congress. guest is paul vallely. host: security reparations are underway for the arrival of pope francis in washington dc. he will hold a series of it events including address to congress. for more information, no to our website c-span.org. addresse francis does "he lawmakers, "roll call reporting that there will be senators on hand who act as blocking tackles who are there

to restrain their colleagues if they attempt to reach out to touch the pope. democrats, (202) 748-8000. for republicans (202) 748-8001. , (202) 748-8002 . you can post your thoughts on twitter at @cspanwj. and on our facebook page at facebook.com/cspan. the visit begins today and he begins -- men's in maryland. he will be greeted by president obama and the first lady. events listed for the pope's visit including wednesday a series of events including a stop at the white house for a welcoming ceremony at 8:45. at 4:00 in the afternoon a massive shrine and thursday it

is that joint meeting of congress in which pope francis will address the body. that will be a 10:00 in the morning. to let us know more about this visit to the united states joining us on the phone is angela from bloomberg's news. she is there white house correspondent. could you tell us what the white house is hoping to gain from this visit? is hoping tohouse gain a lot. it just so happens that the agendas of the president and the pope are very much in line. these are the things that president obama wants to focus on during his last 1.5 years as president. they will talk about climate change. the pope wrote his encyclical that was published where he called on the world to address i'm a change.

they will also talk about income inequality. it is something the president has been finding more ways to lift up the lowest rungs of society. also talk about world events. the pope has called on countries to do more. the next thing on the agenda will be the middle east. the pope has given his support for the nuclear deal that the u.s. is trying to get approved and they will probably talk about ways to a dress the ongoing violence in the middle east with isil. >> since the pope will be visiting at the white house take us behind the scenes of the events. what will you see that we don't

see? >> tomorrow morning the pope starts his public appearances in washington at the white house so he will be greeted at an elaborately rival -- arrival ceremony at the white house on the south lawn. that is the back of the white house with a big lawn. the pope will come there and have a ceremony much akin to what you would see for a state visit for a head of state. it isn't technically a state visit but in terms of pop and circumstance it is even bigger. the white house has ticketed somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 people to be there for the ceremony. we expect to hear a few words then thepresident and pope will head inside to meet privately with the president in the oval office and when he comes back out, he will do what is called up people parade along

the and he will ride in the pope mobile for the few blocks of the streets that surround that side of the white house. who is a chance for people don't have tickets to get a glimpse of the pope in the pope mobile. >> who generally gets invited by the president? usual it is a lot of the giving out of tickets from the white house. they will give tickets to members of congress and cabinet secretaries. and lots of people with connection to the white house, white house staffers and families. the same sort of people that would get tickets to any white house event. obviously it is a difficult ticket to get but there are

other ticketed events that tickets were given out for for the u.s. conference of catholic bishops. speaks ine pope washington, those tickets were given out separately and at the capitol, members of congress were famously given one ticket apiece to give to somebody to see the pope. so in some ways the white house lawn ticket is the easier ticket to get. that joint session takes place thursday. there is a story in roll call where members of congress are there to ask -- act as blocking tackles. this could be a first? edicts fors a funny members of congress to have their behavior checked in advance but anybody who is watched the state of the union, you will see the president come

in and when he comes in there are members of congress along both sides of the aisle and they will reach out and grabbed the president and what to say a word to him and those people get their seats hours ahead of time in the house chamber. so what the leaders of congress want is a scene not like that for the pope. they want the pope to be about to walk down the aisle and not take the 10 minutes it takes for the president to walk down the aisle. pope comes in he will not be hearing from all those members of congress. host: that is angela from bloomberg news talking about the pope's visit which begins today in washington. our time,mainder of your thoughts on pope francis. (202) 748-8000 for democrats. (202) 748-8001 for republicans.

(202) 748-8002 for independents. let's start with ted on the independent line. bestr: this is one of the hopes with got for a long time. mans a very good and humble and he speaks about the poor and the weak. i want him in america to speak about raising the relationship with the united states. of their spend much time in jail. he should be a voice for those people. we want to hear it from the pope because the politicians are hiding and running away from such issues. i want the pope to speak on behalf of the urban youth. we won his message to inspire the young generation so we can

at least try to address this situation in america. host: scott from arizona, go ahead. i want to talk about the fact that the pope understands relationships versus religion aspect, we have to theretand that implementing film, color and digitalization improving everyone's life. we are having a great debate right now regarding religion and who should be president but the fact is that jesus was not about that. host: do you consider yourself a catholic? no.

i grew up in the south and as you know, even in south carolina the historical church was first to offer forgiveness to an individual who took nine lives senselessly and we can learn from that. host: pope francis begins his visit to the united states. when it comes to the history of papal visits, we have information saying that pope francis is the fourth pope to visit the united states and the third to meet with the president of the u.s.. pope the 10th time the visits the u.s. and paul the sixth benedict was the most recent visit in 2008. when you look at catholics in united states, that is 25% of

the u.s. population that can identify themselves as catholic. representing 1.2 billion catholics worldwide. 3 million fewer catholics than 13% of those consider themselves former catholics and for every convert, six leave the church and overall the catholic religion is relatively stable when it comes to others. when it comes to the joint meeting that you can see thursday he was invited i speaker john boehner and is the first pontiff to speak at a joint meeting. when it comes to the breakdown of catholics in the senate and when you go to the house, 137 catholics in the house.

one member of congress has decided he will not attend the pope's visit. issues of climate change is the reason he has decided not to attend the event. capitol is currently undergoing security checks and other things in anticipation of that joint event. you heard that other events are .lanned including a parade visit talking about the and we will talk about other aspects of it through the morning. (202) 748-8000 for democrats. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. (202) 748-8002 for independents. if you want to give your thoughts on the visit that happens today.

these pages talk about how the catholic lobby is planning for this visit as well and using it lobbyists see themselves as pushing for more humane treatment of migrants rather than as traditional edgington power players but they also weighed in on the political debates including the environment, health care, immigration. their support is coveted even as polls show that americans are becoming more secular. it goes on to say that the sprawling catholic lobby is unified. many catholic groups collaborate ticking and aim it economic equality but some issues such as health care coverage and abortion rights show a stark divide. ahead. indiana, go about us getting

liveser and making all hateful as oneng group of people tend to be. i think love and getting along with each other and respecting one another is going to be hopefully a big part of this visit. host: what about issues of equality or climate change, do you want the pope to address them? >> he could mention it. sure.not a scientist for he could mention it. host: donald, up next in san antonio texas. the democrat line. >> i was calling to speak about of everyonem sick

calling host: go ahead. >> i'm sick of everyone calling should nothe pope come because he is speaking about climate change. weryone should understand all serve different religions but we should all be serving one god and i am sick of the toiticians using religion benefit things they want to go their way. we should stop using religion to disrupt this country and believe in one god. host: john in maryland. go ahead.

caller: i am so upset. this man has absolutely no right whatsoever to address our political body. a this man is supposed to be preacher. what is he going to say to our congress that has not been said by so many others throughout this world from every type of education and a socialization program that there is. he has not said anything that somebody else hasn't said the four. my theory is that what he is going to do is get there and tell congress that they should legislate a day of worship that ofl only enforce the edicts the catholic church. i sure hope that barack obama don't bow down and kiss his ring. been studying the bible of jesus christ for 30 years and i have not seen this man do one thing but everyone is getting him all the credit. plainly tells us

there is only one medium between man and god that is jesus christ. nobody can forgive sins but god himself. if this man can forgive sins why doesn't he heal somebody? prove he had the power to forgive sin he also heal the man that he for dave. host: would you have these feelings if it were any type of religious leader? caller: no religious leader has the right to oppress our political system, because he is not going there to talk about politics, he is going there to ask them to endorse his edict of sunday worship. he will call for a day of worship to ask families to come together and it's going to be a sunday day. , some of the see

preparations going on around the capital before the joint address by the pope. that takes place on thursday. caller: i agree with what that gentleman was saying. i also think it is a good thing to put as coming here light on the struggles that people are facing. i think that what the cuban government did by releasing the prisoners before the pope's visit was a good thing and this thing that our president would do something similar. i was thinking pedro that could be something that c-span could do, have a conversation about

the release of prisoners for the papal visit here. to have people call in to talk about that. is supposed to be coming to minneapolis to meet with one of the people here. mary joke, he does work for a lot of the work people here. i'm glad he is here just to shine a light on the challenges that people are facing. when you mentioned the list of things he will bring attention to, but you didn't mention prison reform. great ift would be that is one of the questions to ask the listeners. host: that is val in minneapolis.

there's a poll of the american catholics that the pope has taken on issues. 53% say they approve strongly in the direction the pope is taking the catholic church. than once aass less week. conservatives 58% and overall their opinion of pope francis, 57% of those saying they have a positive opinion of the pope. randy in michigan we will talk to louise in tampa florida. the forget it is today that the pope lands in maryland. he will be greeted by the president and the first lady at about 3:45 this afternoon. there will be a white house welcoming ceremony at four clock p.m.. and then thursday, that adjusts to the joint meetings of congress. louise from florida, go ahead,

you are on. message's is one of inclusiveness, and tolerance. it seems to me that it is mostly republicans who do not like the pope's message. they probably wouldn't like christ's message. i understand some republicans will try to block the visit or why cut it. this is unbelievable. the pope never said he is against capitalism, he said he is against extreme capitalism where profit is above people. we have a former governor jeb bush, he said something a few weeks ago regarding the pope and he is supposed to be catholic. he is involved in politics he should not be the pope. i don't want my bishop to talk about economics and then bush said i will withhold my judgment

until i hear more of what he has to say. he is going to judge the pope? this is the arrogance of the republicans. this is a good man with a wonderful message. him and i am of just so angry because they would be against christ, the republicans. they would boycott him. host: randy from michigan, high there. >> good morning pedro i would like to thank you and all the folks behind the scenes we don't see for bringing this great program. from the less color i am a democrat and i have been a lifelong democrat my whole life. i am uncomfortable with the pope's visit, not to the nation but to address our congress.

