national mall on the west side of the capitol building as the pope gets ready to say hello to them. so that concludes our coverage. martha, terrific work there in washington. i'm bill hemmer in new york, want to give it over to our colleagues on "happening now." have a great day, everybody, our coverage of the pope. jon: and this fox news alert. pope francis is on the move now leaving the capitol, as you just saw. he wrapped up his historic address to a joint meeting of congress as he gets ready to head for st. patrick's church. i'm jon scott. jenna: hi, everybody, i'm jenna lee, and we're going to go back to that live picture that we had of the pope making his big speech today. the pope's final day in our nation's capital before he visits new york city. and the leader of the catholic church just finished delivering this message to the members of the congress -- really to the country -- in a packed house filled with supreme court justices, cabinet members and diplomats while thousands of

spectators watched from the west lawn of the capitol. >> a political society endures when it seeks a -- to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of great vulnerability or risk. legislative activity is always based at the care of supporting people. jenna: as you can see from our live pictures which we'll put back up just shortly, the pope is making his way out to address the crowd. peter doocy is live from the capitol east front where we just saw him awaiting the open with so many others. peter? >> reporter: jenna, the pope had the undivided attention of republicans and democrats, and

he used the platform to tell them he thinks the social and political system in the world right now is disturbing, because he thinks there's too much fundamentalism and too much simplifying complex conflicts into just good versus evil. he says that is not how the world works anymore, and that is where talk about immigration came in. many of the themes this morning were opaque, this one was not. pope francis compared the refugee crisis in europe to the immigration crisis here, and he urged compassion when dealing with border crossers trying to make their lives better. >> we must not be taken aback by the numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening -- [applause] to their stories. trying to respond as best we can to their situation, to respond this -- in a way which is always

human. >> reporter: so the pope urged officials to follow the golden rule, and those remarks are especially noteworthy since a young girl approached the pope. there was quick mention of life at every step of development this morning, and then democrats broke protocol by loudly applauding and cheering during a comment about combating climate change which republican members looked less than thrilled about. other things made the speaker of the house john boehner quite emotional. boehner has been trying for a papal visit for 20 years, and today he was seen wiping away tears. the rest of the pope's visit is tight liquor yo graphed. -- tightly choreographed. he's going to stand in some rooms that have been dressed up with dark drapes for the occasion. it is kind of quiet here on the east side. there are a handful of staffers

with congressional ids who are out here to try to catch the most famousty yacht this the world leaving. but over on the other side, a crowd that started building at about 4:00 this morning that just listened to the speech on loud speakers is about to get their chance, what they've been waiting for, to see the pope from the speaker's balcony, and that's going to happen any minute now. jenna: peter, thank you very much. you set us up nicely as we take in the last hour of pope francis delivering his message to both sides of the political aisle, as peter mentioned listeners that the papacy is nonpartisan. someone who knows a lot about that is the author of the biography pope john paul ii, john moody also served as vatican correspondent and rome bureau chief for "time" magazine. a rare occurrence but a great one, john. >> thank you so much. jenna: what struck you most about what the pope had to say today? >> i think he threaded the needle perfectly. he threaded it better than think tailor could ever have done. he made his points.

i think they were very clear even if he didn't use names in all of his references. he couldn't have really offended anyone except be arms dealers and isis. but aside from that, i thought it was just a nonpartisan speech that made his points that he believes in, and among those are climate change and helping the poor and having an open approach to the migration problem. but at the same time, he recognized that the united states is a unique country, that it has enormous influence in the world, and he asked us to use our power for the good. jenna: one of the loudest round of applause that he received -- and he received several even though the instruction was not to applause, but it's hard not to when you're in such a room -- the line was protect human life at every stage of its development. but in the next sentence, he talked about capital punishment. >> sure. he was obviously referencing abortion which is an issue that many conservatives hold dear to their hearts, and then before anybody got too concerned about is he siding with the republicans, he said but i also

