Republican and Democratic lawmakers enthusiastically cheered Pope Francis’ address Thursday before a joint meeting of Congress, but not always at the same time.
Democrats predictably hailed Francis’ remarks on the environment, while Republicans cheered loudly at the pope’s somewhat oblique defense of the unborn. There were also a few bipartisan moments, as both Democrats and Republicans jumped to their feet whenever the Bishop of Rome spoke warmly of America, especially when he affirmed that it is indeed the “land of the free and the home of the brave.”
But the lawmakers’ reactions largely reflected their party’s platforms.
“We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners,” Francis said, referring to the growing crisis of Middle Eastern refugees who have flooded recently into Europe.
These and similar remarks on immigration, including his comment that “so many of you are also descended from immigrants,” drew immediate applause and standing ovations first from Democrats, and later Republicans, who were mostly slow to join.
Pleading with lawmakers to see immigration policy through the lens of compassion, the pope said, “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.’ The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us.”
Again, Democrats were first to their feet, and Republicans proved a bit more hesitant to add to the applause.
There was a moment, however, when Francis received not just applause, but booming cheers from the GOP, and that’s when he spoke to the defense of all life. “The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development,” he said.
Republicans leapt to their feet, cheering and clapping for Francis’ somewhat subtle affirmation that the unborn are to be protected.
The moment was particularly noteworthy considering Democrats and Republicans are currently engaged in a war over stripping federal funding from Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest provider of women’s healthcare and abortions.
Republicans have been emboldened in their efforts to defund Planned Parenthood thanks to a series of secretly recorded videos showing top executives with the “women’s health organization” discussing the methods by which they harvest organs from the remains of aborted children. Democrats have resisted all defunding efforts by voting against such measures, and have moved to block a bill that would outlaw all abortions performed at 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Elsewhere, Francis spoke of global violence, speaking harshly of arms dealers who knowingly sell weapons to conflict areas.
“Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood,” he said. “In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade.”
Democrats were once again the first to jump to their feet, as the Republican side of the House chamber remained mostly seated. Few lawmakers on the Right even clapped for the pope’s remarks on arms. But that wasn’t the case for all members of the GOP, as Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, was actually the first lawmaker in the entire chamber to get on his feet for Francis’ arms challenge.
The pope ended his remarks by encouraging U.S. lawmakers to protect and nourish America, allowing it to “develop and grow, so that as many young people as possible can inherit and dwell in a land which has inspired so many people to dream.”
These final remarks once again drew a bipartisan reaction, as lawmakers on both the left and right side of the chamber rose to applaud the first pope in history to address Congress.
