A Gazette editorial from The Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — For the first time in American history, a pope has addressed a joint session of Congress — and he pleaded for the U.S. government to follow the humane, compassionate agenda of Jesus and the Golden Rule.
Pope Francis urged America to welcome Hispanic immigrants seeking better lives, and also refugees fleeing Mideast sectarian slaughter.
“Most of us were once foreigners,” he said. “I say this to you as the son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you are also descended from immigrants.”
The pope added that, because of Mideast warfare, “our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War.” He denounced “violent conflict, hatred and brutal atrocities committed even in the name of God and of religion.” He said no church is “immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism.”
Francis urged America to provide a better safety net for the poor and homeless…