The most recent Bishop of Rome left a legacy in the U.S. legislature. Pope Francis was the only pontiff to participate in a joint session of Congress, according to the
Hours after his death, political leaders in Washington, D.C., expressed their condolences for the passing of the supreme pontiff.
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WATCH HEREVice President JD Vance, who briefly exchanged greetings with the pope on Easter Sunday, shared the significance of that final encounter for him .
"I was happy to see him yesterday (Sunday), though he was obviously very ill," Vance said. "But I’ll always remember him for in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful. May God rest his soul," he said.
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SIGN UP House Speaker Mike Johnson also shared a social media post saying that his "prayers go out to those who mourn the passing of Pope Francis. As leader of the Catholic Church, he influenced the lives of countless people around the world."
The Pope emphasized his 'admiration' for those fighting for the American Dream
In his speech from Congress on September 24, 2015, Pope Francis recognized the immigrants who come to the United States in pursuit of the American Dream.
"In recent centuries, millions of people have come to this land pursuing the dream of being able to build their own future in freedom," he said. "I speak to you as a son of immigrants, like many of you who are descendants of immigrants. Tragically, the rights of those who lived here long before us were not always respected."
The pontiff emphasized that the best tool to combat cultural differences in the United States is education.
"We must choose the possibility of living now in the most noble and just world possible, while we educate the new generations, with an education that can never turn its back on our neighbors, on everything that surrounds us," he asserted.
In fact, the Bishop of Rome lashed out at the current immigration policies of President Donald Trump's administration just months before his death.
in February 2025, he urged all the faithful of the Catholic Church "not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering among our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters."
The letter arose after previous tensions with JD Vance, after the vice president appeared to justify mass deportations by invoking the the idea that there is a hierarchy to who receives charity.
Vance stated that the concept is "common sense" because moral duties toward one's children outweigh duties toward a stranger living thousands of miles away.
Catholic Church coverage:
The protection of religious freedom
In the face of religiously motivated persecution and violence, the pontiff emphasized the importance of protecting freedom of worship, citing Abraham Lincoln, whom he called a "defender of liberty."
"We are aware that no religion is immune to various forms of individual aberration or ideological extremism. This urges us to be vigilant against any type of fundamentalism, religious or otherwise," he said.
"Combating violence perpetrated under the name of a religion, an ideology, or an economic system and, at the same time, protecting the freedom of religions, ideas, and individuals requires a delicate balance that we must work toward," he added.
The Pope also included in his speech that the mission of legislators is to "satisfy the common good" and protect those in disadvantaged positions.
"You are the face of your people, their representatives. And you are called to defend and safeguard the dignity of your fellow citizens in the constant and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the primary concern of politics," he reiterated.
"Political society endures if it establishes, as its vocation, the satisfaction of common needs, fostering the growth of all its members, especially those who are most vulnerable or at risk. Legislative activity is always based on caring for the people. To this end, you have been invited, called, summoned by the ballot box," he insisted.
