NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Pope Francis is in the U.S., and Nashville will be well represented during his stay in our country.
Bishop David Choby joins hundreds of Catholic Bishops who will meet with the Pope Wednesday. Pope Francis' speech will be historic. He will be the first Pope to address a joint session of the Congress.
Retired Nashville Priest Father Joseph Breen will also be in Washington Thursday to witness history.
"Usually, the families and special guests are up in the gallery," Rev. Breen said.
Breen will see Pope Francis' address of Congress from the balcony of the U.S. House.
He will be Rep. Jim Cooper's special guest. Rep. Cooper gave Breen his only ticket. Breen said, "How often do they get to hear a speaker who is nonpartisan, not Democrat or Republican to proclaim what I consider to be the truth. What I proclaim to be intelligent wisdom."
Breen has been outspoken in his years as a priest in Nashville. For 30 years he was pastor at Saint Edward Church and was reprimanded three times by bishops for his views on issues contrary to the teachings of the church.
Breen hopes Pope Francis will encourage Bishops to not ignore the feelings of Catholics on issues like married priests, contraception, divorce and same sex marriage.
"I think we should all be encouraged to be controversial, because Pope Francis has given us an example. He wants open dialog. He wants bishops to come together and argue and discuss the various teachings, and he makes it very clear he wants the bishops to meet with the people," Breen said.
New research shows more than half of American adults raised Catholic have the left the church at some point in their lives. Breen hopes at the very least, the Papal visit will bring some of those people back.
"I think this is going to be a real grace. It's going to be a way of reconciling many of those people who felt that they didn't belong to the church," Breen said.
Thirty years ago it would have been stunning to most Americans for a Pope to address Congress.
Diplomatic relations weren't established between the U-S and the Vatican until 1984 when President Ronald Reagan was president.