i'm not against religious people that i've never understood it. how can there be just one god and all of these people telling me that if i don't believe what a catholic believes i will go to hell you if i don't believe what a lutheran believes i will go to hell. if i don't believe what a buddhist believe stash it sounds like i'm going to hell. but politics and religion has to be kept separate. deal with people who work on just a belief. we have to deal with facts. i know that he is a good man and all that. but i have a problem with it. babbling, but i cannot address it and some good about it. thank you for allowing me to speak. host: let's hear from mike in richmond, virginia. republican line. caller: i am sort of annex

catholic myself. pope -- i amthe sort of an ex-catholic myself. i appreciate the pope's intentions and people who feel the purpose of faith should be to make a better world. but it looks to me that scripture tells us the mission of the church is to reconcile people to god, not to necessarily change the political .tructure of nations if the pope once to do something about getting nations to make a kingdom of god, a kind of wish he would take a plan land in tehran. to do a little finger wagging at the ayatollah. that might be a little more constructive. host: in the lead up to the

visit, the house speaker boehner tweeting out what tickets look like. map.icket included a particularly around the capital and other parts of washington, d.c. as the visit progresses. these are the stops on the visit, the church of saint matthew and the other places. we are talking about the visit and getting your thoughts on it. mary in chicago, you are up next. i'm glad that he is coming here and talking to congress people. america needs it. when you listen to a lot of people that colin on c-span,

them shocked because the people who say they are christian sound so mean and nasty. they don't sound like christians and he is not intervening into the political. with politics they are always talking about they are christian and they cannot do this because they are christian, so they already put religion into politics which it should never be. i say america needs prayer. i am not a catholic, but i love this man. host: in the washington journal, he writes about, there will be many attempts incoming ace to dissect his ideology and to

discern whether his scathing criticism of capitalism's flaws call for combating global warming and whether it makes him a better-carrier for liberals but that shows the fundamental way he is trying to up and the status quo with his own political system. it is not an ideology but his assertion that his church's establishment has lost its way focusing on laws and rules and its own perpetuation while forgetting that the vatican's main mission is to lead a kind of compassionate global parish. isabella, you are next, good morning. caller: i just wanted to respond to a prior color who had who had with -- caller problems with the pope addressing congress. i think it is wonderful. it's no different than the dalai lama coming. spreading religion but

ideas that are fundamental to all of us to live in a better world and to be more human to each other. i'm thrilled he is coming. rudy from ontario, canada. caller: thank you for allowing me to talk. necessary for our country in terms of talking to each other. aboutan is not talking political ideology. he is a roman catholic. that in itself is a way of looking at the world. i am a cultural catholic. i was raised by a very devout mother.

he showed me that we do have to sacrifice ourselves and this -- [indiscernible] different -- he is different than the prosperity preachers. all of them who say that you have to pay to get to heaven. that was a problem the church had in the 12th century. host: how do you compare this pope to the previous pope? caller: it is like day and night. this pope is not anti-anything. he is trying to learn and trying to include. the previous popes were all of them coke s's and communists.

that's what i'm listening to now. [inaudible] i'm not saying the american people, but the american government. they needed the cubans for the nixon strategy. republicans had the cuban who -- vote locked down. the cuban lobby was as strong as the china lobby. those days are over. writingchard rogers that pope francis has proved to

be a force for good in the world which has not always been true of the papacy. he wants us to stop worshiping capitalism. were going to the phone lines. can e-mail us at journal@c-span.org. the new york times highlights one of the events that will take place here. in washington he will canonize a saint on american soil in an ritualtely choreographed climaxing with the pontiff's petitioning the father, son and holy spirit to add a name to the divine catalog. it is the reverend junipero se rra.

a bone fragment of father sarah has been -- father serra has been shipped from los angeles and another cardinal designed the embroidery for the vestments that the pope will wear and father serra's mass. there are other stories taking a look at this visit. david from tulsa, oklahoma. i think it is a wonderful thing that the pope is coming to the united states. the poor deserve to be treated with unity. he's a pope that is gone to prison to visit with of those who are serving time in prison. respect a great deal of time emphasizing how we treat the poorest of the poor.

earlier that discussion of capitalism. capitalism we forget about the war and i think wanted to care for the poor and treat the poor with dignity. i think that is the message that i will take from pope francis's visit. host: the republican line, go ahead. caller: good morning. i strongly disagree with the pope and his recent stand on economics. capitalism has done more to lift poor people throughout the world and out of poverty than any other form of economics or government.

saying, it has been around for hundreds of years. wherever you find the catholic church, you find poverty. there is a lot to be said about it. to the government, capitalism is a sad and pathetic thing. i strongly disagree with the pope. he certainly knows better than that that nature is run basically by god, not by american automobiles. that is what i have to say, god bless you. >> we are talking about the visit but other things of note , including theut campaign of scott walker coming to an end yesterday.

saying that on monday morning a group of advisers huddled with scott. the top of the agenda -- pulling in fundraising. shortly after the meeting wrap, he arrived at his decision that he was out. they opened opportunities for rivals to pick up staff and supporters. had been planted five nights earlier in simi valley when walker spoke less than any other candidate on the debate stage. little of the event with scott walker announcing he was pulling out of the race. we think that people create jobs, not the government. the best way is to get the government away and building from the ground up.

the way to measure the success of the government is by how many people are no longer dependent on the government. we are the party that believes a strong military leads to ace through strength and with that we will protect our children and future generations and good will ultimately triumph over evil. we are a party that believes in the american people, not the federal government. these ideas will help us win next fall and they will make our country great again. the debate on these kind of issues, it will require leadership to in church yesterday, the pastor's words reminded me that the bible is full of stories about people who are called to be leaders in unusual ways. today, i believe that i am being called to lead by helping to so that afield

positive and conservative message can rise to the top. with this in mind i will suspend my campaign immediately. i encourage other republican presidential candidates to consider doing the same so that the government can focus on a limited number of candidates who can offer a positive and conservative alternative to the current front runner. this is fundamentally important to the future of the party and our country. hear from robert in washington, d.c. on the independent line. caller: he was going to be coming to my area and they'd made a lot of preparations over not too much into the catholics or their ideology.

was national geographic in 1986, july if i am not mistaken and they have an article called the 15 denominations of the catholic church. copal, and alls other branches of the catholic church but they have a history that lasts a couple thousand and there's like almost 100 million deaths. america,south america, canada and they pretty much converted a lot of people with a lot of death

that occurred behind the church re people into catholicism. host: let's hear from max. catholic and i and/or the whole indoctrination is,what i find disingenuous capitalism is approached in a way where the pope would say that greed is bad and the worship as money -- of money is bad that the problem is there is natural law involved with all societies and he should know that being a scholar, he is from catholics group of that theserstands other forms of government are far more idealistic than capitalism.

capitalism usually just deals with the natural order of things. it does raise people out of poverty. if you look at more hard lined idealistic forms of government they forget -- prevent people from moving up in a liberal fashion. i have to agree with the color beforehand that it seems he is more interested in having people be subjected to his beliefs. believes if people to give up any aspirations for a higher theys in society that would be more interested in what the catholic church is teaching because they would have the humility to listen to the philosophy of jesus rather than their own individual velocity. so it's kind of that the catholic church comes into conflict with ours because we believe in the individual rather

than the collective conscious and i will leave it there. host: a couple of tweets. this is robert simpson saying i am not religious but i would rather have a manner he's addressing congress then someone promoting war. >> we will hear next from sue in robbinsville illinois, hello. thank god want to say for journalism like washington journal. i appreciate what you all do. i wanted to say that i would like the pope to address the issues of life. a divisives been issue in our country for at iast four decades now and think it is inconsistent with the church's position opposing

birth control. science needs to have to use for preventing unintended pregnancy and preventing abortion. of capitalhe issue punishment as well as promulgating more. i think those issues are linked to the protection of life and the church, in terms of its across the world for women's plannednd by the way parenthood in protecting women's countries trying in where there is high percentages very highcs but yet percentages of abortions. it's a very inconsistent position with catholics in this

country who oppose the use of birth control. (202)nk for democrats 748-8000. -- host: forns democrats (202) 748-8000. for republicans (202) 748-8001. for independents (202) 748-8002. john cornyn talking about it today on the senate floor. the pain capable unborn child protection act. he says that at 20 weeks of gestation, and unborn child is without a doubt a life. curtail theuld horrifying practices depicted in the videos we have seen over the summer.

it was on the floor yesterday. the people you will hear from our the senators of arkansas and dianne feinstein of california. toit is past time participate in this barbaric practice. i strongly support the pain capable unborn protection act and urge my fellow senators to do the same. this legislation was stop the abortion of babies 20 weeks and older. i understand that abortion creates strong feelings on both sides of the question tonight knowledge that reasonable able to secrete what the wisdom and morale at he of early, first term abortions but i am mystified why we cannot come to rather -- come together to agree to protect babies who cannot -- who can survive outside the will. >> a woman's ability to make her

own health care decision is under sustained and unrelenting attacks and most of them by men and historically, it is always been interesting to me to see that some of the most vocal and most sustained voices are male voices and all women have asked is to be able to control their own reproductive system. as a result, more than one in three american women live in a county without a single health care provider that offers abortion services. today these services are unavailable for millions of low income women in the country, just the way it was when i was young and we had to pass the plate at stanford so a woman could go to tijuana for an abortion and many of us felt that she would kill herself if that didn't happen. women are once again turning to

unsafe methods much as they did before roe v wade. host: watch c-span2 for more about that vote. you are talking about the visit of pope francis to the united states. caller: it is kind of hypocritical for the vatican and the pope to walk around denouncing capitalism. i think this man comes around and pedals the idea about global warming, trying to influence everyone to start accepting gay rights. he is more like the water boy for carrying on the liberal agenda. , jim on the republican line, hello.

i have heard the comments negative toward capitalism on this program that the pope as expressed the fact that it is the perfect. everybody knows it isn't perfect but i would like to remind the listeners that the only alternative to a change in a socialist government is armed insurrection. violent revolution. progressing that weight that is the way of the future of the united states and you say -- it couldn't happen in the united states? it already has happened. i point out the example of the bunny ranch in nevada where a government told a rancher he could no longer use grazing lands that his family had use for over 100 years. civiliansted in

blocking the epa, or whoever the government forces were. they were armed and civilians were armed and there are reports that if this had gone on for 30 more minutes that bullets would be flying and you would witness the first armed insurrection against the government in the united states. so don't even think it couldn't happen here. it might happen here faster than anywhere else. cite another example, the difference between capitalism and socialism. volkswagen has been cited for cheating on epa standards and they are going to be find -- fined in the order of $18 billion. they are being forced to clean up their act.

what if volkswagen were produced by the united states government? alternative.e no there would be nothing that anybody could do but blowup holdings and chase people out of offices. if you want the way of america to go toward socialism i want to let you know what the future lies for you. host: that is the last call we will take on this topic. coming up, we will hear with hope francis more about his visit and other issues. on the author of pope francis the struggle for the soul of catholicism. more about that visit in washington today. this will take place after this.

