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Nicole Villar
Prof. Landrus
English 101
9 November 2015
Address of The Holy Father: A Rhetorical Analysis
For those 50 minutes on September 24, 2015, a pope was greater than anything else and
made American politics seem insignificant for once. The reception that greeted Pope
Francis prior to his arrival into the House of Representatives chambers, a place no pope has
gone before, caught everyones attention. With his speech, Pope Francis awakened Congress
with a successful call for action on climate change, immigration, poverty and capital punishment.
This ultimately presents a challenge for the United States to recoup its ideals. Pope Francis
presents a clear vision of a more compassionate America, which could instead use its power to
heal the open wounds (Vatican Museums) of a world full of hatred, pollution and inequality.
He does this by using pathos, kairos and ethos in order to effectively convince readers that
change needs to be implemented in the political system in order for there to be unity and peace
within the world.
Since Pope Francis speech was broadcasted on national television, the issue affects the
vast majority of individuals. He aims his speech specifically at those high in political power such
as congress members. The reason he decides to give his speech in the House chambers, in front
of such an audience, is because he speaks to persuade them that political reform is needed to
make America a better, more benevolent nation. These political figures Pope Francis gives his

speech in front of have the power to put such solutions into place. Pope Francis uses various
appeals in order to augment the trust of his audience and persuade them into taking action.
Immediately, Pope Francis utilizes pathos, an appeal to emotion, and stases theory in
order to captivate the interest of his audience. In his introduction, he states the duties and
responsibilities of being a true politician. These policy makers sitting before him are left
questioning themselves as to whether or not they have done what their title asks of them. The
Pope mentions, Your responsibility as members of Congress is to enable this country. You are
the face of its peopleyou are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens
in pursuit of the common good... (Vatican Museums). By addressing them precisely, the
targeted audience is left reflecting on their past, making them feel a direct and more personal
connection to the speech. This in turn drives the motivation to the continuance of attentive
listening. At the same time, Pope Francis also addresses the action component of stasis theory by
reminding these politicians of their duties and what it means to be a true representative of the
United States.
Throughout his speech, Pope Francis continuously uses inclusive language along with
pathos. He does so by gently stating the issues present in today's society and what needs to be
done to fix the current problems the country is facing. He stated, The Golden Rule also reminds
us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development (Vatican
Museums). This is a perfect example of how he carefully refers to certain controversies without
formally identifying them by name. At the conclusion of his speech, he also appeals to inclusive
language as well as pathos just as he did in the beginning, In these remarks I have sought to
present some of the richness of your cultural heritage...God bless America! (Vatican Museums).

By using your and reiterating the famous phrase to all, God Bless America. Pope Francis
establishes pathetic appeals because the language creates a sense of shared identity and
responsibility. This encourages his audience to establish a particular connection in realizing how
great the United States is and that its future lies within their hands. Establishing an emotional
connection is effective because his audience will be more likely to act on the problems if they
feel they have a sense of responsibility. Overall, the use of pathos and stases theory ignites a
more profound interest level for the audience and leads to a more effective cognizance.
In order to address why reform is needed, Pope Francis appeal to the sense of time, also
known as Kairos, to illustrate why this topic is an imperative issue. By demonstrating why this is
an appropriate time for action, the Pope is simultaneously delivering exigence, the importance
and urgency of the speech. Pope Francis says, The urgency of these challenges [that we're
facing today] demand that we pool our resources and talents and resolve to support one
another... (Vatican Museums). From this, the Pope is strongly emphasizing that everyones
differences need to be put aside in order for there to be any type of change within our political
system. That is the first step we must achieve before progressing onto the further steps. This is
truly an effective appeal to Kairos because here the Pope uses rich words such as urgency and
demand to illustrate the desperation of the issues being presented. This also delivers exigence
by depicting what our world could potentially be if we take his advice and work together in
unity, ultimately fueling viewers to want to take action.
Pope Francis appeals to ethos by portraying how the values he spoke about in his speech
are linked to common American values by mentioning Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King
Jr. He begins by stating how politics is an expression of our compelling need to live as one

(Vatican Museums) and how in doing so will require people to make sacrifices, but he
encourages us in this effort. He states, Here too I think of the march which Martin Luther King
led from Selma to Montgomery 50 years ago...[his] dream continues to inspire us all (Pope
Francis). This is an illustration of a significant time in history, and he ultimately relates it to his
argument on immigration. Because he relates Martin Luther King Jr. to the current struggle the
country is facing on immigration, it adds credibility to his argument. By addressing Martin
Luther King Jr. and the Selma to Montgomery March, Pope Francis gains credibility and more
trust from his audience because he is essentially backing up his argument by relating Martin
Luther Kings struggle to the struggle illegal immigrants are having today. This highlights the
positive correlation between struggle and improvement in the United States.
In addition, the way Pope Francis presents himself also plays a huge factor in gaining
credibility and trust from his audience. He is known for his simplicity and while past popes have
been attracted to garbs adorned with expensive trimmings, Pope Francis likes to keep his attire
simple. The day he gave his speech to Congress, he wore a simple, white chasuble with a
matching white skull cap and a cross around his neck. His attire was a clear reflection on his
humbleness and connection to normal people and the struggles they have to face, which
establishes a profound connection with his audience.
Overall, Pope Francis uses robust rhetorical strategies to convince his audience to take
action on the issues presented in his speech in order to live in a world with peace and unity.
Appeals to pathos aids audience in establishing a personal and emotional connection to the issues
at hand and become more interested in the speech. Kairos is essential in this speech to help
establish exigence and to persuade the audience that some form of action needs to be made

immediately. Lastly, appeals to ethos give Pope Francis credibility so his audience can trust the
words he speaks and the issues he presents. These strategies used altogether have created an
effective speech convincing the audience, congress members, policy makers, and etc. that
immediate action is crucial in restoring the United States into the great, compassionate nation it
was always intended to be.

Works Cited
"Address of The Holy Father." Vatican Museums. Vatican Museums, 24 Sept. 2015. Web. 06 Oct.
2015.