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Washington • Sen. Orrin Hatch plans to speak to Pope Francis about religious freedom this week as the Republican Utah lawmaker plays a ceremonial role in welcoming the pontiff for his address to Congress.
Hatch, who assumed the role as president pro tempore of the Senate earlier this year, will be part of the escort committee to greet the leader of the Catholic faith when he arrives Thursday at the Capitol and will help accompany him into the House chamber for the speech.
The pope on Wednesday talked briefly about religious freedom at a White House welcome ceremony and is expected to highlight the issue more Thursday.
"In my many travels, I have seen people express religious devotion in a multitude of ways, affirming their belief in the divine through song, word, and deed," Hatch, a Mormon, said on the Senate floor this week. "I have also seen misguided government officials limit religious expression, often in the name of security or some other nebulous goal. And I have seen people of courage stand up to these officials, refusing to accept claims that the commands of the state trump rights of religious belief."
Hatch's office says he will raise the issue with the pope and offer a series of speeches on the subject in the coming weeks.
Tens of thousands of onlookers are expected Thursday on the West Front of the Capitol, where rows of chairs and big-screen televisions have been set up.
The pope is expected to waive to the crowd from the speaker's balcony after his address.
During remarks at the White House on Tuesday, the pope said he looked forward to speaking at the eighth World Meeting of Families "to celebrate and support the institutions of marriage and the family at this critical moment in the history of our civilization."
"With countless other people of goodwill, they are likewise concerned that efforts to build a just and wisely ordered society respect their deepest concerns and the right to religious liberty," the pope said to applause. "That freedom reminds one of America's most precious possessions."
The issue of religious freedom has become a hot-button issue in U.S. politics after the Supreme Court ruled to legalize same-sex marriage and some local officials — most recently County Clerk Kim Davis in Kentucky — refused to issue marriage licenses based on personal beliefs. Hatch says that religious liberty means protecting the freedom of all Americans to believe and act according to their beliefs.