In the News

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — A Catholic High School physics teacher will head to Washington this week to see the Pope address Congress on Thursday.

Father Lawrence Frederick has been molding the young minds that walk the halls of Catholic High School since 1966.

Little did he know at the time, but Father Frederick must have left a lasting impression on now Congressman French Hill because he invited Father Frederick to Washington D.C. to watch Pope Francis address lawmakers on Thursday.

"I'm excited, yes I am. I've never physically been around the Pope," said Father Frederick.

According to the Office of House Speaker John Boehner, this week's visit will be the first time a Pope has ever given a speech to a joint session of Congress and the first time Francis has visited the U.S. as Pope.

Since Francis became pontiff on March 13, 2013, he's done things differently than those before him. Francis rejected the typical papal apartment for the less formal St. Martha's House, where he lived among fellow priests. As an archbishop, he relied on public transportation and cooked his own meals, according to a Vatican spokesman.

Francis' everyman lifestyle is something Father Frederick said makes him more relatable.

"I know a lot of people who're not Catholic who say they really like this Pope and they relate to him," said Father Frederick. "The more people [who] relate to this man, the more they'll relate to what he has to stay, and what he has to say covers all Christians really."

This isn't the first time a priest from Catholic High School has met the Pope. Father Tribou met Pope John Paul as the guest of then President Bill Clinton.

Pope Francis arrives in the U.S. Tuesday for a six-day trip through Washington D.C., New York, and Philadelphia.