>> today i am a reporter for nbc for -- nbc 4. they said that is his seat all the time. i said, mr. mayor, i have been to club 55. don't you realize people watch where you go? they said you said there all the time to watch naked dancing girls. phonewas a pause on the and he said, it's nice, isn't it? tom sherwood on the political corruption in maryland, d.c. and virginia. >> i think 24 attorneys general signed a letter saying they agreed with governor mcdonald, that what he did was politics and not bribery. that he should've reportedly gifts. $15,000 for a child's wedding.

$70,000 loans. the problem was that bob macdonald had been considered potentially a vice presidential candidate and was in over his head. this is another case where you are a public figure and you let your messy private life combined together. et anday night at 8:00 pacific on c-span's "q&a." of booknature feature tv is our all-day coverage of book fairs and festivals from across the country with top nonfiction authors. in early october, the southern festival of books in nashville. the weekend after that life and austin for the texas book festival. near the end of the month we cover two on the same weekend. the wisconsin book festival in madison and on the east coast, the boston book festival. at the start of november we will

be in portland oregon for word stock. followed by the national book awards from new york city. at the end of november we are live from florida for the miami book fair international. that is a few of the fares and testicles this fall on book tv. "washington journal" continues. host: our first guest of the morning is representative been -- representative brendan boyle. welcome to c-span. guest: after all the years of watching it is great to be here in person. now that it is finally here it is a very exciting time. and i'ment philadelphia getting kind of a double dose of the pope francis's excitement and hysteria. i would say especially in

the world meeting of families and the speech to congress and the speech to the you when has all been added as part of it. more than anything else i would say the excitement it has brought and reignited a spiritual awakening and a lot of people. i can say ast someone born and raised as a practicing catholic that the last decade or so between the abuse scandals it is not been the greatest time in the history of the church. to see this new pope come in and to see the excitement with it and to see that he authentically practices what he preaches and to see what a humble man he is and to have him here in the united states is very exciting and i think that there are a lot of people who feel that way regardless of their religion. say about do you

critics and say the pope should address topics of faith and world and not necessarily these others? guest: i would challenge that whole dichotomy. that is pretty common. my entire lifetime we have had the united states where we say there are moral issues and then economic issues but this hope says all issues have a moral prism through which whenan look at them to you're still living in poverty, that is a moral issue. i think he is going to address all of these. he is neither a democrat or republican. he will say some things that make republicans uncomfortable and democrats uncomfortable. i think we should all be clear right and -- clear eyed and openhearted and open-minded. i think it is good to have him here.

anything that links democratic members of congress and republican members of congress is a good ring. when you have so much partisanship, it is nice to have a reason to bring members of congress together. guest is the representative of philadelphia. is (202)for democrats 748-8000. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. (202) 748-8002 for independents. this is your first year in congress? guest: it is. host: what has it been like so far? guest: i have to be careful how i answer that. a lot of people will say is it really as bad as it seems. legislature for six years and in many ways that was great reparation. it is two different jobs that happened to be combined in one.

there is job in washington where you deal with matters of public policy and the budget and legislation and then when you're back home in the district it is a different job. dealing with any sort of local development issue. pretty much anything that comes down the pike that affects 7500 people, that is now your issue. so that is sort of a two well he that i am familiar with as having been a state legislator and i am pretty acclimated to that. as far as the climate in washington, i served in the private sector in state government and the federal government. i work in the defense department. there are good people and bad people in every profession and the overwhelming majority of people i work with are good people attempting to do it right.

that is the same for democrats and republicans and that is a message that probably does not get out to -- get out. as farhere do you stand as the issues when it comes to spending caps and things? guest: there is no economic argument in favor of a government shutdown. it is a complete loser for all sides and all americans. it costs more money to do a shutdown than to have the government running. there is no argument for a government shutdown. it is insane that it happened two years ago. boehner that speaker and the republican senate leader mitch mcconnell might be held hostage by a relatively small minority of their caucuses would be wrong and would not be in the interests of the american people. solution,the overall i would like to see spending caps lifted and a bipartisan compromise, where you finally

address some of the long-term fiscal challenges. meaning we can spend more specifically a nation's infrastructure. sitting in the middle of the northeast corridor in pennsylvania, our structure needs are dire. not just in pennsylvania but nationwide. we have been dramatically underfunding infrastructure in this country for 34 years. us of the things that caused to leave the world for years ago was our infrastructure and right now we are not even rated in the top 20. spending more on infrastructure, making sure that we have our defense needs adequately addressed and at the same time ensuring we are taking steps today to avoid trouble down the line. host: here is judy from

danville, virginia. go ahead. >> i like you guys and everyone else to know that the catholic church devised an economic thatm in the 19th century sounded very much like socialism. nobody would be more than 10 times wealthier than the poorest person. to close most of the factories because competitive work took the soul and to bring back the employment guilds from the middle ages that cut most people off from higher education and to give each man a raise upon the birth of each child. family ideal catholic would be limited at 10 to 14 children and for parents to educate their children rather than any type of school system which would tell me if your parents were functionally illiterate.

is not surprising, but the real thing that i would like to comment on is that most catholics have one foot in each camp. the basic catholic position is to be for life, against abortion and against the death penalty and yet support the poverty community. many catholics go through great guilt if they vote for democrats. i would like to know, representative, then i will get off the phone and listen. guest: first of all, the historical points at the beginning where interesting, obviously. the modern context, no one is talking about moving in that direction. as far as her larger point at the end, it is accurate to say that neither political party in

the united states fully agrees with catholic social teachings. i think on the vast majority of issues, the director -- the democratic party better outlines than the republican party. on a few obvious issues, the republican party embraces the catholic argument, and there have been -- i think of the last 20-30 years conservative politicians have taken great advantage of that and then been silent on the vast majority of social justice issues where there philosophy does not line up with catholic teachings. there's nothing in common ayn rand and catholic social teaching matters. even though i am a democrat, i would conceive that when it comes to catholic social teaching, neither political party is fully consistent. y, on issues, such as abortion, where does your belief

system aligned with your belief on abortion as a politician? guest: i will tell you flat out that as a more batter, you should not use abortion as another form of birth control. where the pro-life movement loses me is the idea that you suddenly make abortion illegal would not reduce the number of abortions and would increase the number of women who suffer health difficulties. that is not my opinion, that is the world experience. what is interesting is if you look at the countries around the world, a slight majority of them make abortion illegal, the rest may get legal. roughly half of the population lives in countries where does legal, and half of the population lives where does illegal.- where it is happen, but they happen underground. what you see is the mortality rate of women is far greater in

those countries where abortion is illegal. i should point out that in the with thecountries wher lowest abortion rates, abortion is legal. genuinely and sincerely pro-life, i wish, would join with me and actually seeing universal health care and some sort of robust financial program and community program that actually could help us practice what we preach. from chuck is a democrat pennsylvania. you are next. caller: thank you for taking my call. congressman boyle, a quick question. are you concerned that the papal

visit will be made to political by colleagues on both sides of the aisle? that's it. it is a very good point. pope francis is not a politician. he is a world leader. he is the head of the catholic church, and the spiritual leader of over one billion catholics worldwide. it is interesting how many of politics attempt to force on him their specific political point of view. i hope we do not just treat this as another sort of political donald trump is- the story last week and pope francis will be the story this week, next week, it will be on to the government shutdown. that would diminish the power of the pope's message and was special time this is for american catholics. my dad remembers when i was two years old, i unfortunately don't have a memory of it, but when , pope john paul

ii, came to philadelphia as part of his american visit. again experiencing here. it is a very exciting time. that should be the focus, more so than politics. host: will you attend visits and philadelphia? guest: i will. .e're calling this pope week i'm honored to be part of the official welcoming family for pope francis. the very next day, he will speak in front of congress. i will be on the house floor for that speech. saturday and sunday i will be attending a number of the papal including what will be an historic speech at independence hall. host: (202) 748-8000 for democrats. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. .202) 745-8002 for independents on the republican line, here is read from washington. caller: good morning. i was there to say good morning

to represent a boil and asked him a question. where i would like to ask is what about us in society that believe in something -- we are agnostic. i personally do not subscribe to any organized religion. i will not digress into methodological theological perspective, but what i'm saying is as in the dos a person, i do not want to see any religious ander even greeted by american politician with a president. i'm not for difficult christianity, for safe -- per se. in the book, in the manual, it says that god made man in his own image. i am agnosticons, . i believe, by do not worship. anduld like to say, from

partisan perspective, why would boo at their convention at the message of god, but because this pope believes in their agenda of global warming and anti-capitalism, they embrace them. guest: just as a point of fact, i was seleka at the last convention, and at no time did anybody at the convention boo when god was mentioned. in fact, we had the invocation, and at the end, the closing cardinal dolan. just actually, that is incorrect. art ofas people who th at faith or no fai all, i am mindful of the fact percentage of the country is not catholic. certainly, no one is try to force upon others their specific

point of view. something that has been very little talked about as part of pope francis' coming to the usa being the first pontiff to speak before congress, just how historic this is -- for most, speaking ina pope front of congress, it would have not been welcome, and caused a riot. it has been such an anti-catholic sentiment in the herehistory that is coming is a mark of how far we have come. i was looking at the washington monument, on my way over here, and that tells a story of anti-catholicism in the u.s. the vatican had donated a stone, as many countries did to the washington monument, and the know nothings, as they were nicknamed at the time, that they cap at seven time, broke into n monument, and

story because they did not want anything catholic to be touching the washington monument. imagine what they would think today as americans, of baltimore -- of all different welcoming the pope.the po completelyis appropriate for our leaders to leaders. these faith host: what about the congressman he will skips sc -- the speech because of the post position on climate change? guest: i think no one should boycott the speech. it is his decision. as members of congress, we should all be there.

