Durbin: Congress ‘excited’ for papal visit

Posted on September 21, 2015

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said Washington is excited for Pope Francis’ visit. (Photo courtesy Facebook/Dick Durbin)

By John Gregory/Illinois Radio Network

WASHINGTON – Pope Francis will address Congress this week, possibly on a stance that many members of Congress don’t support.

Climate change will likely be the focus of Francis’ speech on Thursday. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said he’s looking forward to the address, and welcomes any help on getting more members of Congress to accept the scientific consensus that humans have contributed to climate change.

“I don’t know that one speech is going to change this national debate, but to think that people all around the world are coming to the recognition that climate change is a real threat in so many different ways, is cumulative,” Durbin said.

One member of Congress, Republican U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, is boycotting the Pope’s speech because of his calls for action on climate change. Gosar said the Pope sounds like “a leftist politician.”

For everyone else, Durbin said there’s a lot of excitement about the visit, comparing to the first inauguration of President Obama.

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