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Local Students Affected By Pope's Message To Congress

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pope Francis was greeted by cheers as he stepped onto the floor of the House of Representatives Thursday.

He didn't know it, but he was getting the same applause from the students at Central Catholic High School. It was an assembly set up by their principal Brother Robert Schaefer.

"To listen to the words and wisdom and insight of a leader like Pope Francis certainly helps reinforce what we try to do everyday, which is to encourage them to be contributing citizens," he said.

About 200 miles from Capitol Hill, but the Pope's message was loud and clear to the 860 students at the school. William McCarthy said of the Pope's address to congress:

"I thought it was incredibly moving," he said. "I've been very taken with Pope Francis from the very beginning with is message of sustainability and respect for life, but not in the traditional notion of what we think of pro-life, but rather the dignity of every person throughout their existence."

And when the pope talked about his defense of immigration, it hit home with Jorgereyes-Arbujas.

"His message was that we should be focusing more on similarities with other people rather than the differences and that is refreshing to me because I feel today we focus more on the differences," he said.

And 13 students and three chaperons will travel to Philadelphia this weekend to see the pope. Patrick Lowlor will be among them.

"I feel I'm going to grow in my faith while I'm there and have more of an open mind when I return," he said.

The young and the not-so-young seemed to capture the same message. Dr. Norbert Gannon was just going into noon mass at St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland, but heard the pope's address before he left home.

"I wish there more people in the world with a heart like he has. It would be a much better place to live."

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