When Pope Francis comes to the United States next month for six days, one of his biggest appearances will be when he addresses a joint meeting of Congress, becoming the first pontiff to address both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Members of Congress all have a “plus one” to view the pope’s address in the gallery, and Tampa Bay area U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor announced today that she has chosen Sister Anne Dougherty to be her guest on September 23.
“I thought I’d won the lottery when I got the call from the congresswoman,” said Doughtery today at a news conference in front of the Franciscan Center of Tampa, located on the eastern bank of the Hillsborough River. Doughtery serves as the center’s director.
“It’s amazing that he’s a Jesuit priest and he took the name of Francis to follow in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi,” she said when asked what excited her most about the pope. She praised him for serving the poor, for talking about climate change and nonviolence.
“I believe Pope Francis has transcended Roman Catholics and he is inspiring new generations of people to take a look at poverty, the changing climate and immigration,” said Castor. “I really look forward to his inspiring visit to the U.S.”
In addition to appearing in Washington, D.C., Pope Francis will also visit New York City and Philadelphia.
Although he’s not officially scheduled to speak at the National Mall, there are expectations that he may do so. If that’s the case, Castor said her office has a limited number of tickets available to see the pope in that venue, and said she heard that there could be as many as a million people make the pilgrimage to the Mall for his appearance.
The Washington Post reports that based on interviews and public testimony taken this year before Congress, “several law enforcement officials made it clear that they anticipate an event of monumental proportion.”
The former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pope Francis has never visited the United States in his life.
