Something has gotten into Ted Cruz. The Republican senator is known as a conservative firebrand willing to take on his own party, but in a Thursday meeting with reporters in his Capitol Hill office, Cruz was sounding almost ecumenical. Maybe it was the presence of Pope Francis.

“I thought his remarks were excellent,” Cruz said, about an hour after the Holy Father’s remarks to a joint session of Congress concluded. “It was a powerful call for all of us to set aside pettiness and partisan divides and come together with shared values to solve the very real challenges facing this country. And I hope that is a message that is heard on both sides of the aisle.”