Pope Francis Addresses U.S. Congress

"I am most grateful for your invitation to address this joint session of Congress in 'the land of the free and the home of the brave.' I would like to think that the reason for this is that I, too, am a son of this great continent, from which we have all received so much and toward which we share a common responsibility.

"Each son or daughter of a given country has a mission, a personal and social responsibility. Your own responsibility as members of Congress is to enable this country, by your legislative activity, to grow as a nation. You are the face of its people, their representatives. You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics. A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk. Legislative activity is always based on care for the people. To this you have been invited, called and convened by those who elected you.

"Yours is a work which makes me reflect in two ways on the figure of Moses. On the one hand, the patriarch and lawgiver of the people of Israel symbolizes the need of peoples to keep alive their sense of unity by means of just legislation. On the other, the figure of Moses leads us directly to God and thus to the transcendent dignity of the human being. Moses provides us with a good synthesis of your work: You are asked to protect, by means of the law, the image and likeness fashioned by God on every human face."

The National Catholic Register offered the official text of Pope Francis' address to the United States Congress on 24 September.

To access the complete National Catholic Register report please visit:

National Catholic Register: Pope Francis Congressional Address: A Dialogue with Four Faces of America (24 SEP 15)

Media reports:

National Catholic Register: Marriage and Family Are Being Threatened, Pope Tells US Congress (24 SEP 15)

Whispers in the Loggia: "Mister Speaker, The Pope" - An Epic First, Francis Meets Congress (24 SEP 15)

Catholic World Report: Pope promotes human dignity and the common good in address to Congress (24 SEP 15)

Politico: Pope to Congress: 'Do unto others ...' (24 SEP 15)

NBC Nightly News: In Address to Congress, Pope Francis Urges 'Culture of Care' (24 SEP 15)

The Washington Post: Opinions: Pope Francis’ profound personalism (24 SEP 15)

The Washington Post: Opinions: Pope Francis’s optimistic and embracing message to Congress (24 SEP 15)

The Washington Post: Opinions: The pope’s Capitol Hill miracle (24 SEP 15)