No Surprise: Boehner Cries During Papal Address

The Speaker of the House has a rich history of tearing up

That didn't take long. 

Less than five minutes into Pope Francis' speech in front of a joint session of Congress on Thursday, Speaker of the House John Boehner was dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief, appearing to wipe away tears.

Boehner, a Catholic member of Congress who is a former altar boy, was instrumental in arranging Thursday's speech, in which Francis was the first pope to address a joint session of Congress. Boehner is also well-known cryer.  

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Bill Clark/Roll Call/Pool
Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, right, greets Pope Francis in the U.S. Capitol building as the Pope arrives to deliver his speech to a joint meeting of Congress on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015.

After the Pope's speech, Boehner became emotional again while Francis spoke from the Speaker's Balcony, addressing a huge crowd on the lawn of the Capitol Building, according to NBC News' Luke Russert.

Boehner poked fun at his own tears later in the day, tweeting, "Of course; everyone knows it doesn’t take an act of God."

Pope Francis is in good company. Boehner's history of crying is legendary. In 2013, he cried during the unveiling of a Rosa Parks statue. Later that year, he cried during a ceremony honoring Winston Churchill. He's cried at ceremonies honoring golfer Arnold Palmer, painter Constantino Brumidi and astronaut Neil Armstrong. He cried when Gabby Giffords announced her resignation from Congress, and he once cried while listening to Irish music during a St. Patrick's Day luncheon.

Here's what people thought of his latest tears:

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