FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 24, 2015
Joe Ward | jward@networklobby.org | 202.601.7871

WASHINGON – On September, Sept. 24, Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director of NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, released the following statement after being present for Pope Francis’s historic address to Congress:

Bridge the divides was Pope Francis’s key theme today. I was so moved by his reflections on our country’s history and the honoring of “great Americans” – Abraham Lincoln, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton. His reflection of liberty and unity, liberty and justice, social justice and its roots in spirituality and dialogue are challenges for our current polarized political system.

I had chills as he candidly spoke to Congress about how they have a sacred responsibility to bring together our nation and work for the common good. We know that our people are hungry for this because we heard this directly during our recent “Nuns on the Bus” trip.

During the address, I had the honor of sitting with Cindy McCain, who spoke about how her husband, Senator John McCain, is so concerned about immigration reform but is challenged to bridge the divides in his own party.

Pope Francis’s inclusive vision is indeed the American dream he spoke of. He knows what we heard on our bus trip: our people are hungering for the spirit of inclusion in our politics and economy, so “that as many young people as possible can inherit and dwell in a land which has inspired so many people to dream. God Bless America.”

NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, which educates, organizes, and lobbies for economic and social transformation, has a more than 40-year track record of lobbying for critical federal programs that support those at the margins and prioritize the common good.

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