I'm absolutely for separation of church and state, am an atheist, and don't believe that the pope or the Catholic church has any special line to a mythical god. I do like him and what he has to say. Should, however, that give him a special platform to address a joint session of Congress? That said

Watching the pope on cspan. The pope and I share a whole lot of ethical values, and it's great after seeing so many fake religious *christian* nuts hearing someone calling for caring for the poor and elderly, among other topics. I'm also an atheist, so don't believe that the pope is the representation of god on earth. BUT as a person, it's great to hear someone in a position of power talking about principles of justice, love, caring for the poor and the refugees. 

About the Pope