Around 100 Nashville Catholics have been able to get tickets to see Pope Francis at the Capitol in Washington DC.
Mustering all the pageantry the White House has to offer, President Barack Obama welcomed Pope Francis to Washington on Wednesday and credited the pontiff for setting a moral example that is “shaking us out of our complacency” with his reminders to care for the poor and the planet.
Congressman Jim Cooper and Congresswoman Diane Black each received about 50 tickets. They gave all of those to the Catholic Diocese in Nashville, which distributed them to local youth groups, Catholic high schools and priests.
Samantha Aldrich, a student Pope John Paul II High School, said she thought it was a joke.
“One day my mom texted me, ‘Do you want to see the pope?’” Aldrich said.
But it was no joke. Aldrich will be among the 40,000 on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol to watch Pope Francis speak.
No one expects the pope to mince words.
“Francis has been giving a message of love, tough love,” said Brad Peper, a theology teacher. “Typical comments are about abortion, marriage, consumerism. Can’t wait to hear him speak and what he has to say.”
Father Joe Pat Breen left the hospital to travel to Washington. Despite his health, he wants to see the man who he believes carries the future of the Catholic Church.
“I really believe Pope Francis is a godsend,” Breen said. “If he has three to five years, he is going to make a big difference in the Catholic Church.”
Most of the ticket holders will (continue reading at WSMV)