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[h=4]Congress readies for historic speech by Pope Francis with high security[/h]WASHINGTON —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Before the sun rose Thursday, the U.S. Capitol was already buzzing with activity<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and security<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>as the hour neared for Pope Francis to deliver the first papal speech ever to a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>joint meeting of Congress.
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President Obama welcomed Pope Francis to the White House during the first full day of the pontiff's first trip to the United States. VPC
Secuirty is tight around the U.S. Capitol in advance of Pope Francis' speech to lawmakers Thursday, Sept. 24.(Photo: Paul Singer, USA TODAY)
WASHINGTON —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Before the sun rose Thursday, the U.S. Capitol was already buzzing with activity<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and security<span style="color: Red;">*</span>—<span style="color: Red;">*</span>as the hour neared for Pope Francis to deliver the first papal speech ever to a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>joint meeting of Congress.
The Capitol grounds are secured much like a presidential<span style="color: Red;">*</span>inauguration. Most street-level access to the building is<span style="color: Red;">*</span>closed; metal detectors have been erected outside for VIPs arriving for the speech;<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and staff and journalists are being routed through congressional office buildings that connect to the Capitol via tunnels.
A ticket to the pope's<span style="color: Red;">*</span>speech is a cherished commodity. Each lawmaker was allowed a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>guest in the gallery, and about 200 journalists will pack into the House chamber as well before the pope takes the podium.
On Wednesday,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Congress was out of session when Pope Francis<span style="color: Red;">*</span>stood beside President Obama at a White House ceremony and endorsed the president's controversial proposal to dramatically cut carbon emissions from power plants over the next 15 years. Republicans have warned that Obama's plan would eliminate jobs and slow the U.S. economy with limited environmental impact.
On Thursday, the pope<span style="color: Red;">*</span>comes before the full House and Senate at 10 a.m eastern time<span style="color: Red;">*</span>with a message that many expect to be similar, though some Republicans have urged him to stay out of such hot-button topics.
Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, refused to be dragged into a discussion about the pope's themes all week.
"The Pope will speak in English. He will not use a teleprompter. That’s all I know about the speech, and all I need to know, frankly," he said in an essay posted Wednesday on Medium. "There’s been so much talk about what the Pope will say, and whether he’ll address this or that ... The Pope transcends all of this. He appeals to our better angels and brings us back to our daily obligations. The best thing we can all do is listen, open our hearts to his message and reflect on his example."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., posted a video Thursday welcoming the pope to Congress.
South Dakota Sen. John Thune,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, said Tuesday, "The pope is a man of God, who has given his life to serving the Lord and to serving the least among us. We may have some different opinions on some of the issues that he'll bring up, but we recognize the importance of the pope's visit here, and we'll look forward to giving him the utmost respect when he visits the Capitol."
USA TODAY
Speaker John Boehner has tried to get pope to Capitol for 20 years
USA TODAY
With pope arriving, can Congress behave? Lawmakers fret about decorum
"It's not as if we are keeping score 'is the pope with you or against you,'" said California Rep. Xavier Becerra, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. "He is going to say some things that I am not necessarily supportive of, but that's not the point — the point is he is elevating the discussion."
Becerra said meeting the pope is especially powerful for<span style="color: Red;">*</span>him as a Latino and the son of immigrants. He was also tapped to be part of the escort committee that accompanies the pope into the House chamber. Becerra's father has been in poor health, "so that was kind of special to give him that news," the congressman said.
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