Pope compliments US House Speaker on his tie

Washington: Pope Francis liked the US House of Representatives speaker John Boehner`s tie and told him so at their meeting in Washington ahead of his address to the US Congress -- the first by a pontiff.

Seated beside Boehner in a leather armchair in his office, the Pope complimented the Republican on the colour of tie saying: "Green in the colour of hope."

"We`ll need a lot of hope today," Boehner quipped.

Pope Francis is on the second of a five-day visit to the US.

The Pope`s US visit will also include stops in New York and Philadelphia, where all 10,000 tickets to an open-air mass are already taken.

Pope Francis will address the UN in New York on Friday.