TN Rep. Chuck Fleischmann sends bipartisan letter to the House inviting Pope Leo XIV to address Congress
WASHINGTON D.C. — U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann sent a letter to Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries asking lawmakers to extend a bipartisan invitation for Pope Leo XIV to address a joint session of Congress.
Pope Leo XIV is a Chicago-born missionary who is the first North American to be elected as pope. He spent his career ministering in Peru and led the Vatican's powerful office of bishops.
In his letter, Fleischmann said Pope Leo XIV's election was a moment of "profound historic significance" for the church and the U.S. He said an address to Congress would highlight shared values like peace and moral leadership and strengthen U.S. ties with the Holy See.
“The election of Pope Leo XIV to the papacy is a historic and momentous occasion not just for Catholics across the United States but for all Americans regardless of faith or denomination," Fleischmann said. "An address to Congress and the American people by Pope Leo XIV would serve as a powerful reminder to our shared commitments to peace, service to others, and moral leadership and also reaffirm the deep and longstanding ties between the United States of America and the Holy See."
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