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Democracy Now!

The Pope on Poverty, Immigration, and Climate Change

"Democracy Now!" airs weekdays at 9 a.m. PT on KCET.

Pope Francis heads to Capitol Hill today to become the first pope ever to address Congress. On Wednesday, he spoke at the White House, then addressed hundreds of U.S. bishops at St. Matthew's Cathedral. He later canonized the controversial 18th-century missionary, Father Junípero Serra -- a move protested by many indigenous groups. The pope also made a previously unannounced stop to visit nuns at the Little Sisters of the Poor, which sued the federal government over the birth control mandate in the Affordable Care Act.

At the White House, Pope Francis spoke about poverty, immigration and climate change. "Mr. President, I find it encouraging that you are proposing an initiative for reducing air pollution," Pope Francis told President Obama. "Accepting the urgency, it seems clear to me also that climate change is a problem which can no longer be left to a future generation. When it comes to the care of our 'common home,' we are living at a critical moment of history."

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