Pope Francis made an unscheduled visit Wednesday night to the Little Sisters of the Poor with the aim of showing support for the group’s battle against the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate before the U.S. Supreme Court.
“This is a sign, obviously, of support for them [in their court case],” Father Federico Lombardi, the head of the Holy See press office, said after the visit, according to a Vatican news site. The sisters have a residence near the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, where the pope said mass on Wednesday.
