Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, has reportedly declined an invitation to dine with U.S. lawmakers in Washington D.C. and chosen instead to dine — after his speech to Congress tomorrow — with about 300 of the capital city’s homeless.

According to the International Business Times, the pontiff was expected to have lunch with U.S. lawmakers after his speech on Capitol Hill Thursday, but he declined the invitation for an opportunity to spend time with the city’s poor and homeless.

Francis’ first noticeable gesture — indicative of his focus on campaigning for social and economic justice — occurred on arrival Tuesday, September 22, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, when he rode from the airbase in a tiny Fiat 500L.

On the third day of his six-day visit, after he has delivered an address to Congress, the pope will sit down in a tent set up outside St. Patrick Catholic Church to dine with about 300 members of the prosperous city’s homeless community.

The speech to a joint session of Congress during Pope Francis’ first-ever visit to the U.S. is also the first ever by a sitting pontiff to the U.S. Congress.

The speech is expected to touch on controversial issues, such as climate change, abortion, income inequality, marriage, religious freedom, and immigration reform, according to the IB Times.

Extolling Pope Francis’ gesture as consistent with what he preaches, Monsignor John Enzler, CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, said, “He is my hero. He lives the Gospel in the way I want to live it myself. He tries to make sure that people all feel they are included.”

Pope Francis With President Barack Obama

According to USA Today, Catholic Charities is an organization that serves the poor and homeless in Washington. It is in charge of the arrangement to have the pope “spend time with the most vulnerable” of society.

“This Pope like no other has gotten into the spotlight and talked about [serving underprivileged communities] in an accessible way. He really believes in ‘a church in the streets,'” said Erick Salmi, communications director of Catholic Charities, according to Washington City Paper.

Francis is expected to seek other opportunities to interact with the homeless, the poor, immigrants, and prisoners during his visit.

A religious studies expert, Mat Schmalz, told the Independent that Francis’ actions during his visit to the U.S. will be watched more closely than his speeches.

“There are a lot of things he will say about capitalism and about the wealth inequality,” he said, “but many Americans and politicians have already made up their minds on these issues. What I would look for is a particular gesture, an unscripted act that will move people.”

This is not the first time that Pope Francis has met personally with the poor and homeless. In April 2015, he celebrated the Holy Thursday Mass of the Last Supper by meeting 300 inmates at the chapel of Rome’s Rebibbia prison. He washed the feet of 12 inmates from several countries, including Nigeria, Congo, Ecuador, Brazil, and Italy.

In March, he met about 150 homeless people on a guided tour of the Sistine Chapel and dined with them.

[Images: Getty]