Before his US visit, perceptions of Pope Francis on Capitol Hill were by no means universally positive, with many on the right suspicious of his stance on climate change and capitalism. As it turned out, the success of the trip owed much to his gift for diplomacy Getting both Republicans and Democrats in Congress to agree on their admiration for what you have said is little short of miraculous. In his visit to the US, and in his thoughtful and ground-breaking speeches to both the UN and Congress, Pope Francis achieved just that. “Uplifting, majestic” from the Republican side; “philosophical, dignified, non-partisan” from the Democrats were just some of the comments from senators and congressmen after hearing his speech to a joint session of the Senate and the Hous