Congress faces some unusual choices for this week's unusual address by Pope Francis

Pope Francis lands in Cuba, en route to the U.S.
(Image credit: Carl Court/Getty Images)

When any leader addresses a joint session of Congress — the president, every year, and foreign leaders more rarely — there is a lot of glad-handing and partisan applause and standing ovations. Pope Francis is a different kind of world leader, and that's prompted some unusual directives for the members who will attend.

"Out of respect for the pope's schedule and the expectation of a timely address, we respectfully request that you assist us by refraining from handshakes and conversations along and down the center aisle," the four top leaders of Congress — Republican and Democrat — said in a letter to members of the House and Senate late week. They added that more "dignitary protocols" were forthcoming. But whether to clap when Pope Francis calls for measures to fight climate change, or to fight abortion? "All members of Congress face a delicate balancing act," says The Associated Press. "Welcoming the pope without coming across as opportunist." For more, watch the AP video below. Peter Weber

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Continue reading for free

We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.

Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.

Peter Weber

Peter Weber is a senior editor at TheWeek.com, and has handled the editorial night shift since the website launched in 2008. A graduate of Northwestern University, Peter has worked at Facts on File and The New York Times Magazine. He speaks Spanish and Italian and plays bass and rhythm cello in an Austin rock band. Follow him on Twitter.