WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) issued the following statement after Pope Francis delivered the first Papal Congressional Address in history. Menendez was part of the official Papal Congressional Host Committee that escorted the Pope into the House of Representatives.

“Pope Francis called upon our conscience as human beings. He called all of us in Congress — and everyone — to a higher purpose, and urged us to remember our responsibility to protect our families, the earth, the most vulnerable among us, and all children of God. He reminded us that, as legislators, we have the privilege and responsibility to represent all Americans and not allow anger and division to rule our politics. He told us that we should not forget the primary purpose of why we are here — to serve the people we were elected to represent, all people, every person, every family. Let us take that as the lesson from what the Pope said, and let us commit to making it part of our lives every day.”

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