WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced that Bishop Frank J. Caggiano, the Fifth Bishop of Bridgeport, will be his guest to Pope Francis’s address to a joint session of Congress on September 24, 2015. Senator Murphy’s office has a limited number of tickets available for the public to see the Pope give a brief greeting outside the U.S. Capitol after his address. Connecticut residents who are interested should call Senator Murphy’s office. Tickets will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis.

“It’s an honor to invite Bishop Caggiano to join me when Pope Francis visits Washington and addresses Congress,” said Senator Murphy. “Bishop Caggiano has dedicated his life to public service and has been recognized around the world for his commitment to serving our most vulnerable neighbors. I invited Bishop Caggiano because he is a fierce advocate for Bridgeport’s youth and families in need. He has made Pope Francis's teachings of respect for our environment and emphasis on economic and social justice core tenets for the Bridgeport diocese. I look forward to welcoming the Bishop to Washington for this historic day.”

Bishop Caggiano said, “On the personal side, this is a great thrill and opportunity for me to be present at a Joint Session of Congress, and I’m very grateful to Senator Chris Murphy for making this possible. Our Holy Father has spoken with great urgency about many of the issues that affect the lives of people across the globe--from the need to be better stewards of creation and advocates for economic and social justice to the mandate to safeguard all human life including those who are increasingly threatened by religious persecution. His talk before Congress will be an extraordinary moment in United States history and a moment of great pride for all Catholics. He’ll remind us that the vision and mission of the Church go beyond all politics and speak to the aspirations of all people rooted in their human dignity and faith in God, which is the basis of all rights. In his compassion for all those who suffer and his vision of the Church as an instrument of mercy, we have much to be thankful for. His visit to the U.S. fills us with hope and I look forward to the remarkable witness he will bring to our country and to our Church."

The Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano was installed as Fifth Bishop of Bridgeport on Thursday, September 19, 2013, at St. Theresa Church in Trumbull. He came to Bridgeport from the Diocese of Brooklyn, where on June 6, 2006, he was named Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn and Titular Bishop of Inis Cathaig by Pope Benedict XVI. Bishop Caggiano was invited by Pope Benedict XVI to deliver World Youth Day talks in Sydney in 2008, Madrid in 2011, and by Pope Francis to serve as a catechist at World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, 2013. He also preached at the Youth 2000 Summer Festival in Tipperary, Ireland.

On February 22, 2014, he formally convoked the 4th Synod of the Diocese of Bridgeport, the first in 32 years, as an opportunity for renewal and pastoral planning for the future of the local Church. After a series of listening sessions with over 4,000 comments by laity, priests and religious across the diocese, the Bishop announced the Synod 2014 themes of empowering youth, building up the community of faith, fostering evangelical outreach, and promoting works of charity and justice.