CV NEWS FEED // Fourteen House Republicans sent a letter Monday to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-LA, urging him to invite Pope Leo XIV to address Congress—a historic first for a US-born pontiff.
“We as Catholics celebrate the first-ever American pope and hope you will consider an invitation to him,” the lawmakers wrote. “It would be valuable for Congress to hear His Holiness’s vision for the role of Catholic faith in the world and how he plans to lead the over 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide and the many others who look to the Holy See for spiritual and moral guidance.”
The request was led by Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a Catholic who attended Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass in Rome Sunday.
“What an incredible honor to witness the First Mass (inaugural) of the first American Pope, Pope Leo XVI,” she wrote on social media. “A moment of faith, unity, and deep significance for Catholics across the world.”
In their letter, the lawmakers praised the pope’s decades of service both in the US and abroad, noting that the native of the Chicago area “made history as the first-ever American pope, an unprecedented feat that makes America’s light shine even brighter across the globe.”
“Hearing his address would be of great benefit for Congress and the American people,” they added. “In a time of increasing religious intolerance, we welcome the vision and leadership of Pope Leo XIV and respectfully request that you invite his holiness to address a joint session of Congress this calendar year.”
Pope Francis became the first pope to address Congress in 2015. If invited, Pope Leo would be the first to do so as a native-born American.
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