am opposed to capital punishment which has been something that, i guess, many liberals would claim as their own cause. jenna: it seems that moment really summed up exactly what you're saying which is really talking to both sides of the aisle but concentrating on the issues he really wanted to. >> right. he's a very practiced speaker. perhaps in a moment in english, although i thought he communicated very, very well today. but he knows how to make his points, and he knows how to look at a crowd and let them know this is significant, what i'm saying. jenna: can you imagine doing that, by the way? one of the things i was thinking about, not only the historic moment that it was, but also the fact that he got up in front of this big crowd not first, not second language and delivered this address, it's quite an accomplishment. >> we know from his staff that he's been practicing very hard at the speech. i thought his remarks this english at the white house yesterday were just a little bit off and he wasn't really -- maybe he was tired from the flight. but today he was on his game, and he knew exactly what he wanted to say, and he said it. jenna: we are watching the procession lead out to the speaker's balcony.

i'm sure that moment in front of the crowd will be one we'll want to take in. why make this choice, john, of any choice that he could make, really he could go anywhere. why congress? >> well, i think he knew that he was making history. no pope has ever delivered a speech to a session of congress before. i think he also knows the moment is right. he is riding an enormousaway of popularity, two out of three american catholics support this pope. he was going to take advantage of that. jenna: i just want to take in this live moment if we can, but why don't we just listen to a moment of perhaps the crowds there in washington d.c. [cheers and applause]

[cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] [speaking spanish] >> translator: hello, everyone. [cheers and applause]

[speaking spanish] >> translator: i'm so grateful for your presence here. [cheers and applause] [speaking spanish] >> translator: the most important ones here, children. [cheers and applause] [speaking spanish] >> translator: i will ask god to bless them. [speaking spanish] >> translator: father of all -- [speaking spanish] >> translator: bless these. [speaking spanish] bless each of them -- [speaking spanish] >> translator: bless the families.

[speaking spanish] >> translator: bless them all. [speaking spanish] >> translator: and i ask you all, please -- [speaking spanish] >> translator: to pray for me -- [speaking spanish] >> translator: and if there are among you any who do not believe -- [speaking spanish] >> translator: -- or cannot ray -- [speaking spanish] >> translator: i ask you, please -- [speaking spanish] >> translator: to send good wishes my waif. waif -- my way. [applause] [cheers and applause] >> thank you. thank you very much and god bless america.

[cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] jenna: a simple benas dias opens the pope's remarks. jon, i know this is something that you're a bit of an expert on, the vatican.

but personally, this is emotional to watch, isn't it? >> oh, yeah. this was trademark pope francis; humble, hopeful, happy and just a many message of love to everybody. and he knows that is what is powering his popularity all around the world. it's reinventing the catholic church, whether some people like it or not, and he's going to continue to do it through the rest of his visit. jenna: perhaps this isn't the day for it, but i can't help but ask about his lasting impact and what do you think this visit will really do for lawmakers and otherwise? >> well, i hope it makes them think twice about some of the things that they're doing. but he is certainly aware of the historic nature of this visit. remember, he also visited cuba, and to him, that was also a very big part of this soy yooj. jenna: and at the same time he's visit aring america is very strategic as well. >> of course. and, again, the symbolism is not lost there. he means them to be. but i think right now his lasting impact at the very, very

least he has asked the catholic church, look inward, look to yourselves and see if we can't all be better, and who among us is going to say, no, no, no, i'm as good as i can possibly be? jenna: it's a good message for everyone. i know there are many of our viewers that are watching who are catholic and many who are not. and there are questions, it's interesting he addressed that perhaps to the crowd as well, those of you who do not believe, those who cannot pray, he's really including everybody and speaking to everybody even if they're not part of the catholic faith. >> and that's a microcosm of what this papacy has been so far. i'm not just speaking to catholics, i'm speaking to the entire world. if you want to come and see the catholic church, you're welcome. if you were a member and have fallen away, please think about coming back. i'm here, i'm happy, i'm smiling at you. jenna: there are those who are critical of him stepping into this arena saying policy, politics, this isn't really the place for the pope. to that, what do you say? >> doesn't matter what i say. i think what prann cities is

saying -- francis is saying, i don't care. i'm the open now, and this is how it's going to be from thousand on. jenna: it's really something to watch with the children in the crowd, giving them selfies when they need it. he seems so this touch especially with that special greeting to the children. >> i think there's a special sweetness about francis when he's in the presence of children, and it's so beautiful to behold. jenna: it's something we're going to be watching for. he has a big day ahead of him in washington, d.c. and, of course, later in new york. john, thank you very much. jon? jon: so you can see the crowds still gathered there at the capitol where the pope has just finished his address to the joint session of congress. they set up the jumbotrons on the west side of the capitol. people have been crowded through that area throughout the morning as the pontiff made his address to members of the house, the senate, the supreme court and other governmental bodies. he is getting ready to leave the capitol building. we are continuing to watch his every move as he heads toward

new york and philadelphia. continuing coverage here on "happening now."

