--- title: Pope Francis U.S. Visit: Who's Invited to Congress Speech description: Members of Congress had a big decision to make when it came to Pope Francis's speech Thursday: who to invite. canonical: https://time.com/4047927/pope-francis-us-visit-congress-address/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-09-24T12:52:03.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-14T01:38:32.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Here's Who's Seeing Pope Francis Address Congress Today og:description: Members of Congress had a big decision to make og:url: https://time.com/4047927/pope-francis-us-visit-congress-address/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcb416dea760f0855/6988651ba988ca58dd6b47c1/pope-francis-us-visit-mass-canonization-4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Pope Francis US Visit mass Canonization og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here's Who's Seeing Pope Francis Address Congress Today twitter:description: Members of Congress had a big decision to make twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcb416dea760f0855/6988651ba988ca58dd6b47c1/pope-francis-us-visit-mass-canonization-4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's Who's Seeing Pope Francis Address Congress Today > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=0a8fd950-b524-46fe-9b6c-1e0e5e9c61c9&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | 540,000 | 45.6% | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 430,000 | 50.7% | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | 240,000 | 54.1% | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 40,000 | 31.7% | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | 85,000 | 37.0% | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | 40,000 | 34.2% | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | 25,000 | 28.6% | Source: TIME, August 2026. Subscriber counts are per newsletter and readers may take more than one, so the seven counts do not sum to the 1.1 million+ unique newsletter audience. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Highest open rate | 54.1%, Health Matters | TIME, August 2026 | | Largest list | 540,000, The Brief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=0a8fd950-b524-46fe-9b6c-1e0e5e9c61c9&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=0a8fd950-b524-46fe-9b6c-1e0e5e9c61c9&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Updated: Dec 14, 2023 1:38 AM UTCPublished: Sep 24, 2015 12:52 PM UTC  Pope Francis greets and blesses seminarians, novices, religious guests inside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, on Sept. 23, 2015. Pope Francis greets and blesses seminarians, novices, religious guests inside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, on Sept. 23, 2015. Jim Bourg—Reuters  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Updated: Dec 14, 2023 1:38 AM UTCPublished: Sep 24, 2015 12:52 PM UTC Members of Congress had a big decision to make when it came to Pope Francis’ speech Thursday: who to invite. Representatives had 50 tickets to give for viewing the address on the Capitol lawn and Senators had 200, but each member of Congress had just one extra ticket for seating in the Gallery. Many members of Congress gave that ticket to their spouse or another family member. “It was not a hard de­cision. It would have cost me a mar­riage if I would not have giv­en it to her,” Sen. Jon Test­er of Montana [joked to the _National Journal_](http://www.nationaljournal.com/congress/2015/09/09/pope-francis-congress?q=people+seeing+pope+francis+congress&e=None&c=None&s=None&a=&t=) of giving the ticket to his wife Sharla. Others gave their ticket to faith leaders from their state or district. California Sen. Barbara Boxer and New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, for example, both invited nuns from their home states. But a few lawmakers broke the mold with their invites. These are some members of Congress with interesting invites to see Pope Francis speak: * House Speaker John Boehner, who was instrumental in bringing Pope Francis to the United States and will meet with him privately before the address, invited former Speaker Newt Gingrich and his wife Calista (Boehner [got four gallery tickets to give away](http://blogs.rollcall.com/218/boehner-invites-friends-old-young-papal-address/)). * South Carolina Rep. Mark Sanford invited Dr. Ben Carson, the former neurosurgeon and current 2016 Republican candidate. * New Jersey Rep. Tom MacArthur invited New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, another 2016 Republican candidate. * House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi invited billionaire environmentalist political donor Tom Steyer. * Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark [had an essay contest](http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/09/massachusetts%5Fdelegation%5Finvit.html) in her district. The winner of the ticket was seventh-grader Dylan Lopez, who wrote about his support for Pope Francis’s welcoming stance towards immigrants. * Michigan Rep. Brenda Lawrence invited Martin Manna, an advocate for Iraqi Christian refugees. * Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow gave the ticket to one of her Catholic friends as a [surprise birthday present](http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2015/09/08/pope-speech-congress-hot-ticket/71908262/). Four other 2016 candidates will be in attendance at the speech because they are members of Congress: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Vice President Joe Biden and his wife will also be attending the speech. Biden will sit beside Boehner behind Pope Francis. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4047927/pope-francis-us-visit-congress-address/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4047927/pope-francis-us-visit-congress-address/"},"headline":"Here's Who's Seeing Pope Francis Address Congress Today","datePublished":"2015-09-24T12:52:03.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-14T01:38:32.000Z","description":"Members of Congress each had a ticket to give away","url":"https://time.com/4047927/pope-francis-us-visit-congress-address/","keywords":["Congress","Pope Francis"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcb416dea760f0855/6988651ba988ca58dd6b47c1/pope-francis-us-visit-mass-canonization-4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tessa Berenson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcb416dea760f0855/6988651ba988ca58dd6b47c1/pope-francis-us-visit-mass-canonization-4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Pope Francis US Visit mass Canonization","caption":"Pope Francis US Visit mass Canonization","creditText":"Jim Bourg—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/congress/","name":"Congress"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4047927/pope-francis-us-visit-congress-address/","name":"Here's Who's Seeing Pope Francis Address Congress Today"}}]}] ```