catholic of us who are , it would be a good idea to not snuff the pope, regardless of .ho the pope is i will not boycott the speech. i would rather choose after life insurance, and not boycott the pope and my church. host: from florida, the republican line. caller: thank you for taking my call. i just want to say that it is an honor that the pope is coming to visit us. i think it is really nice that he is going to also come to the white house and talk about that the earth and how we, as citizens and religious people, who value our environment should be open to ways that we can protect ourselves, and others. i am a republican. my father was a physical oceanography.

i understand that there's a lot of controversy about global warming or climate change, or whatever they're calling it now. it has changed over the years. i think we need to be open to ideas where capitalism is responsible to the environment and to people. it is just real basic erie i think people are overreacting. man is an intelligent human being. i think he might have some ideas on how we could do this more responsibly. guest: thank you for the call. what is very interesting about what she said is she mentioned she is a republican. one of the exciting things that has been going on recently is the rise of republicans interested in defending the environment and taking action. you see that specifically among

the evangelical community, and a spiritual perspective. you see the also among some in the catholic community as well. as someone who' sincerely believes this is god's creation, i think we have a responsibility to take care of it and pass on to future generations. at the same time, i believe in capitalism, and it is no contradiction between the two. we can ensure that we are doing better on the environment. inare the world leaders innovation. the idea that we will create this foster economy -- this dichotomy -- we can have both your leaders and innovation. mika do the right thing and also still goodwell -- we can do the right thing and also still do well and do good.

affectompanies capitalism in the long run. is there an idea that you can put in rules to affect climate change, but it will affect capitalism in the long run? guest: if you are talking about carbon caps, that is actually an attempt to have a market solution to this problem. the idea that those companies -- and there are those acting responsibly and are polluting far less -- the idea that they could turn around and sell that on the market and profit, it uses a market in the ,ense to spur innovation growth, and reward those companies that are doing the right thing in terms of the environment. this is a problem that affects all of us on the planet, not just americans. we are 5% of the world population.

this might be, in some ways, awkward for us, as the world's needmic leader, but we do to insist to the world that they do their part. china is one of the biggest polluters in the world. they might say, you had 150 years to jumpstart your economy, it is only fair that we have 150 years to pollute. we cannot stand for that. i suspect that if we knew what today, we would have it acted differently. if we do not do our part, we cannot exercise our leadership. host: do you think the president will press time of change with the chinese president's visit this week? guest: i hope so. if you look at the environmental degradation and own country, it is remarkable. the number of days for the error so bad, it affects people's breathing.

this is not some hypothetical problem. this is a problem that we actually seeing today. that is the case in china, and also to a lesser degree, in the united states. we have places in south beach, miami that are flooding, even where there is no rain, because of high tides. the same thing, we are seeing in virginia. the fact that the seas are low-lyingaffect areas. this is not fantasy or is there, it is dealing with reality. host: our guest is represented by the boyle of pennsylvania, a democrat joining us talking about the pope's visit. the c-span cameras are there as krugman set out for the events that will take place over the next few days. we will take the next call, jim from tennessee. caller: hello. god bless america. will use hispe

moral leadership to address abortion. hello? guest: we can hear you. caller: ok. think the facti that there are an awful lot of baby children being killed in ands country is something -- the church believes it too, i will somehow try to reduce those numbers. also, on climate change, care of the environment is certainly a spiritual concerned. the last people in the world that should be doing anything about it is the united states congress. you know what most people's opinion is of congress, and it is for good reason. most of the things they do

bad. when the government does anything, it is backed up by force. that has, usually, some unintended consequences. one of the things, for example, that congress did was ethanol. i don't think it has done anything but cause problems to the environment. that was supposed to improve the environment. i think that best thing you could do, spiritually, is keep your hands off. guest: thank you. i appreciate the caller from tennessee. he does point out that congress is not exactly the most popular body in the world today. i think the approval rating is somewhere in the low teens. i have only been here 8-9 months, so don't quite put all of that on my shoulders yet. despite the unpopularity of congress, i sincerely believe that there are things the government can do proactively to

make positive change. i point out specifically the environment. we are a far healthier society today because of pieces of legislation that happened 45 years ago. there is actually no doubt about it. the delaware river, the potomac river, these of rivers that have became so dirty and polluted 50 years ago, they actually caught on fire. now they are healthier than they were in the last decades, or century. the fact that we have reduced the amount of pollution. we have cleaner air. these are areas where we have made a great deal of success. you don't hear much about the ozone layer anymore. that is because that is a problem that we largely solved. that was a big environmental problem when i was a kid. i think the spirit of america is solving problems.

people are coming together, working hard, and solving it, and moving on to the next thing. yes, it does take american leadership. that means that congress, as imperfect as it may be, it is the system that the founding fathers gave us. i still put my faith in hamilton, madison, and the founding fathers. it wasgh was was once -- once joked that democracy is the form a government, it is what we have, and it can make a difference. host: our next caller from maryland. caller: my call is about the hate that exists since this president became the president. president obama. the republicans who still believe he is not american, that he is muslim. deciduous,ve the

those in congress, republicans, who also hit him. him.so hate i hope the pope can address that hate and encourage both sides to work together. they don't mind shutting down the government or letting the government defaults on credit. it is really embarrassing to the world. can pray forpe them, or something, and hopefully you can walk together for the good of the people. guest: let me say, this will be very blunt -- i think questioning whether or not the president is even american is a disgrace. i may be young, but i'm pretty old-fashioned. when it comes to the president of the united states, show him more respect. yes, he is an american citizen.

whether you be a conservative, liberal, or somewhere in between, we should all have respect for the office of the presidency. i happen to be a democrat, and i support president obama. i did not vote for george bush, and i thought it was a disgrace that people said he might be mindful of 9/11 before it happened. this is the president of united states, show more respect. even if you did not vote for him, we can all agree to the fact that if someone rises to the place where he is shows how a great country. in terms of bringing people together, the caller has a hope that i share that having a world leader come here like pope francis will be an opportunity for some of the partisanship to disappear for 24-40 hours and bring people together.

those moments, i think, actually matter. it can help to remind us that those of us who serve in this rightnder construction now. host: did you have the chance to invite someone? guest: i did. this was one of the most exciting parts of a new job that i have. i was excited to invite father paul kennedy, who was the iincipal of the high school attended in philadelphia. he is a great individual, and has dedicated his life to catholic teaching and education. he is the pastor of a parish in my district, and has been for a long time. i just could not think of a better person and a family friend to invite. i'm sure he is as excited as i am. host: (202) 748-8000 for

democrats. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. (202) 745-8002 for independents. our guess is representative venoco, a democrat from pennsylvania. he serves on the foreign affairs subcommittee. in the larger world of fort affairs, your thoughts on the papers this morning about the u.s. possibly increasing its role in syria? what should we be doing tha the? guest: as emagin, i am on the fort affairs committee and specifically the middle east subcommittee during the has been no range of issues that i've done with more in the last months than foreign policy, and specifically the middle east. anyone who would sit here and say they have quarter" ,isillusionment -- they have quote, disillusionment with syria, they would be lying to you.

we have bad options. ofneed a stronger role supporting the rebels on the ground. this is easier said than done. i wish we would have started doing this a few years ago, as some argued in the demonstration. i think that was clearly the better route to go. we are stuck where we will continue to deal with the refugee problem. syria was a country whose borders was john by french and ownish mapmakers for their specific reason. one thing i want to resist is there is a temptation in the united states to say, that is a

mess, let's stay out of it. the mark twain quote that america's best friends are the atlantic and the pacific. withw on september 11 that technology today, those problems that are over there can come right over on our doorstep very quickly. the fact is we are the world leader, whether we like it or not, and we have to play a leadership role here. supporting folks like the king of jordan, is the best option, although it is not an ideal one. host: the stories reporting that the united states is likely increasing the number of refugees that we take in. talking at -- talk about the convocations of taking and that many more people than we usually do. guest: if we are going to talk with the rest of the world about refugees, i think we also have to include the refugees

from central america, specifically from three dangerous countries that came last fewasse in the years. we have to include that in the whole world system of try to stop this problem. i would say, is a set of an immigrant, i tend to be pro-immigration. i think this will be our as americans. we are a nation of immigrants. at the same time, we need an orderly system that makes sense. we know people coming from that part of the world -- and they may be small in number, but they wish to do a time. to make sure that anyone coming to the u.s. is properly ed must be part of the equation. at the same time cover will need to make sure we have the security precautions and check so that no bad actors take advantage of our goodwill. host: catholic from massachusetts up next --

catherine from massachusetts up next. caller: nice to meet you on tv. i'm from massachusetts. i'm glad to see that you are my mother's representative. she recently moved to pennsylvania. nice to meet you. i hope you stay there for a long time. guest: thank you. i appreciate that and i welcome your mom to my district. roughly half of my district is in philadelphia, and roughly the suburban area. i coach more people to come and move to my district and visit our district office. in new jersey, independent line. caller: good morning. what i wanted to point out is we do not manufacture water.

