Confirmed: Pope will address joint session of U.S. Congress

This is unprecedented.

From the Archdiocese of Washington:

It is a great honor and tremendous joy to welcome our Holy Father, Pope Francis, to the Archdiocese of Washington during his proposed pastoral visit to the United States in September.

We rejoice with the announcement by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Honorable John Boehner, today that Pope Francis will address a Joint Session of Congress, September 24, 2015. This historic event will be a time of grace for all of us. We also look forward to the official announcement of more details of the visit.

Stay tuned.

Politico has additional details:

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), himself a Catholic, made the announcement Thursday morning.

“That day, His Holiness will be the first pope in our history to address a joint session of Congress,” Boehner said at his weekly news conference. “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.”

The news got a quick bipartisan welcome Thursday — unlike the political rancor stirred by next month’s scheduled joint address by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We are honored and overjoyed that Pope Francis, the first pontiff born in the Americas, has accepted our invitation to address a Joint Meeting of Congress during his upcoming visit to the United States,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said of the Argentinian-born pope. She added, “We are eager to welcome His Holiness to the U.S. Capitol and we look forward to hearing his call to live our values, to protect the poor and the needy, and to promote peace.”

“I am very much looking forward to welcoming Pope Francis to the United States later this year,” President Barack Obama said at a prayer breakfast Thursday.

Photo: Joint session of U.S. Congress via Wikipedia