jon: a fox news alert and the first latin american pope has made his way to north america, just finished addressing a joint session of congress, and it is obviously a remarkable turnout there. you can see him shaking hands with some of the dignitaries as he gets ready to leave the capitol. it is a journey through this hemisphere that started with his visit to cuba. obviously, this pope was very involved behind the scenes in trying to prod the obama administration to normalize relations with cuba which, in fact, took place. so he has had an effect on this country's relationships in this

>> depending on which side of the aisle you sat on.

jon: climate change is something that he touched on, said that, you know, in his view there's no doubt that human beings are affecting the health of the planet, but he also spoke about, you know, the basic building block of society, the structure of the family and said he has concerns about, about the way that the family itself is under assault. again, two items that liberals and conservatives can take heart in and feel that he has, you know, he supports one side or the other depending on which side they are on. >> yeah. and also interesting, he said he wasn't anti-business, and he spoke out in a number of different ways about how lawmakers can do their job. but he said to do it in in the image of god. and he changed one line in the prepared text we were given. he said, he used the word "life" instead of god's face, and, you know, originally people looked

at that and said maybe there was a message inherent this there. again, how he delivered it, with that slow, soft style, and he's obviously not comfortable in english, but he delivered it at first you thought this is going to be, you wonder if people can understand his message. but by the middle of his speech, i think he had the house chamber enthralled, and you had people really engaged in what he was saying on all sides. jon: so he is making his way, as we mentioned, away from the capitol building. just noting that, you know, the window of his car was wide open, he had his arm kind of casually hanging out the window. the folks who are providing security for this event have been planning for months. jenna's going to be talking about national security preparations for an event like this a little bit later. but he has been, well, this has been one of the most intense security events in this

country's history. and the pope just kind of casually has his arm out the window as though, well, he's going for a sunday drive. jenna: cruising, right. jon: bret baier, thanks very much. be sure to join us tomorrow for a fox news special reporting event called "losing faith in america." we travel the country looking at why fewer people are attendingture of. these days and why christianity's numbers are down. bill hemmer shares some amazing stories about many americans, where they stand on their faith and can a few pockets of inspiration. fox news reporting, quality losing faith in america," tomorrow, 10 'em eastern time here on fox news channel. jenna: one of the thing he's going to be doing is blessing the heels fade to the homeless. catholic charities in this area does this about three times a week, and this has been something that the pope has done repeatedly in italy and otherwise, serving the poor. so this is what he's going to be doing in washington, d.c. at st. patrick's there. you might also hear us talking about st. patrick's in new york

city, because later today he's going to be leading an evening prayer service around 6:45. we'll see how the timeline works. but we're going to be carrying that here on fox news as well. you know, jon, normally you don't get to use your phones in church. you're supposed to put them on sigh atlanta lent, but i guess for this occasion, a few photos won't hurt anybody. jon: a few photos? [laughter] it looks like everybody there has their phone out ready to take pictures. jenna: about 60 parishioners were able to win, if you will, win a lottery to attend. and then there were other church volunteers with catholic charities that were -- that are able to attend. so that's who's in the crowd today at st. patrick's. but, certainly, the pope is shaking a lot of hands and taking his time wherever he goes, jon. jon: and people, obviously, are lighting up at this moment. not that often that the pope comes to visit america, and this particular pope, well, this is his first visit. jenna: i want to point out to

