It’s Pope Week in America, which means we’re getting lots of stories about how Pope Francis has “softened” the tone of the church and how conservatives are upset by his focus on climate change and the poor.

What these stories miss is the hope Pope Francis inspires in those of us — many of us not Catholic or even Christian — who are reeling from revelations about partial-birth abortions and the selling of baby body parts, who wonder at the attacks on religious freedom and marriage in the last year, who worry about a culture that dehumanizes not only the unborn but others as well.

It comes as no surprise to us, though it may surprise the mainstream media, that Tea Partying Ted Cruz praises Pope Francis for his witness on these issues. Cruz is a conservative evangelical but that doesn’t keep him from praising the leader of the Catholic Church. From his column today at The Federalist:

Just as we saw in the case of the Planned Parenthood videos, the media will want to turn our attention off of what’s really at stake and distract us with anything they can to make the pope’s visit divisive. Indeed, there are policy discussions to be had on issues like the environment and U.S. relations with communist countries such as Cuba. These distinctions are important, but let us not forget what we have in common and what this leader of the church brings to America as a gift to us—his care for the family and his heart of mercy for the most vulnerable.