In a last-minute decision, Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Gold River, spent the weekend in Rom to attend the inaugural Mass of Pope Benedict XVI.

Lungren, whose congressional district includes Galt, was asked by the House Speaker's office to be part of a small congressional delegation to attend the Mass.

Lungren, who is Catholic, had to forego a town-hall meeting scheduled in Calaveras County to attend the pope's Mass, said spokesman Brian Seitchik.

Lungren is suffering from serious jet lag. He flew from Washington, D.C., to Rome on Friday and returned to Washington late Sunday night, Seitchik said. Then he took an early morning cross-country flight on Monday to host a town-hall meeting in Folsom. This morning, he was scheduled to take a 7 a.m. flight back to Washington.

Lungren was honored to attend the pope's inaugural Mass and described it as "a moving experience," Seitchik said.