Tom Tancredo: “I rise today to also welcome Pope Benedict XVI to the United States and to Washington, D.C., and congratulate him for…”

“I rise today to also welcome Pope Benedict XVI to the United States and to Washington, D.C., and congratulate him for delivering an important message on the role that faith plays in the lives of every believer. Over the years, the Vatican has been a strong voice for religious freedom, for human rights, and was an invaluable partner in defeating Communism during the Cold War. The Catholic Church has long been a source of charity and benevolence helping some of the world's most vulnerable people in some of the world's most dangerous places. However, as President Bush welcomes Benedict XVI to Washington this week, Americans might be surprised to know that the Pope isn't here just to minister to his flock. He's here to lobby for amnesty for illegal aliens. According to news reports, the Pope met with President Bush yesterday to add his voice to the open border lobby by encouraging the President to give the 20 to 30 million illegal aliens in this country a free pass to stay here. Now, I'm not taking issue with the Pope's moral authority. I respect his views on the threats of Islam, the sanctity of human life. But I don't think it's in his job description to engage in American political activities.”