there is only as much water on the planet today as there was when it was formed. changere, maybe climate was required to enable more freshwater, or water, in general, to be available for the increasing population. in the united states, because the lycee we need more people to raise the gdp. we will constantly need more water. thank you. overall on the environment, we know we are dealing with many cases of finite resources. that is why it is so important that we get this right. it is not like we will have a do of noif we get to a point return, which many scientists believe we are getting close to. the u.s. had a report that said we have already reached the point of no return, and in fact passed it. is thing i want to point out

once we run out of these finite resources, our economy would be in shambles. the assumption that we have to choose economic growth over doing the responsible thing on the environment -- we see the cost of doing climate change. , writingphiladelphia superstorm sandy. someone made the remark that we seem to have the superstorm of the century every other year now. there are people on the jersey shore who still have not recovered today. it is one of the reasons why ofe of the biggest funders

climate change are insurance companies. they are not wide-eyed environmentalists, but recognize how much risk they have out there and how much exposure refers. this falseesist dichotomy. butch host: next is from wyoming. caller: i'm not a religious person and i think the pope is a nice guy. you take a look at the catholic church. that they have stock in birth control? the hypocrisy is amazing.

the stuff.gs we should get religion out of politics totally. religion is the worst thing that ever happened to this world. look at all the problems it has cause, all the death, the murder, the wars. once we get religion out of this, i think the world will be a much better place. thank you very much. first, i respect the caller and his use. -- his views. it is sadly a fact that many people in world history have been killed in the name of religion. it is also fact that many people ,ave done remarkably good work motivated by religion. here, and our own country, you

look at the civil rights movement, the abolition of slavery did you look at the work of mother teresa and others around the world doing extraordinary work, motivated by religion. i think that if you were to take a step back, and taken independently on his view of religion, you would say that people are killing people in the name of religion, and also saving people in the name of religion. from west virginia, democrats line. hello. caller: hello. good morning to you and to the congressman. c-span fore to thank their programming. i would love to have a second "washington journal" in the evening for people to call in and voice their opinions after all the new cycle is over with. i called to say that this young man is very well spoken, and in the place where i come from, west virginia, we have obesity problems, drug problems, loss of

industry completely, and there is a hopelessness done here. i am encouraged when i see a young man like this who is well spoken to try to get in politics and make a difference. i would like to say that i was never more proud of my own s on when, last night, we were discussing this religious issue, and he said, nobody should be taking an oath on a bible, it koran, or a torah. if they believe in god, they should be taking the oath on the constitution of the united states. if you did that and have no belief at all, you could still stand on your word as a human being and as a gentleman or our

lady, the way we used to in this country. of again demand that has to go out and work two jobs in an economy that is so bad in my area that he still is willing to go and continue on working hard for his family to provide for them. i wanted to brag about my son, but as a point of levity, i would like to say this. we previously had the head of the jewish state come and speak to our congress. i would like to start a new religion and call myself the pat, instead of the pope. i think it was my turn to get in front of congress. that is just a joke. i think we need to get religion out of our government completely. thank you for the time. pat for thank the

calling in. i think you for your views. you happen to live in west virginia, one of the most naturally beautiful states in the country. also, a state that has played a part in the pope coming here. what i mean is in west virginia, when john f. kennedy was initially losing because of his catholic faith, he was able to overcome that in west virginia, winning the west virginia democratic primaries, catapulting him to winning the nomination and presidency. west virginia should be proud and playing an important role in american history. i welcome the pat to visit me and washington, d.c. i welcome all of my constituents and folks to see me. but i would say to him, besides saying nice things about me, which i appreciate, he should be proud of his son. the american workforce is by statistical fact the hardest working and most productive

workforce. i grew up in a working family, janitor, and my mother, before passing away, was a crossing guard in the city of while raising my brother and me, which was a challenge in and of itself. american people are working harder today than ever before. that is a fact. more hours, more productive, and yet, real wages are not any higher today. that is a disgrace. virginia, west philadelphia, and most of our country. the more we can focus on those issues, i think the better off we will be. host: representative brendan boyle. ,emocrat from pennsylvania joining us to talk about the pope's visit. they give for your time. we will be joined next by paul vallely, the author of "pope

francis: the struggle for the soul of catholicism," to talk about the role of the church and the pope's visit to the u.s.. ♪ >> the pope's visit to the u.s. c-span have live coverage from washington, d.c., the first stop on the tour.

oday at 10:45 we are live with the president and the pope. tomorrow, live from the white house. later, the mass at the basilica of the national shrine. thursday, live coverage begins from capitol hill, as the pope makes history, becoming the first pope to address a joint session of congress. on friday, the pope speaks to a the u.n.. later, the pontiff will hold a multi-religious service at the 9/11 memorial.

host: joining us now is paul vallely, the author of "pope francis: the struggle for the soul of catholicism." thank you for coming to season. -- to c-span. can we talk about the theme of your book. when you talk about the struggle for the full of catholicism, pope's role in that? the pope is encountering resistance from different factions who think he is pushing too far. in that sense, it is a struggle for the soul of catholicism. the of it is behind thi scenes resistance, some is upfront confrontation. this program encourages debate

saying, speak only. when these people resist him, he says, let's get out in the open. host: what you think is a source of the openness in engaging about issues? was a leader of the jesuits, he was a very authoritarian, strict, rather old-fashioned figure. there was a big division in the adjustments -- the jesuits. he had two years living in penance, in the wilderness. hishat time, he changed style entirely. at the end of it, he has come out as a gentler, more merciful, kinder, and inclusive pope. host: one of the issues that people talk about is his ability to talk about issues of economics and the environment, going beyond the typical of faith and morals in the church. where does that stem from? guest: two things.

previous popes have talked about capitalism, communism. has that tradition, but also, for 20 years, he was slumsshop of the in argentina. he is from an immigrant family himself. as a latin american, he has an ambivalent relationship to the united states. he is seen with respect and resentment as the power of the bigger neighbor. all of that combines to give this pope it kind of vitamins, a passion, which you have not seen with previous popes. host: this book comes to the united states. what do you think is the goal of this visit of the pope? guest: two things. there are international events, the world meeting of families is the immediate cause. he was to talk to the u.n. about climate change.

raft of issuese like the refugee crisis, social and equality that is just one side of it. he wants to balance that bite fisting the poor, immigrants, third-graders in harlem. he wants to have two messages. one for the leaders, one for the people. host: the idea that he is addressing politicians, such as the addressee will make in congress, he will meet with the president. how does that compare with previous popes, as far as the political visits? guest: he is more overtly political. previous popes would have those conversations behind the scenes. this pope is very frank. when he met with president obama in the vatican, he said, i'm speaking to you not as pope, but as a lot american, and we will for out cuba. he is more politically engaged.

pope benedict was a theologian who put ideas forward in a scholarly way, and hope that people would read his books. this pope is out there in the political marketplace. host: you brought up cuba. does the pope ever will in the current warming of relations? guest: absolutely. hebrew a secret letter to -- he to obamaecret letter and the cuban president urging them to move forward. they had eight secret meetings and canada. when the negotiations stalled, the pope said to both of the men, come on, trust me to get you to trust one another. he wrote another letter. he has been a really big figure and this. he has tried to play a down, but he has been a big wheel. host: paul vallely is here to

talk about the pope's visit and themes and his book. if you want to ask of questions about it, as the pope arrives in washington today, (202) 748-8000 for democrats. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. (202) 745-8002 for independents. you can tweet thoughts as well @cspanwj. how would you characterize the church as far as the devotion from other catholics before this pope, but it was under benedict and john paul, and now? is there more devotion because of this pope particularly? guest: i think every pope has .ts own strengths different people jobs different things for different popes. john paul was a philosopher. benedict was a theologian. this man is a pastor, he was in the slums for 20 years.

he comes across as everyone's favorite uncle. he is warm and has the common touch. host: our first call is michael from indiana, the regret line -- democrats line. from tookm calling docomo, indiana. i am in a political science class talking about the impact of special interest on politics. host: i think we lost him. again, (202) 748-8000 for democrats. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. (202) 745-8002 for independents. talk about his educational background, where does the pope come from? guest: he is from a lower middle class. he went to a technical school. he trained as a chemist. it is ironic when people

say he should leave science to the scientists, he is a scientist. the jesuitsents -- sick, think, meditate, and prairie, but also want to be engaged in the world. that has really found him. that, with his experience in the slums, has made him the figure that he is today. host: paula from washington, d.c., go ahead please. caller: his holiness is arriving on the eve of the holiest day of the jewish year, got the better -- yom kippur. i have the greatest respect for the law that the pope represents, but tonight and tomorrow, he is making it

difficult, if not impossible, for some jewish people to not get to their places of worship because of traffic. why was that not figured in the planning? i don't understand. guest: that is a good question. i think it is also the muslim festival, and is very unusual for them to be at the same time. there are problems on that. the pope has been very conscious . when he was and what is that is res,hen he was in buenos ai in his cathedral, he has a holocaust memorial c-span.org very unusual for -- very unusual a catholic president to do that. he has been very inclusive of , and people have by and large been very positive about him. you are right, this is unfortunate timing. host: you write in your book businesst is difficult

being normal if you are the leader of the world's biggest the nomination, and it can be a complex business being simple. guest: he comes across as an icon of simplicity, but some of ed, big gestures are plann like if you look back at his aires. buenos he used to take the subway. he did not use the bishop's palace. when he came to rome, he does not go in the papal palace, he lives in the guest palace, he gets the bus with the other cardinals. those votes of simplicity gestures are both intuitive, but also, he knows the impact of them. i tell a story in the book about how he once carried a briefcase on the plane, and he said, i on, and theyey it

