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5 things to take away from Pope Francis' address to Congress

Sept 24, 2015

Pope Francis made history Thursday morning, becoming the first pope to address Congress.

His speech was only five pages long, but it made an impact on those who were in the House gallery, and the thousands of faithful who jammed the National Mall to watch the speech on Jumbotron.

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Here are five points to take away from the historic moment:

1. Pope Francis guided politicians, especially the members of Congress who attended the speech. He told them "Legislative activity is always based on care for the people. To this you have been invited, called and convened by those who elected you." The Holy Father went further using the story of Moses as a symbol of the job of the country's elected representatives:

"On one hand, the patriarch and lawgiver of the people of Israel symbolizes the need of peoples to keep alive their sense of unity by means of just legislation. On the other, the figure of Moses leads us directly to God and thus to the transcendent dignity of the human being. Moses provides us with a good synthesis of your work: you are asked to protect, by means of the law, the image and likeness fashioned by God on every human face."

>>Read Pope Francis' complete speech

2. Pope Francis spoke directly to the American people about building a better life for their families, as well as, as the elderly and young people of America. He said that many in the country work "each day to do an honest day's work, to bring home and to save money, and - one step at a time - to build a better life for their families."  He also said that they aren't just helping their families, but also "create organizations which offer a helping hand to those in need." As for the elderly and younger people, he wants them to speak to each other, with the older population, many of whom are still active working or volunteering, to share their stories with the younger generations. He also wants those young people to listen to the history of the country via the stories of the older generations. He also placed the blame, somewhat, on adults for the problems facing our children. "I also want to dialogue with all those young people who are working to realize their great and noble aspirations, who are not led astray by facile proposals, who face difficult situations, often as a result of immaturity on the part of many adults," he said.

3. Pope Francis highlighted four Americans: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton.

4. Pope Francis previewed his trip to Philadelphia. He will participate in the World Meeting of Families. He said the family, in a bigger sense, is threatened "from within and without. Fundamental relationships are being called into question, as is the very basis of marriage and family."

5. Pope Francis finished his speech by highlighting "the world's most vulnerable, the young."

"For many of them, a future filled with countless possibilities beacons, yet so many others seem disoriented and aimless, trapped in a hopeless maze of violence, abuse and despair. Their problems are our problems. We cannot avoid them. We need to face them together, to talk about them and to seek effective solutions rather than get bogged down in discussions."

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