had said. A few things he said were really stunning. ``You 
are called''--he is talking to us--``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.'' Gee, that is 
good.
  He said that he wanted to enter into a dialogue with the many 
``elderly persons who are a storehouse of wisdom forged by 
experience.''
  He said:

       A delicate balance is required to combat violence 
     perpetrated in the name of religion, an ideology or an 
     economic system, while also safeguarding religious freedom, 
     intellectual freedom and individual freedoms. . . . We know 
     that in the attempt to be freed of the enemy without, we can 
     be tempted to feed the enemy within.

  These are visionary words.
  He said that ``the voice of faith'' needs to ``continue to be heard, 
for it is a voice of fraternity and love,'' which brings out the best 
in each society. We need more people speaking out just as he did about 
the importance of faith.
  He said:

       If politics must truly be at the service of the human 
     person, it follows that it cannot be a slave to the economy 
     and finance. . . . We, the people of this continent, are not 
     fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once 
     foreigners.

  Now, I am not taking this line by line. I am just skipping through 
some things that stuck out in my mind.

       If we want security, let us give security; if we want life, 
     let us give life; if we want opportunities, let us provide 
     opportunities. . . . Why are deadly weapons being sold to 
     those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and 
     society.

  He said, ``Fundamental relationships are being called into question, 
as is the very basis of . . . the family.''
  I was so impressed with the intent of his remarks. I thought he did 
an extremely good job, and I am very happy that I had the opportunity 
to be there and listen. I admire the conviction and heart of His 
Holiness because it brings every effort of what we do, I think, to the 
forefront of what we try to do, to live up to what he suggests we 
should do. He inspired me, I hope all of us, with his commitment to 
compassion and consideration for the less fortunate.
  I am certain this should come as a shock to no one, given his humble 
beginnings. He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to immigrant 
parents. Pope Francis worked as a janitor, a bouncer, a lab assistant 
for a chemist before he started his seminary education. Since the 
beginning of his papacy, Pope Francis has committed to addressing the 
needs of the poor, extending mercy to those in need, and restoring joy 
to the world.
  Pope Francis was once asked about his view of the church. He said 
that he viewed the church as ``a field hospital after battle.'' His 
unique approach to leading the world's 1.2 billion Catholics has 
captured the attention of billions, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, 
inspiring us all to live up to our highest values.
  I was forced to remember today my mentor from my high school days to 
my time in Congress, who became the Governor of Nevada. We ran 
independent of one another. We wound up being Governor and Lieutenant 
Governor. He was a devout Catholic. The values he instilled in me 
stemmed from his faith. He was the most honest man I ever met. He was a 
devout Catholic, as I indicated. He went to mass virtually every day.

[[Page 14730]]

  He died--every place he went, it was early. He got to morning mass, 7 
o'clock mass, early. It had not started. The priest had not come out 
yet. He put his head on his shoulder and died. He was such a good man. 
Those of us who knew him--and so many people knew him--know that he 
would have enjoyed living in a time where His Holiness is known not 
just for his influence, knowledge, and righteousness but for his good 
deeds and kindness to those in need. My friend Mike O'Callaghan had a 
lot of those same traits.

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