as ever carried his own bag. he says, i'm an ordinary guy. he was extraordinarily ordinary. it is not fake or insincere, but it is thought through. host: from sam in maryland, you are next. paul, earlier in response to the caller, you said that religion has been on both sides of the of equation, where people have done good things in it as well as bad things. some of the examples you gave were that religion was on both sides simultaneously -- for example, the abolition of slavery. there were just as many people , as ag to maintain a christian duty, to maintain the institution. guest: i think what you have to

consideration is religion, like politics and nationalism, is often a badge of identity that people have. it is not actually the cause, but the external. the problem, when you look at wars, and other human problems, that is the key word -- humans. it is human nature, and people put a badge on it. and size, it is something more basic and our natures, which is what religion tries to capture. host: what is the pope's day like at the vatican? early.he gets a very he plays on his own for two hours at the tabernacle, where he does his thinking and decision-making. in the morning, he goes to work in the palace with the officials. he gets through huge amounts of paperwork. in the afternoon, he works in his own room, where he makes his

own calls, appointments, and sees people. officials do not know what he is doing half the time. he keeps people on their toes by having his old diary and making his own calls. he is quite an independent spirit. host: does he make his own arrangements for travel and other calls? guest: he folds people who have written to him and gives them pastoral counseling. there is a very funny story in the book about an italian airline. they say, we have this guy on the line, he says he is a pope, is this real? host: (202) 748-8000 for democrats. (202) 748-8001 for republicans. .202) 745-8002 for independents i guess, paul vallely, the author of "pope francis: the struggle for the soul of catholicism." why do you devote so much time writing about the pope? guest: he was very adjusting and exciting. when i go to give lectures at

universities or churches around the world, there is this infectious spirit of joint and optimism. the church has been reinvigorated by this man. it is catching. again, our guest is with us to talk about the pope's visit to washington, d.c. today. if you want to give him a call, (202) 748-8000 for democrats. (202) 748-8001 for republicans,. for independents, (202) 745-8002 . , orlso know the pope texts tweets, as far as using twitter. he is not averse to technology as far as getting his message out? not very good with acknowledging himself. he does not send the e-mails or tweets himself, but other people do it for him, and he approves it all. i have had friends who have gotten e-mails from him.

savvy.echnologically he is a selfie pope, is that he? he is cool with that. he is not stuffy at all. host: ashley, the story in "the washington post" this morning -- that he has basic rules guest: congress has been told to not take selfies because it takes up too much time and is too self regarding. square,speaks in the and people shout his name, he says, no, shout "jesus." he is always trying to refocus the message. but, when he comes up to amanda boiled, andnd

he hugs and kisses him, people see jesus in that. caller: good morning. john paul ii wrote an encyclical , and i have been cap it on my life, and his opinion was that the death penalty should not be used. i was a prosecutor a long time and prosecuted death cases. redware pope francis does not only not like the death penalty, but he also does not like life without which john paul ii said should be used because we do not use the death penalty anymore. i think this pope is good ofd -- is creating a lot confusion. i tell you, he is not helping the church at all. i'm very confused about what to believe. frankly, since cardinal bats in your has said -- cardinal

caninger has said, i disagree with the pope on the death penalty, and i choose to. it is not necessary anymore, in a modern society, the death penalty is absolutely not needed. this pope has gone further, as you indicate, and said he does not like solitary confinement, life imprisonment, and you are free to disagree with the pope on that. he is teaching on the safety of life -- his teaching on the sanctity of life extends to the other end, about the unborn. when people say the arc of, what they actually mean is they disagree. host: fairfax, virginia, good morning. caller: thank you very much. i would like to voice what opinion -- one opinion. i feel there is a political

prowess that surrounds his visit . he is opinionated guy. he does have his own views on a wide variety of issues, as he should. to see more of a spiritual message coming from his visit. i need to see him speaking , and a lack of belief that most people have now in religion and cries. he is the master of christ -- the ambassador of christ. he should have his views coming with him, not just on the political views. thank you very much. guest: i think, when he arrives, you do get a very spiritual message. he is very wounded and getting the gospel out on the street. that is a deeply spiritual

message. youink you will see that if watch the masses that he will do here. he will not be looking at tackling atheism. that is not the way he approaches things. he reaches out to atheists and says things like if you behave well, you can get to have them. that is not something that a lot of people are comfortable with from popes. he says, look at the message of jesus, which is about mercy and compassion, love, and basic people, including people. not about rules or excluding people. if you focus on the message of jesus, then the world will listen. that is the message i think he will be bringing when he gets off the plane today. host: from maryland, independent line. caller: how are you? host: fine, thanks. go ahead. it is in a of before thewho came

american revolution. i want to know what the archives .n rome had on that subject i also noticed that the pope is coming into harlem. i am a native new yorker. that was a bastion for the catholic church when i was growing up. guest: the vatican has had number ofhives on things for a long time. the pope has said that he will open the archives on the role of the vatican and the hierarchy of theargentina during dirty war. there have been requests for him to open archives on the vatican and the nazis. he has been talking about that as well. he is a man that is open to the veil of secrecy to be open. the particular think you talked about, i have not heard any

reference to that being lifted as we speak. host: has he made changes to the day-to-day operations of the vatican? guest: very much so. people, and cap people in place that he disagrees with. he has moved the ball down and shifted the emphasis in the .epartment criticized him. the cardinal in charge, who is like the deputy pope, has had his finance powers stripped away. he has created a new finance department. he has done a lot of administrative things, try to put some checks and balances in the way the data can works -- the vatican works. live because the pope

simply, has he tried to make the vatican but simply -- live simply? guest: yes. the main thing is his example. everyone copies the king. they dressed simply and put away their finery. who knows what will happen with the next -- who knows what will happen with the next pope. 59 cardinals,ed not one of them in american. if he carries on doing that, very soon there will be a majority in the naughty analects the next of people from the developing world. we may find a different kind of style and his successor. host: republican line.

caller: good morning. i would like to ask a question the decision on the 10 commandments and the dam for some -- day of worship. pope's out be of changing back the tablets to the true day? guest: i do not think that is something you will see movement on. host: caller from illinois, go ahead. caller: i just wanted to see if you could give some discussion on the pope and his view on

different parts of the world, in europe and other developing countries. in america, a lot of people are criticizing him. and a lot of people are saying he is a marxist. what are people around the world of a what are some of the criticisms? guest: the media loves controversy. they focused on the minority people on both the left and right most around the world think he is wonderful and they are lifted and encouraged by him. the idea that he is marxist is something to laugh at. he is not a materialist. marxist's have done good things, so i do not mind if they call me that. is the first pope from the developing world. poor forved with the

decades and he looks at the your from the bottom of when he steps off that plane and begins to speak, you have to remember he is looking at what is around him. he still has the dirt of the slums on his shoes. some hardliners see the pope as machiavellian. the very future of the church seems at stake. guest: i think both sides have misunderstanding of the pope. they view him through a political template. catholics have a concern for economic justice and social harmony, which is out of sort with modern liberal capitalism. what he is doing is saying to the world that there is another

way it looking at life. you have forgotten it. you have gotten on this track to material success and you need to think about other things. that is his message. anybody can look at that and say he is political by those actions. it is a point of view this he sees in the gospel. all of these different aspects, whether it is in climate change or poverty, they grabbed the vision of what jesus meant and what jesus wanted. that is constantly what he communicates. if you look at his teachings, he talked about mercy. that jesuse thing brought most and that is his message to the world. caller on our republican line. go ahead. we go to steve for minneapolis.

wondering if" has ever apologized for the colonization of the americas and the millions of native americans died for europeans to have more freedom? guest: indeed. when he was in bolivia recently he talked about the wrongs that have been done to the indigenous people and the need for people to rectify that. when he was in argentina as a young man he was very into the fall on of the people, which is an unguarded to the in -- is an argentinian film philology -- he was very into argentinian theology. it takes and respects the views of indigenous people and we see it from that cultural

perspective. this is really big on his radar. host: tom, independent line, from illinois. caller: i find it interesting. the pope is not a political analyst or economic person telling people what to do it in terms of how to structure their government. butreaches not only mercy, biblical in the sense of when you should be the poor, the hungry. lazarus and the rich man, so forth. he is really a shepherd of souls. isthought is for all of this that america really needs to think about where do you stand

in relationship to these ideas and your god. i think the pope said something about prepare for the last judgment and so forth. i don't think you and the call disagree as much as some people might imagine. he says what does that mean, to feed the poor the modern world. it means changing the economic systems of people in the bottom of the heap have a fair chance of taking control over their own lives for a lens what feed the poor means nowadays. it is a question of how you interpret the teachings of the bible in the world we live now. goal is thatbigger all of us render a judgment to god one day. none of these economic

structures will get you to where you want to be, ultimately to save your soul. athink people need to look what that means to each and every one of us as we progress through life and use each day to value human life. guest: the pope would agree with you on that. he talks about exactly those issues most of the time. the media focus on the politics. that just grows out of the other stuff in if you look at the sermons of the pope that he holds every day, and he makes these comments,, he agrees with you. host: paul, on our republican line, hello. i would like to point to john 316 which is forgot to load the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not

perish but have everlasting life .nd be, is that nold man can be saved except for the dutch blood of jesus christ. that atheists say can go to have been, he cannot change the word of god. the pope would agree with the quotation that you have made, but he says you need to interpret that in a wider context, and the tradition of the church. in the modern world we need to reach out to atheist's bring them to see the truth of the gospel. you will not do that by wagging your finger at the you do that by making them feel welcome. is there a tug-of-war between the pope and his personal opinions and church doctrine? guest: there's always a

tug-of-war on that issue, but i have not seen a huge amount of evidence with this hope that he fundamentally disagrees with me of the church's teachings, and , hes just huddling them really believes that. we see some interesting contradictions, like on contraception. he says the church is right. and he says that catholics should be responsible parents and the three children is an idea. he says that priests should be merciful in the confessional. that is the nearest example i can give to the question of where his attention between interest is. host: a poll asking catholics whether it is not simple, and 66

