White Smoke: Boehner's Encounter With Pope Francis Changed Congress Forever

An assemblage pinch nan pope is simply a time to remember.

But only connected Capitol Hill would nan time aft nan pope visited go moreover much memorable.

The precocious Pope Francis came to Washington, D.C., to speak to a Joint Meeting of Congress connected Sept. 24, 2015. He wasn’t nan first pontiff to descend connected Capitol Hill. But nan pope is simply a caput of state, ruling nan Vatican City and nan Holy See. As such, Francis became nan first pope to speak to a Joint Meeting of Congress successful nan House chamber.

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Pope Francis leads his accepted Wednesday General Audience astatine St. Peter's Square successful Vatican City connected March 8, 2023.  (Stefano Costantino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Lawmakers showered nan Holy Father pinch applause and 2 opinionated ovations during his address. Two Catholics were perched down Pope Francis connected nan dais: past Vice President Joe Biden and erstwhile House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. As vice president, Biden served arsenic President of nan Senate. As speaker, Boehner was nan Constitutional serviceman for nan legislative branch.

Boehner blotted his eyes pinch a handkerchief respective times during nan 3,400-word speech.

Pope Francis implored lawmakers to dainty each different — and their constituents — pinch dignity.

"We request to debar a communal enticement nowadays. To discard immoderate proves troublesome. Let america retrieve nan Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others arsenic you would person them do unto you,’" he said.

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President Joe Biden, left, exchanges gifts pinch Pope Francis arsenic they meet astatine nan Vatican connected Oct. 29, 2021. (Vatican Media via AP)

One point I retrieve astir nan Pope’s sojourn was nan choreography. Congressional workers affixed small, greenish strips of portion to nan Capitol’s marble floors. Names were emblazoned connected nan portion successful achromatic Magic Marker astatine different points astir nan complex. "McCarthy" aliases "Pelosi" aliases "McConnell." All portion of nan governmental — and papal — stagecraft.

The portion dictated wherever cardinal governmental leaders would guidelines arsenic they escorted Pope Francis into nan House enclosure aliases successful beforehand of nan statue of Junipero Serra successful Statuary Hall.

A duct-taped "X" marked nan level successful beforehand of Serra. The pope canonized Serra nan time earlier he visited nan Capitol astatine nan Basilica of nan National Shrine of nan Immaculate Conception successful Washington. Serra became nan first American to go a saint connected U.S. soil. Pope Francis blessed nan statue of Serra. The statue depicts nan saint hoisting a transverse successful his correct hand, looking skyward toward nan heavens.

Someone taped a greenish arrow complete nan achromatic and achromatic tiles of Statuary Hall, pointing toward nan Speaker’s Office.

That signaled nan pope’s adjacent extremity connected Capitol Hill.

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Pope Francis addresses nan associated convention of Congress successful Washington, D.C., connected Sept. 24, 2015. (Vincenzo Pinto/AFP via Getty Images)

Pope Francis and nan entourage past walked toward Boehner’s agency and onto nan Speaker’s Balcony overlooking nan West Front of nan Capitol and down nan National Mall toward nan Washington Monument.

A throng assembled connected nan Capitol grounds.

"Buenos dias," said nan Pope, greeting nan crowd for illustration he would from nan "Pope’s Window" astatine nan Apostolic Palace astatine nan Vatican connected a Sunday. "I americium grateful for your presence."

He past blessed nan pilgrims connected nan crushed below.

"Papa! Papa!" nan crowd chanted.

When nan pope first arrived astatine nan Capitol, he met pinch Boehner successful nan Speaker’s ceremonial agency conscionable disconnected nan House floor.

Boehner paced nervously awaiting Pope Francis connected nan 19th period Minton Tiles, which adorn nan office.

"He’s connected Boehner time," said nan erstwhile speaker. "Which is connected time."

Boehner wore his signature Kelly greenish necktie for nan juncture — a vintage portion of Boehner apparel, which dates backmost to erstwhile he served successful nan Ohio authorities legislature and first ran for Congress successful 1990. When Pope Francis arrived, he told nan erstwhile speaker nan necktie bore a "color of hope."

A fewer days later, Boehner choked up arsenic he relayed a communicative astir what Pope Francis said to him erstwhile they were astir to exit nan Capitol.

"We recovered ourselves alone," said Boehner of himself and Francis.

Pope Francis ponders during nan inauguration of a UNESCO chair astatine nan Pontifical Lateran University successful Rome connected Oct. 7, 2021. (Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images)

The pope grabbed nan speaker’s arm.

"The pope puts his limb astir maine and benignant of pulled maine to him and said, ‘Please believe for me,’" said Boehner. "Wow. Who americium I to believe for nan pope?’ But I did."

Boehner near nan Capitol that night. But his brushwood pinch nan Holy Father seemingly transformed nan speaker — and altered nan trajectory of nan House for years to come.

The speaker decided to resign nan adjacent morning.

"He had been trying to get retired of present for years," said 1 root adjacent to nan speaker astatine nan time.

Boehner’s plans to depart were thwarted erstwhile nan heir apparent, erstwhile House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., stunningly mislaid his superior successful nan outpouring of 2014.

So Boehner soldiered on.

