Pope Francis Gets Ready to Address the Lawmakers in the U.S. Congress

Pope Francis finished his scheduled meeting with President Obama on Wednesday, September 23 and is getting ready to address the U.S. senators and congressman in Congress on September 24. He will be delivering his speech to a group that is largely composed of Republicans who were against the President on issues that are very important to the Pope, such as immigration and climate change.

Several issues

The Pontiff’s speech is expected to cover many topics, including euthanasia, abortion, religious freedom, climate change and the role the U.S. plays regarding resolutions to international conflicts, helping the poorer nations around the world and helping migrants, particularly those who are fleeing their countries due to ongoing and escalating internal conflicts.

During his meeting with Pres. Obama, Pope Francis said that the President’s efforts regarding air pollution were encouraging and that climate change is a global problem that should be given solutions right now. From his papal encyclical regarding environmental issues, the Pope backs the belief that global warming and the degradation of the environment are man-made. However, this belief is refuted by most Republicans in the U.S., including some 2016 presidential hopefuls.

Views of U.S. conservatives

A handful of conservatives have openly expressed their views on the forthcoming speech of the Pope before the U.S. Congress. One congressman from Arizona will boycott the address. He would rather hear the Pope talk about religious intolerance around the world instead of climate change. A presidential candidate said that the Popes should focus more on the protection of religious freedom and in putting a halt to abortion. He said that these things could be controlled by President Obama, whereas the weather patterns around the world is something that the U.S. president has no control over.

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