you at the bottom right of your screen, you see a man just to the side of the pope. he doesn't -- he has a bald head, a very distinguished-looking gentleman. we heard yesterday who that is, that's the head of the vatican police, do min coe i-januaryny, and you're going to see him wherever you see the pope because immediately surrounding the pope are the vatican police, his particular security force. we know that secret service took the lead, they had this lead on the national security event like this one. so secret service is the one that's responsible really for setting up everything and coordinating everything, but working with a wide variety of different agencies including the fbi and local police forces whether it's the nypd here in new york city or, of course, the local police force in washington d.c. it's interesting to note despite all the security that we are providing for the pope, and rightfully so as we know this is a huge event, that he brings his own security as well. the vatican police are with him really at every turn. they're also the ones even though their job is to secure

the pope, they're also the ones that are, that get to take the children from the crowds and bring the pope, the baby that's along motorcade, for example. so they must have some interesting perspective on the pope's travel so far. quite a trip it is, covering a lot of ground. jon: and you have to imagine what it's like to be that, members of that security detail. they are not there for the enjoyment of the event, they are not there for the blessing or for the religious aspect of it. they are there to make sure that pope francis stays safe. that is occupying 100% of their time and attention. and you can imagine, that hub a little bit stress -- that must be a little bit stressful even in a hall like this. jenna: you know, you don't see them make many rushed moves, but this morning before the pope headed to the white house, he greeted a crowd of children that were outside where he was staying. and took his time to greet the

children, take a few selfies, really enjoy the children, and there was an adult in the crowd -- and we don't know who that person was, whether or not he was part of the, obviously, the school children that were there, but he gave the pope a big bear hug. the pope hugged him right back, but then he proceeded to try to kind of touch the pope, give him, you know, a pat on the back, jon, and that's when you actually saw the vatican police just sort of slide in and just back up a little bit, that was making them a little bit uncomfortable, but that's about all i've seen so far as far as any sense of being uncomfortable on this trip where there is a lot of different variables. jon: let's listen in for just a moment as the pope makes his way up. the stairs in st. patrick's. [inaudible conversations]

[speaking spanish]

>> it looks like we lost that picture. now it's back. this is the chapel of the blessed require gin mary where e bested virgin mary where the pope placed his flowers and is taking a moment to reflect. jon: as the pope was entering the church he was carrying a small potted plant yellow in color, the color of the papacy. you assume that plant was completely scrubbed and checked out from security and wasn't a

random gift from somebody in the church. i imagine that was handed to him by one of the cardinals or senior leaders of the church. but i'm sure we'll learn the back story to that later on. [cheers and applause] >> it's a pleasure to see you

here this morning. good morning. you are going to hear two statements. one in spanish and one in english. the first word i wish to say to you is thank you. thank you for welcoming me and for your efforts to make this meeting possible. here i think of a person whom i love. someone who is and has been very important throughout my life.

he has been a support and an inspiration. he is the one i go to whenever i'm in a bind. you make me think of st. joseph. your faces remind me of his. joseph had to face some difficult situations in his life. one of them was the time when mary was about to give birth to jesus. the bible tells us that while

they were lp the time came to deliver their child and she gave birth to her first born son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in the manger because there was no room for them in the inn. the bible is very clear about this. there was know room for them. i can imagine joseph with his wife about to have a child with no shelter, no home, no place to

stay. the son of god came into this world as a homeless person. the son of god knew what it was to be a homeless person. what it was to start life without a roof over his head. we can manage what joseph must have been thinking. how is it that son of god has no home?

why are we homeless? why don't we have housing? these are questions which many of you may ask daily. like st. joseph, you may ask why are we hopeless without a place to live? these are questions which all of us might well ask why do these our brothers and sisters have no place to live. why are these brothers and

sisters of ours homeless? joseph's questions are timely even today. they accompany all those who throughout history have been and are homeless. joseph was someone who asked questions. but first and foremost he was a man of faith. faith gave joseph the power to find light just at the moment when everything seemed dark.

faith sustained him amid the troubles of life. thanks to faith, joseph was able to press forward when everything seemed to be holding him back. in the face of unjust and fateful situations, faith brings us the light that scatters the darkness. as it did for joseph, faith makes us open to the quiet presence of god at every moment

our lives in he person and every situation. god is present in every one of you, in each one of us. i want to be very clear, we can find no solution or moral justification, no justification for lack of housing. there are many unjust

situations. but we know that god is suffering with us. experiencing them at our side, he does not abandon us. we know that jesus wanted to show solidarity with every person. he wanted everyone to experience his companionship, his help and his love. he identified with all those who

suffer, weep, who saw any kind of injustice. he tells us this clearly. i was hungry and you gave me food, i was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, i was a stranger and you welcomed me. faith make us know that god is at our side, and god this our midst. and his presence spurs us to charity.