By precocious July 2015, erstwhile Trump White House main of unit and erstwhile Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., prepped a "motion to vacate nan chair." Those who travel Capitol Hill cognize each astir specified a mobility now. But it was caller a decade ago. Such a mobility would require nan House to return a ballot of assurance successful nan speaker successful nan mediate of nan Congress. Lawmakers had ne'er utilized nan maneuver before. It was hardly discussed.

Pope Francis meets President Donald Trump successful nan Private Library of nan Apostolic Palace successful Vatican City connected May 24, 2017. (Vatican/Pool/Galazka/Archivio Grzegorz Galazka/Mondadori via Getty Images)

Meadows released his solution conscionable earlier nan August recess — but ne'er triggered it.

That gave Boehner and nan House a period to stew complete whether Meadows mightiness effort to oust nan speaker erstwhile lawmakers returned successful September.

On nan nighttime aft nan pope’s visit, Boehner called his main of staff, Mike Sommers, to show him he planned to measurement aside. Boehner besides told his wife, Debbie, of his plans.

"This greeting I woke up, said my prayers, arsenic I ever do, and thought, ‘This is nan time I americium going to do this,’" said Boehner.

Boehner past astonished a gathering of nan House Republican Conference that he intended to resign.

The move sent a daze activity done Washington.

"My first occupation arsenic speaker is to protect nan institution," Boehner said. "It had go clear to maine that this prolonged activity turmoil would do irreparable harm to nan institution."

The Boehner departure — nan time aft his brushwood pinch Pope Francis — group into mobility what immoderate mightiness respect arsenic nan very "prolonged activity turmoil" that nan erstwhile speaker hoped to avoid.

It was believed that erstwhile House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. — past nan House Majority Leader — would ascend to nan job. But arsenic startling arsenic Boehner’s departure was, McCarthy supplanted that. Moments earlier House Republicans were group to pat McCarthy arsenic nan adjacent speaker, McCarthy withdrew from nan contest. He lacked nan votes.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., looks connected astatine nan U.S. Capitol successful Washington, D.C., connected Oct. 3, 2023. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

McCarthy’s determination roiled Capitol Hill for weeks. Former House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., yet took nan job. But Ryan was reluctant. He moreover put retired a connection that he didn’t want it.

Others jumped in: Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla., on pinch erstwhile Reps. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and Bill Flores, R-Texas.

But Ryan yet came around. Fox was told astatine nan clip that if Ryan hadn’t travel around, "there would beryllium humor connected nan floor" of nan House arsenic Republicans waged an internecine donnybrook.

Ryan remained arsenic House speaker until he retired successful early 2019. Democrats won nan House successful nan 2018 midterms. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., returned to nan speakership she held 8 years before.

But Democrats mislaid nan House successful nan 2022 midterms. And moreover though McCarthy touted a 40-plus-seat rout for nan GOP, Republicans controlled nan House by a thread.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., left, and erstwhile House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. (Getty Images)

Thus, it group into mobility a five-day conflict successful early 2023 arsenic McCarthy struggled for 15 rounds earlier winning nan speakership. It was nan longest speaker’s title since nan mid-19th century.

But McCarthy was gone by early November.

Remember that "motion to vacate nan chair" mentioned earlier?

Meadows ne'er activated his mobility successful 2015. But erstwhile Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., did successful 2023.

McCarthy was done. And nan House spent 3 weeks trying to elite a caller speaker.

First they tried House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. Then House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Then House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn.

None prevailed.

Finally, a backbencher emerged from nan fray: House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

Rep. Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, holds nan gavel aft being re-elected House speaker during nan first convention of nan 119th Congress successful nan House Chamber of nan Capitol successful Washington, D.C., connected Jan. 3. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The House of Representatives has ne'er rather been nan aforesaid since Boehner made his astonishment announcement aft his brushwood pinch Pope Francis. The speakership seems to teeter connected an separator these days — astatine slightest erstwhile Republicans tally nan chamber. Johnson periodically endures threats to "vacate nan chair." Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., tried to bounce him conscionable past year.

During nan speaker succession conflict of 2015 and nan three-week speaker debacle of 2023, friends asked if "white smoke" would emanate from nan Capitol Dome. They facetiously suggested that it would awesome nan predetermination of a caller House speaker.

The College of Cardinals will statesman a conclave successful Rome successful a fewer days to prime a successor to Pope Francis. It’s a governmental process. Not dissimilar what happens successful Congress erstwhile there’s a vacancy successful nan speakership. We’ll cognize there’s a caller pope erstwhile achromatic fume wafts retired of a duct atop nan Sistine Chapel.

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Cardinals of nan Catholic Church attended nan predetermination conclave successful nan Sistine Chapel astatine nan Vatican successful Vatican City connected April 18, 2005. (Arturo Mari, Vatican Pool)

It was an important time erstwhile Pope Francis said to a Joint Meeting of Congress successful 2015. But successful sheer Congressional terms, nan time afterward was seismic for nan quality of nan institution. Boehner’s abrupt resignation ushered successful an unsettled era astir who presides complete nan House. The sojourn by Pope Francis and Boehner’s departure everlastingly melded nan 2 together successful nan annals of Capitol Hill.

And arsenic a result, whenever there’s a House speaker interregnum successful nan future, governmental observers will ever look for governmental "white smoke" to find retired if lawmakers person settled connected a caller leader.