WASHINGTON, DC—Representative Eliot L. Engel, the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and a senior member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, today made the following statement about Pope Francis’s address to a joint meeting of Congress:

“It was an honor to welcome Pope Francis to Congress and to hear his message of solidarity and hope.  The Pope didn’t speak about vague ideals, but about the dialogue and cooperation needed to meet our greatest challenges, from inequality to immigration to climate change.  Evoking the pioneering work of American heroes like New Yorker Dorothy Day, he reminded us that a country as fortunate as the United States has a responsibility to lift up those marginalized in our own society, and to promote peace and justice around the world.  To paraphrase the Pope’s namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, he called on Americans and their lawmakers to bring hope to despair, to bring light to darkness, and to be instruments of peace. 

“I hope my colleagues were as inspired by the Pope’s words as I was.  And I hope going forward, we will be guided by his message to work together toward shared prosperity and the common good.”

###