Holy GOP! The Pope Says We Should Embrace Immigrants.

In the first-ever papal address, Pope Francis speaks about immigration, climate change, and family in a joint meeting of Congress Thursday morning in Washington D.C.

Pope Francis speaks at a joint meeting of Congress in the first-ever papal address.

Pope Francis calls on Americans Thursday morning to embrace immigrants saying in his 45-minute speech:

"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.”

This plea comes during a debate between politicians about illegal immigrants.

Despite criticism on the Pope’s opinions such as climate change, the Washington Post reports both parties found his speech to have balance, speaking about decline of family and the abolition of the death penalty.

Republican Candidates Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, Ben Carson and Chris Christie attended the speech as well as Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders.

Senator Ted Cruz also showed his support, tweeting:

"Pontifex has been a steadfast voice for the virtue of life, marriage, and religious liberty.”

Pope Francis has landed in New York City, marking his second stop in his six-day U.S. trip.

Written by

Kanika Lal

Kanika Lal moved to Los Angeles to pursue her career as a host, writer, and producer. She currently works for Ora TV’s NewsBreaker where she constantly keeps up with the latest stories, writes, and broadcasts them from Ora studios. Kanika began her love for journalism at The Hollywood Reporter as a digital news producer and red carpet correspondent. She had the honor of interviewing Anderson Cooper, John Mayer, Cate Blanchett, and covered the 71st Annual Golden Globes. After a rewarding and solid year, she then took her skills a step closer to her passion: hosting. You can catch her recapping television shows under Maria Menounos’ AfterBuzz TV as well as hosting and producing a Bollywood show for Menounos’ Popcorn Talk network. Kanika thrives on self-expression, and she achieves that through Indian classical and contemporary dance as well as hip-hop. She also has small but growing acting credits under her name, as she strives to branch out creatively. Kanika thrives on discovering hidden stories and engaging with a variety of people. She hopes to have an influence in the world of arts, pop culture, politics, and science.

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