This article originally appeared on Patheos.

I can’t think of a Pope who has made a bigger impact, brought more hope and sounded more like Jesus than Pope Francis.

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan. I even Facebook-lifted a hashtag I saw on Diana Butler Bass’ page that I use all the time now: #popecrush.

And now he’s coming to the United States!

The first Pope from the Americas is coming to the U.S.

This is very exciting.

So exciting, in fact, that a bi-partisan resolution has been presented to Congress that would congratulate the pontiff on being the first Pope from the Americas and for his “inspirational statements and actions.”

#Popecrush on!

Unfortunately, it’s beginning to look like this particular resolution may never make it out of committee. It was sent to the House Foreign Affairs Committee and seems to have died there.

Why?

Because the Pope is too much like Jesus.

Yep. Seriously.

Let me explain.

There actually are a few (19 out of 221) GOP backers of this resolution and one of them is leaking a little information about why it may never pass or even be voted on. According to this Republican insider, many of his cohorts expressed concern that the Pope has been making statements on issues like “trickle-down economics,” which are “politically charged.”

A religious leader addressing the morally repugnant behavior of economic and political systems that value the powerful over the poor?

Where have I seen that before?

Oh yeah – Jesus.

Also, let’s not miss the irony that the Republicans who are resisting the passage of this resolution have the audacity to accuse the Pope actions of being “politically charged.” Their resistance to honoring a man who, as the resolution itself says, has demonstrated humility, broke from tradition to wash the feet of criminals, embraced lepers, and places an emphasis on humanitarian efforts is the only “politically charged” thing I see here.

The upside to all of this is that I suspect Pope Francis really doesn’t care if the U.S. Congress honors him this way.

Kind of like Jesus probably wasn’t hoping to be honored by Pilate.

Mark Sandlin is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) from the South. He is a co-founder of The Christian Left.

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