WASHINGTON -- Pope Francis will deliver a historic address to a joint session of Congress Thursday. The nation's capital is preparing for an inauguration-style event, with security perimeters, special public transit schedules and lots and lots of road closures.
Minnesota's members of Congress each get to bring one guest to the speech at the Capitol.
Here are their dates:
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Democrat, Congregational
Guest: Tim Marx, president/CEO of Catholic Charities of St. Paul Minneapolis
Sen. Al Franken, Democrat, Jewish
Guest: Jacquelyn Bernard of Pine City, a member of Immaculate Conception Church and mother in law of a state-based staffer.
Rep. Tim Walz, Democrat, Lutheran
Guest: Sister Alice Zachmann, of Mankato. She is a member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame.
Rep. John Kline, Republican, Methodist
Guest: Long-time Chief of Staff Jean Hinz
Rep. Erik Paulsen, Republican, Lutheran
Guest: Chief of Staff Laurie Esau
Rep. Betty McCollum, Democrat, Catholic will not be attending because she's going to her son's wedding in Japan.
Rep. Keith Ellison, Democrat, Sunni Muslim
Guest: His mother, Clida Ellison
Rep. Tom Emmer, Republican, Catholic
Guests: The Most Reverand Donald J. Kettler, Bishop of St. Cloud. President Michael Hemesath of Saint John's University and Mary Hinton, president of St. Ben's University, also in St. Cloud.
Rep. Collin Peterson, Democrat, Lutheran
He gave his extra ticket to Democratic Rep. Dan Lipinski, of Illinois
Rep. Rick Nolan, Democrat, Catholic
Guest: Father Tim Wenzel, who retired in 2011, but still performs pastoral duties at request throughout the Diocese of St. Cloud.
