Pope Francis was the head of the Catholic Church, a global institution that has endured for millennia. In the wake of his death, consider two men from the same city who interacted with him over the past decade.
On September 24, 2015, House Speaker John Boehner finally realized a decades-long dream when he arranged for Pope Francis to become the first pope to address a joint session of Congress. Boehner grew up Catholic in Cincinnati, Ohio (as did I). The second of twelve children, he was an altar boy and graduated from one of the area’s all-male Catholic schools. He cried during portions of the pope’s address. He also broke down after the address, when he met with Pope Francis more privately, and the pope asked Boehner to pray for him.
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