Rep. Gallego Welcomes Pope Francis
Phoenix, AZ – Congressman Ruben Gallego released the following statement welcoming Pope Francis to the United States:
"I want to welcome Pope Francis to the United States. Catholics and non-Catholics across the country recognize the importance of his Holiness– not just as a religious figure, but also as a world leader - and will be attentively listening to his message during this visit. Our agenda of fighting for economic fairness and increasing opportunity for all, taking care of our environment, and welcoming the immigrant are very much in line with the Pope's values and we hope that during his visit the Pope highlights how important it is for us to come together and work in these areas for the well-being of the American people, in particular the most vulnerable among us.
"The Pope's visit couldn't come at a better time. The division and gridlock in Congress have reached a new high, and the fight for the Republican nomination for President is out of control – calling Latinos and immigrants rapists, criminals and anchor babies, and insulting LGBT Americans, Muslims, AAPI Americans and others. We are better than that. I hope the Pope's visit, and his message of acceptance and love rings loud and clear, and that it touches the hearts of politicians across the country who are standing in the way of progress and demonizing any person they see at ‘other' or ‘different'."