Pontiff says divisive rhetoric is not in ‘the spirit of the American people’ and calls for action to combat human activity that has caused climate change

The first pope from the Americas called on US lawmakers to open their hearts to new generations of immigrants on Thursday in a historic address to Congress that urged them to reject a rising xenophobic tendency in politics.



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Though less blunt than Wednesday’s endorsement of Obama’s climate change policy, Pope Francis’s passionate call for “as many young people as possible [to] inherit and dwell in a land which has inspired so many people to dream” comes amid a fierce national debate over how to handle an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the US.

“In recent centuries, millions of people came to this land to pursue their dream of building a future in freedom,” Francis told hundreds of lawmakers, cabinet members and supreme court justices in a packed joint session of Congress. It was the first time in history a pope had addressed the legislative body.

“We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners,” added Francis, who was born in Argentina to Italian parents. “I say this to you as the son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you are also descended from immigrants.”

We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners Pope Francis

As he entered the room to a standing ovation, he paused briefly to shake hands with the secretary of state, John Kerry, and the Republican House speaker, John Boehner. Only supreme court justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative Catholic, was noticeable by his absence.

Speaking slowly in heavily accented English that was at times hard to follow, Francis swiftly brought the audience to its feet by celebrating “the land of the free and the home of the brave”, but appeared to stick closely to a prepared text.

Meanwhile, outside, hundreds of Latino immigration campaigners were among a vast crowd watching on the National Mall via a live television relay.



These included five-year-old Sophie Cruz, a US citizen, who captured hearts and minds on Wednesday after the Guardian reported how she rushed out from the crowd to hand deliver a letter to the pope that called for immigration reform to prevent the deportation of her Mexican-born parents.

Without explicitly referring to the exchange with Cruz, Francis urged the chamber of the House of Representatives, which refused to take up a bipartisan reform bill last year, to listen to such human examples and consider them in the context of US history and the Bible.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Pope Francis arrives to address a joint session of Congress. Photograph: Tony Gentile/AFP/Getty Images

“We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation,” he said.

“To respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal,” added Francis. “We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’”

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The pope spoke too of a global “refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the second world war”, but he made clear that economic migration also deserved empathy, particularly in the US.

“On this continent too, thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones, in search of greater opportunities,” he said. “Is this not what we want for our own children?”

In front of an audience that included potential presidential contenders such as the Republican New Jersey governor, Chris Christie, and Democratic vice-president, Joe Biden, Pope Francis also implicitly chastised those such as Donald Trump who have sought to demonise immigrants – arguing it was not in keeping with “the spirit of the American people”.

“When the stranger in our midst appeals to us, we must not repeat the sins and the errors of the past,” he said, in apparent reference to the persecution of Native Americans. “We must resolve now to live as nobly and as justly as possible, as we educate new generations not to turn their back on our ‘neighbours’ and everything around us. Building a nation calls us to recognise that we must constantly relate to others, rejecting a mindset of hostility in order to adopt one of reciprocal subsidiarity, in a constant effort to do our best.”

Separately, Pope Francis said the assembled members of Congress had an important role to play in addressing the deterioration of the environment, which he said was caused by “human activity”. The phrase was one of the most politically charged in his address, given that the vast majority of Republicans in Congress have challenged scientific consensus on climate change and its causes.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Pope Francis addresses a joint meeting of the US Congress in the House chamber of the Capitol. Photograph: Win McNamee/Getty Images

It came a day after Francis waded into a fight over the Obama administration’s proposed rules to cut emissions from power plants, which will be staunchly opposed by Republicans.

On Wednesday, during his remarks at the White House, Francis said tackling climate change – which many in today’s audience believe is essentially a hoax – could “no longer be left to a future generation”.

He also said he was “encouraged” by the proposed rules, adding what many might see as a moral dimension to what will be a bruising political fight.



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The pope said in his encyclical on the environment, which was released in June, that climate change represented a grave threat to humanity and that the phase-out of fossil fuels was a moral imperative. He stopped short of repeating that statement in front of a crowd that included many who have vigorously fought to defend oil companies from regulations that would threaten their existence.

The address was notable for presenting a far more moderate view of capitalism than the pope offered up in Bolivia in July, when he famously called unfettered capitalism the “dung of the devil”. In an apparent effort not to offend his hosts in the world’s most capitalist society, Francis even lauded business as a “noble vocation”, saying that the creation of jobs contributed to the common good. He also said much progress had been made lifting people out of extreme poverty, but that more needed to be done.



Some of the conservative critics who have taken aim at the pope’s views on capitalism and his encyclical have suggested he was naive for believing that poverty could be eradicated without relying on fossil fuels and other pollutants. On Thursday, Francis responded to that critique, focusing on the role as-of-yet undeveloped technology could play to both combat poverty and protect nature.

“I am confident that America’s outstanding academic and research institutions can make a vital contribution in the years ahead,” he said.

But there was one industry that Francis did take aim at: weapons manufacturers.

“Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals? The answer, as we all know, is simply for money. Money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood,” he said.

He then added: “In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade.”

In another intervention likely to have challenged many of the Republicans and some Democrats in the chamber, Pope Francis also reiterated his strong opposition to the death penalty, saying that he offered “encouragement” to all those who – like him – are “convinced that a just and necessary punishment must never exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation”.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Pope Francis addresses a joint meeting of the US Congress. Photograph: Tony Gentile/Reuters

He did not fail to mention abortion – but it was a passing reference. Speaking of the Golden Rule, he said it was important to remember the responsibility to “protect and defend human life at every stage of its development”.

The church’s opposition to abortion and gay marriage are likely to be discussed in greater depth when Francis heads to Philadelphia this weekend, but in front of Congress he kept his remarks brief, probably in the knowledge that his views on this subject are divisive too.

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“Fundamental relationships are being called into question, as is the very basis of marriage and the family,” he said. “I can only reiterate the importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life.”

For longtime congressional watchers, the speech had a remarkable effect on lawmakers in the chamber, as Democrats, currently outnumbered in both houses, repeatedly led Republicans in standing ovations when the pope enlisted moral arguments to support liberal positions.

The floor of the House of Representatives repeatedly rippled with standing ovations, a kind of Mexican wave, as Republicans at first resisted the encouragement to applause but then gave in to the pressure to follow Democrats to their feet.

This was most apparent when Pope Francis quoted from the Bible, urging the lawmakers to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. The line was used to support his call for immigration reform, an issue opposed by many Christian Republicans who nonetheless felt they could not remain seated during a quote from the scripture.

Moments after the speech, the pope appeared on a balcony to deliver a brief prayer to the thousands who gathered outside. The prayer, delivered in Spanish which echoed across the Mall, called on Christians to pray for him, with a final, comical twist for atheists that was delivered with a smile.

“If there are among you any who do not believe or cannot pray, I ask you please, to send good wishes my way.”