charity is born of the call of a god who continues to knock on our door, the door of all people to invite to us love, to compassion, to service of one another. jesus keeps knock on our doors, the doors of our lives. he doesn't do this by magic with special effects, with flashing lights and fireworks.

jesus keeps knocking on our door in the faces of our brothers and sisters, in the phase of our neighbors, in the faces of those at our side. dear friends, one of the most effective ways we have to help us is that of prayer. prayer unites us. it make us brothers and sisters. it opens our hearts and remind us of a beautiful truth which we sometimes forget.

in prayer we all learn to say, father, dad, and when we say father or dad, we learn to see one. >> the as brothers and sisters. in prayer there are no rich and poor people. there are sons and daughters. in prayer there i no first or second class. there is brotherhood. it is in prayer that our hearts

find the strength not to be called insensitive in the face of injustice. in prayer, god keeps calling us, opening our hearts to charity. how good it is for us to bring together -- how good it is to encounter one. >> the in this place where we see one. >> the as brothers and sisters and realize we need one another.

today i want to be one with you. i need your support. your closeness. i would like to invite to you pray together for one another. with one another. that way we can keep helping one another to experience the joy of knowing that jesus is in our midst.

and may jesus help us to solve the many injustices that he knew first. that of not having a home. are you ready to pray with me? i'll start in spanish and you continue in english. our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name ... before

leaving you, i would like to give you god's blessing. the lord bless you and keep you. the lord make his face to shine pound and be gracious to you. the lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. and please don't forget to pray for me. thank you. plu..

[applause] jon: pope francis wrapping up his remarks at st. patrick's in washington, d.c. with the request, "please pray for me." and the fateful who have gathered there -- the faithful who have gathered there will have month problem doing that. jenna: there is a little over 50

tables set up outside for the poor and homeless. the pope will bless those in attendance and bless the food as he walks through this area. apparently the catholic charities offer food service or the homeless in the area. this is something they do on a regular basis. but the pope want to go connect with those that are most needy. this is part of we wanted to do in the united states. jon: there was no room for jesus in the inn when he was born. the pope pointing out the savior came into this world as a homeless child. general require's a nice juxtaposition we had this morning. the pope making this historic

speech before a joint session of congress and this speech inside a house of worship, and talking about charity is one of his great platforms he wants to talk about here in the united states and otherwise. jon: he has three more hours in washington, d.c. jenna: we are going to take a quick break and we'll be right back. . (0617fox555a.ecl)

>> continuing our coverage of the historic visit of pope francis, his first visit to the united states. this is outside of the catholic charities in washington, d.c. where the pope is going to be blessing the meals that are offered to the homeless before he heads up to new york city a little later on today. >> he is going to fly into the new york city we expect around 4:00 eastern time this afternoon and he is expected to have an evening prayer service in new york city. flying into jfk and taking a helicopter with the wall street teleport and drive up to

manhattan to st. patricks and tomorrow he is spending all day all over manhattan. that will be interesting it watch. we don't want to forget what is happening on wall street today. the dow is lower by 200 points, industrial news that is not positive, caterpillar a big company pulled back some of their forecast because of concerns about the economy. we are seeing that on wall street and don't want to forget what is happening as well there. >> let's see if the pope can lift the spirit of wall street. he will land in new york city a little later today and go on to philadelphia for the big doings there on family. also, worth pointing out that president obama has agreed to meet apparently at the request of vladimer putin, the two are going to be getting together during the opening of the united nations general assembly.

so president obama about to meet with vladimer putin. the chinese premier in town. >> also in washington, d.c. so there is going to be a state dinner as well. busy time. and by the way 90% of the world leaders will be in new york city over the next several days. i am harris faulkner, and andrea tantaros is here, and rachel campos duffy, and peter johnson, jr. is here and he is outnumbered. >> excited to be in washington, and new york and philadelphia