Thousands flock to Capitol to see Pope Francis address Congress
Pope Francis arrived at the U.S. Capitol Thursday to deliver a speech before a Joint Session of Congress, the public centerpiece of a visit that has drawn tens of thousands of people to the nation's capital to see the pontiff on his first trip to the U.S.
"Your holiness, welcome," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, greeted the pope as he arrived at the Capitol Wednesday morning. "Really glad that you're here."
The galleries in the House Chamber filled to capacity ahead of the speech. In the audience are four Supreme Court justices, including Chief Justice Roberts, Justice Kennedy, Justice Ginsburg, and Justice Sotomayor.
Seventeen cabinet and cabinet-level administration officials are also present, along with at least seven presidential candidates.
House leaders are trying to prevent members from crowding the aisle in the House chamber in an attempt to get a handshake, a blessing, or even a selfie with Pope Francis as he arrives, CBS News' Nancy Cordes reports.
Leaders sent out a letter a few days ago requesting that members behave themselves, but that hasn't always worked in the past. So they've come up with a new way to try to keep order: assigning 16 members of Congress, eight from each side, to act as "enforcers." Those 16 will sit in the first two seats on either side of the aisle in the four last rows of the House chamber, where the House rank and file will be seated. Their job is to turn away any overeager lawmakers thinking of trying to squeeze past them to get closer to the Pope.
The 16 "enforcers" have been selected by their respective leaders. Some of the enforcers are Catholic, some are not.
The Associated Press estimates that tens of thousands have gathered on the front lawn of the Capitol to watch the pope's speech on Jumbotron screens.
Several people on the lawn told CBS News they hoped Pope Francis' message might bring some unity to a legislative body that often seems irreconcilably divided.
"I'm really excited to see the Holy Father speak. He's reminding us about a lot of the things Jesus talked about that I don't think are reflected in our public discourse," said Karen Wiedemann, an Episcopalian from D.C. "Our political discourse is so bizarre and disorderly right now... If he is a calming influence, someone who asks us to be our best selves, that would be great. But I'm not super optimistic."
"This pope talks more about mercy and forgiveness, and we all need to be better at that," added Jody McGinley, who traveled to Washington from Minnesota with her baby Henrietta. "The pope is in an interesting position [politically] because he agrees with one side on some issues and the other side on other issues. He has the potential to be a uniting factor."