“I am happy to help welcome Pope Benedict to Washington and proud to be a part of this historical event,” said Rep. Lipinski.  “As a Roman Catholic, I know how important the Pope’s visit is to the one-quarter of Americans that belong to the Catholic Church.  Anytime the Pope visits the United States it is truly a momentous event; I wish Pope Benedict a successful trip.”

Pope Benedict will spend the next two days in Washington, D.C. meeting with the President and Congressional leaders as well as Catholic leaders. Rep. Lipinski and his wife Judy will be attending a public Mass tomorrow morning at the stadium of the Washington Nationals.  On Friday, the Pope will head to New York City to address the United Nations before celebrating a second public Mass at Yankee Stadium.

In honor of the Pope’s visit, Congressman Dan Lipinski cosponsored and helped pass H.Res.838, a resolution which officially welcomes the Pope to the United States on behalf of the House of Representatives.

Rep. Lipinski is also serving as a co-chair on the Congressional Host Committee for the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.  This breakfast, being held Friday morning, will feature several Catholic theologians and will be attended by the President, among others.