.aid it was not simple what does that say about the condition of the church? guest: the pope himself asked views of laypeople. he wants to know how these kind of issues can be interpreted in a more pastoral way interest teaching without losing the truth of the doctrine. remarriedon for catholics can we does not want not forhat marriage is logical but where marriage is failed, how do we deal with that? had we do with them in such a way that we do not exclude them and their children cut off from the faith forever? these are the bigger and more

complex issues that he is trying to deal with. host: next call from pennsylvania. caller: thank you for taking my call. first, i think this hope is going to his radical left. i would like to know what the thinksn catholic church of the community. i still think this is one of the most important areas of catholicism in the world today. guest: the pope does not see it put hudson seats. he is not interested in selling the church. he's getting the message of jesus out to the world. he is not particularly concerned

about institutional building. is only concerned about the institution getting the message of jesus across to the nation and the world. on the climate change is you he does not see it is man-made and people told him to leave it to the scientist's. thatf scientists say humans are largely responsible for the rise in the palm has taken that and said we have to do something about this. he feels that this grows out of a sense that you get from the bible of creation being handed to us to look after. he says we're not looking after it, and we are being blinded by a short-term drive for profit all the time. we need to think about the planets, and we need to think about poor people.

there are references to those issues. he does feel that some of the developing nations need to help financially by the rich world. rich world has the responsibility on that. this is aso say that global problem, it is not just a .roblem for the rich host: caller, go ahead. caller: good morning. i am a catholic. my family has been catholic as far back as i can remember. and raising my children through catholic school. confused att i very

what catholics are expected to do. i understand climate change. take care ofed to this planet. but i need him to speak of on how we as parents are to change our children about the gay movement. i believe that we need to respect, love, embrace them, but how do we tell her children that our beliefs, that this act of homosexuality is wrong? it is a sin. define for usto how we teach our children this. how we go on from here. guest: the pope is very clear about this. he thinks that gay people should be welcomed into the church, and the civil rights should be respected. that human rights should be respected. people should be warm and embracing of them.

he does not think they should be allowed to call it marriage. he said that they are looking at it from the point of the parents . ted is a gift from god, a child is a blessing. has a right to a mother and a father, so he is against gay adoption. the hostile atmosphere, but he wants them to feel welcome in the church. clear line on gay adoption and gay marriage. host: caller from florida.

caller: hello. ofppreciate your description the pope as being very intelligent and the kindness that he shows. but today it seems like the vatican is an all boys club or a fraternity. it is built on ideas of retracting women, it is a threat to the way of life. abouty appear very naïve women and their issues today. guest: i think that is really true. profoundsays we need a view of women. what about a woman heading a vatican department?

she did something quite significant recently. he appointed five women to the international theological commitment with desperation -- whichanybody in the is anybody in the church. women does it really understand the place of women in the modern world sufficiently well to understand how to address this problem. but he knows it is a big issue. host: florida, go ahead. the eternal inside of the vatican is going to be evangelized. there still going through worst crisis that the church has faced since martin luther was a

child. what are they going to do about the clerics themselves in your secret world having homosexual liaisons? on, may even still be going and yet they are very hard line on the lady. guest: this is a huge problem. torefers constantly clericalism. he means the old boys club, the ideas that priests should have special privileges. in the roman bureaucracy, he is sending them off on retreats and saying you have to come from you cannot say i am too busy. restructure and a lot of the people who have been spiritual outsiders. last christmas he gave a talk to

the higher-ups in the room, and everyone was expecting him to give a nice cozy christmas message. he gave them this wondering broadside. he went through and lust for power, and lack of empathy, and the u.s. bishops well known that his harsher words are often reserved for the elite. he is taking steps to change this, but as you suggest, is a cultural change and changing cultures is very hard. host: thank you for your time. we will continue in our discussions with taking a look at pope francis as he begins his visit today, getting your .houghts on it

we will take those calls when washington journal continues after this. ♪ >> are persons having before the honorable, the supreme court, give their attention. >> this is the most famous case ever decided by this court. >> slavery was not legally recognized. orders, and in

the federal troops, and the courage of children. we wanted to change society. >> she told them they would have to have a search warrant and they demanded to see the paper refused.it, which they the police officer handcuffed her. >> i cannot imagine a better way .o bring it to life >> you boldly opposed the

internet of japanese-americans in world war ii. after being convicted to report caseocation, he took his all the way to the supreme court. >> the decisions that they took off and were quite unpopular. one regionad to pick which was most essential to the functioning of democracy, it has to be freedom of speech. >> let's go through a few cases which illustrate very visually what it means to live in a society of 310 million different people who help to stick together because they believed in a rule of law. ♪ >> landmark cases. an exploration of 12 historic supreme court decisions and human stories behind them. a new series on c-span, produced in cooperation with the national constitution center in

previewing monday at 9:00 p.m. the 12 cases we have selected for the series with a brief introduction into the background. highlights, and impact of each case, written by supreme court journalist tony mauro. formark cases is available $8.95 plus shipping and handling. washington journal continues. host: for the remainder of our time, your thoughts on pope francis as he begins his visit today. the pope will land at 3:45 p.m. this afternoon. he will be brief -- visited by

president obama and the first lady. we go through the next couple of planned.ceremonies on thursday, he takes that address of the joint meeting of congress. that will be at 10:00 a.m. in the morning. information on c-span. call, colleen, from virginia, republican line. caller: good morning. he can you shouldn't or contradiction comes from the pope francis is acting as a true christian versus catholicism. let me clarify that.

catholicism -- catholics are christian, however they have acts toertain religious enforce throughout my lifetime. reformed catholic, or ask catholic that was back to the catholic church under pope francis. the reason is because he preaches what a true christian, and all-inclusive laws and to emily jesus christ before, catholics, in my experience, and i was a true catholic and i stayed married because i did not want to be excommunicated from the church under 26 years of abuse, etc.. catholicism has been exclusive and condemnation. pope francis has become

inclusive and to emulate jesus. host: are there specific issues than that she would give us examples of how pope francis approaches being a true christian? caller: for example, gave people. we are not to judge. , in myholicism experience, my mother and father mother wasd and my excommunicated. who are we to judge? there's the difference. -- this is the pump of the catholic religion. love and grace of jesus christ, which is a true christian. religion andactice

be an all-inclusive christian because you pick and choose as a catholic what you want to believe in. we have been conditioned throughout the catholic lifetime. the preaching, i would go to church every sunday and twice a week. that was my job to stay with my husband because that was the catholic religion taught me. wrong.today's was host: all around the capital area there is work being done in preparation for the pope's visit for the next couple of days. c-span cameras capturing that for you. we will look at those is ready for next call for you. caller: i am just astounded by the backlash politicians use to punish any good deeds.

i know that some of the politicians are going to boycott the popes speech to the congress because of his stance on global warming, just try to save the planet. i heard on the republican news he may believe you should not get in the money from this country of ours. i think that kind of backlash is corrupting and turning us into something very nice and unacceptable. host: that is kathleen from missouri. highlightston post the visit those expected from the chinese president. write ise things they behind the scenes the administration officials have warned kinase counterpart, and the two sides have begin

developing cyber issues related to interest. ferro corporation on climate issues, but the move on capitol hill has soured on china, and they caution that the obama administration is facing mantra pressure to the talks tougher policies for beijing. , republican line, good morning. caller: good morning. iwas raised catholic but turns against the catholic religion for -- because i am environmentalists. goes to these third i willountries and says not takes until, and they have more kids, and then the kids died because they have a festering hangnail or infection and they cannot fight it off as they do not have enough nutrition because the mother is

so poor because she has all of these two. -- a discrete that this new pope wants to do more about climate change. i still find him a hypocrite because he is still preaching the same thing that you should not control your reproductive organs through the hell. the catholic church has a long way to go before i go back into a catholic church and prayed. independent line. caller: hello. i'm listening to the discussions going on. it reinforces in my mind the fact that most christians, regardless of denomination, seem to lack an understanding of theology. all i hear our theological issues that people seem to differ on. idealergy talk about the of theology in terms of how god

sees the world. hope freezes this struggle of giving people idea that they are part of the problem. they can be part of the solution. that is all i really have to say . host: the washington post talks about the central government shutdown then highlight the plan that the republicans have put out that from happening. would votelan, they on a short-term continuing resolution that would include language blocking funds that go into planned parenthood. would bringllege or a vcr that would bring up discretionary levels without significant policy changes the call will have the opportunity to line up a series of procedural maneuvers to thwart

any attempts to derail consideration of the stock cap appropriations bill. pristina, thanks for holding. you are next. caller: i'm thrilled to be able to talk to you today. i have a cradle catholic who has been and out of the church most of my life and i finally came back to the church with the belief that i love being a catholic and i get what i need when i come. this pope has made the difference for the whole world is looking to those hope and appreciating this pope or the united states is going all out to welcome him and it solidifies the faith that i have in mankind. host: what you think about this

pope addressing congress a meeting with the white house? caller: i think this pope is political, but i do not know how that is going to work because i do not see any kind of a court in congress at all. i do not know what he could do to help with that. jane from alexandria, virginia. caller: good morning. is,question i want to ask it is catholic teaching that women who have abortions can get excommunicated that could change. i want to know what the position is on torture, which is the deliberate inflicting of lading by one person on another human being in it is mainly done by men. why did the catholic church, when the current hope was in

