Boehner: Pope Francis to address Congress

Pope Francis will address a joint meeting of the House and Senate on September 24, becoming the first pontiff to do so, House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday.

“We’re humbled that the Holy Father has accepted our invitation and certainly look forward to receiving his message on behalf of the American people,” Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters.

Boehner is Catholic and extended the invitation for the pope to speak to lawmakers.

During his planned trip next fall, Francis is also expected to visit the White House as well as speak at the United Nations in New York and participate in a massive Catholic rally for families in Philadelphia.

It will be his first visit to the United States in a papacy that began two years ago.

“In a time of global upheaval, the Holy Father’s message of compassion and human dignity has moved people of all faiths and backgrounds,” Boehner said in a written statement released as he spoke to reporters. “His teachings, prayers, and very example bring us back to the blessings of simple things and our obligations to one another.”

Pope Benedict XVI visited Washington during a trip to the US in 2008, celebrating Mass at Nationals Stadium.

The invitation to the Pope comes as ahead of a planned speech by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in front of Congress next month, as the administration stews over the appearance, which was planned against the White Houses wishes.

Boehner invited Netanyahu to a joint session of Congress to speak about a potential deal being negotiated between Iran and the United States.

Netanyahu had been expected to urge US lawmakers to pass a new sanctions bill against Iran to force to it comply with international demands it curb its nuclear program — a bill President Barack Obama strongly opposes and has vowed to veto, saying that such a move would hinder the P5+1 negotiations under way to secure a deal with Tehran. Amid the controversy over his appearance, however, Netanyahu is now thought more likely to focus on the dangers posed by Iran and to argue against a bad deal with Tehran that would leave it with a breakout capacity.

Netanyahu’s relationship with US President Barack Obama had already been famously thorny before the affair, with the leaders butting heads over how to tackle Iran’s nuclear threat.