argentina, widened the catholic church speak out about the torture that was going on there during the dirty war? host: wyeth that issue of importance to you? caller: it is an important issue if only one hand -- i just want to know really, is torture annexed communicable of the -- a fence in the churches doctrine under the current hope? host: i'm not sure. perhaps some bills can bring that out. when it comes to the visit to the united states, he is the fourth hope to visit the united states, the third to meet with the president. it is the 10th time that a pope visited the u.s. the first 1965.l the sixth,

they have reportedly opened a criminal probe into their .dmission headache,s another which offered an apology on sunday for cheating on his admission test -- it emission test. feeling a blow. pittsburgh, pennsylvania, democrat line. thatr: i do not believe

the pope was showing the piece of jesus christ. how can we say that we follow christ but we don't do as christ does? the only ways, that you can come through god is, through the father. how can you come through jesus with job doing as he did? host: atlanta, georgia, democrat line. i'm opposed to the u.s. government falling all over their feet over the visit of the pope the united states. call, of theot my

presbyterian since, the methodist, the southern baptist. if they are going to welcome him as a deterrent for foreign country, which the vatican is, that is fine. church,he leader of the the church is not the catholic church right the church is the christian people. .hat is my comment host: would you feel the same if other religious leaders can received the street? caller: they do not receive this treatment. caller.w caller: thank you for taking my call. i hold a master of divinity degree. proud that we are welcoming pope francis because my comment is that it challenges all christians to have a walk,

not just a talk. today,alking about syria and possible increase in a role there, the white house's top national security officials will convene in the next meeting to discuss ways to capitalize on recent and unexpected gains made by syria forces. they considering providing arms and ammunition to rebel groups, and deepening americans involvement in the ongoing civil war. if you go to the interior pages, our story about aids that goes to refugees saying that for hundred $19 million will go there and bring the total u.s. donation to the syrian conflict to $1.5 billion. more than any other country. the united states have been the largest single donor.

the administration has been criticized for not admitting more syrians and the united states. president obama has directed the state department to prepare for the arrival of 10,000 syrians the next 12 months. the united states could handle the resettlement of 100,000 refugees in addition to tens of thousands of people fleeing persecution and war in countries around the world. independent line, hello. the pope talks about he is worried about the core and the needy. look what it is costing the taxpayers and everybody for his visit to come. you do not have to do all that to serve the lord. you can just go to your knees and pray. they are putting more faith in

the pokes and they are jesus christ. i don't need to look to him for the answers, i look to the bible. he talks about civil unions between men and men. where is that right? in leviticus chapter 18, fell shall not lie with mankind as was womankind. it is abomination. george, from iowa. caller: hello. a few minutes ago you were talking about an article where the government shutdown. if the government shutdown we should not have to take taxes or anything else. lawrence, norman, talking about the investigation and the role of the nuclear watchdog right they took their own samples at a military site the,ut inspectors to test

sparking new criticism. the director of the international agency defended his agency by saying it showed a -- significant progress. it was the strongest signal that ron was cooperating in the probe. samples and only different concern that they will surety.t any caller: i would like to jump back to the pump coming back to the united states this weekend. many doctrinal

differences between catholicism and harvested. but we are espousing to be christian, we have to know that god has allowed this institution and this percent to act as the world spiritual leader. i'm calling on a democrat line, but i a conservative, born-again christian. i would say that welcoming the pope is going to say, it is of interest to me. i am hoping that this hope will hold strong to the doctrines and teachings of jesus christ and not cave in to the liberal sickness of our culture. .hat is all i had to say host: anything he had to say, he would be welcome? is a thinking, and intellectual person. he can have an opinion on everything that is going on in the world, whether does

political or science. there is a lot of debate about climate change, and what is being espoused there is a lot of controversy in the scientific role of the co2 not even really , iting the climate change could just be a psychological earth change. there is a lot of debate and controversy. we need to be good stewards of the planet we have been given. thesed like to see political and controversial scientific arenas be addressed in a spiritual manner. i think a lot of this will be looking at what he has to say on all of the changes that are socially, economically, i think we're all interested to hear it. hope francis was invited by the speaker to speak.

that will be thursday, at 10:00 a.m. in the morning if you take a look at the breakdown of catholics. 137 catholics in the house. pope francis beginning his u.s. visit today. landing in washington today. we will show you those events as we go throughout the morning. indiana, republican, hello. caller: i am very glad the focus ere the baptist because it brings of the most important subject any person has to address, what happens after we die.

bible, starthe again acts committed will see that there was a transition from the time that jesus christ came to fulfill the promises made to the hebrews, abraham and then law, and he the came to fill fill that. when he was crucified and rejected, god knew what all,ned, the impossible that history is mentioned in the books of acts the apostle paul reveals the mysteries that were not previously revealed that faith in jesus christ and what he did for us on the cross is what saves us not religion. just wanted to say that because i believe it was on my heart and i love america. atlanta, georgia,

republican line. we're talking about princesses visit the united aids. go ahead. caller: hello. comment on theo pump coming here to america. guy.a pentecostal i grew up pentecostal. i am trying to understand why the congressmen are having the cloak of your google when most people do not even talk about the religion what is going on here. they do not even talk about what we have going. i'm just trying to understand why they have the pope coming when we do not even invited by the religion we have going on right now. trying to understand why do they need the pump coming here -- pope coming here?

host: we feel that way towards any leader, or just the pope? caller: we have other stronger religions here in america. we have other preachers and leaders that can make on call love. why do they have to rely on the upcoming here? host: linda, democrats line, hello. caller: i am not for the pope coming because i feel the american people, the taxpayers have to pay for his security. i don't have a problem with him coming, i do not think he has any business talking to congress. socialist and he is dealing with social issues where he really is out of his realm. dipping inot be

political issues. i'm not want the american taxpayers having to pay for his security. needs security, and at no problem with that, but i think he needs to pay for his own, not homeland security or any other federal entity picking up the tab, walt ultimately comes back to the taxpayers. host: secret service will be deployed in washington, philadelphia, and new york as far as the visit to the united states. with the return asbrian williams to msnbc breaking news anchor. some question whether checks and balances have been put in place to keep mr. williams from repeating mistakes that he had in the first place.

suspended in february after acknowledging handbell us afternsel for warding -- challenging and he had embellished his reporting. caller: thanks for taking my call. resident, i am excited that the pope is coming. callers, the other figure,igious anti-catholic will tell you. but he is also a head of state. is about 800 right now. he is coming as a head of state. he is coming as the head of the vatican state. i think the caller should know that. everybody is on their best behavior, and i hope everything goes off really well. this is a historic event, and people should relax and enjoy

it. protections atme any other set of state -- head of state. one of the caller said something about the options stick to social issues. he is a religious figure. that is the whole point. social justice. he is doing what he is supposed to do as a pope. host: before you go, are you going to have to drive over the next couple of days with the pope? how is that going to affect your commute? caller: yes. i dusted off my bike. at the catholic universities and a couple of other hotspots. i will be biking to work. host: you're not excused from? caller: they gave me a little late, that, so i am

is ok. host: have you noticed the changes around the area that you will be seeing? caller: a lot more police present, and let more security. easy for make it people that still have to go to work. city put out a full-page ad to show the road closures. i figure should go pretty well. host: darrin in washington dc. directly affected by the pope visits in the next couple of days. from florida, republican line. good morning. caller: good morning. i'm very happy that pope francis

is coming to the united states. i think i am more excited than some of my catholic friends. if i could be in washington i would be there. i researched him, he is really man, not just a religious leader. the dress would freeze were known and are known as god's priest arejesuit known as god's marines. he can establish a rapport with people all over the world, i think it is absolutely wonderful that he is coming to the united states. host: have you felt that way about previous popes at all? particularly. maybe the last pope john, i liked him a lot. this pope is exceptional. host: albani, georgia. democrats line. caller: i just would like to say

something about the people that are calling in talking about the pope. they are talking down hard on the pope and we are all the same type people that crucified jesus. much like, so according to the history of the bible of what jesus was like. that is all i have to say. that is a caller from albany, georgia. lands around 3:45 p.m. this afternoon. several events will take ways until thursday when the pope addresses members of congress. he is greeted by the president today at on was dated be a welcoming ceremony at the white house. thursday, it is the joint address to the joint meeting of congress. ahn boehner sending out tweet, taking a look at the ticket for tatian, and the map how peoplethe

who will get that will be affected. anthony, fort lauderdale, florida. [video clip] the reason why the pump is coming here, is because his last visit, he promised bringinians that he would that land back to him. when you send in the u.n., listen to how the world is going to come against israel. with the excludes of the vatican. this man has more power than people give him credit for. i believe he said before he is like the marine of the catholic church. he is supposed to get these things accomplished in his lifetime. host: and that of the information that is going to be given to us as far as the address on thursday. too many members cannot be trusted to control themselves.

they will enforce discipline. they will restrain any of their colleagues trying to reach a free people touch. after the historic speech, the doors will be locked to prevent halfkers to leaving from an hour. the visit will take place and we're taking your calls for the remainder of the time. there's a lot going on as far as those visit is concerned. the best way to find out all the information and have a chance to live it will -- watch it live will be to go to our website.

we have information that are not is available to you in light of that visit. senatejanet that judiciary subcommittee today, they are holding a hearing on the consolidation of the health insurance industry. that hearing is going to be scheduled for today. we will take it to you now. -- take you to with now. it now.

>> live on capitol hill for a senate judiciary subcommittee hearing the heads of two insurance companies, talking this morning about health

insurance consolidation. companies want to merge, and committee members want to find out what impact it would have on members. thetop democrat on committee will be senator amy klobuchar. this hearing is about to get underway.

senator lee: welcome to this hearing of the subcommittee on antitrust competition policy and consumer rights. before we start, i would like to amyk ranking member klobuchar, and her staff for preparing for this hearing today. i would also like to thank the chairman of the full committee, senator grassley, for his support of this hearing. a few housekeeping matters. after i and senator klobuchar give some remarks about this hearing, we were here from our panel of witnesses, who i will introduce in a few minutes. then, we will have five