Local church group heads to East Coast for Pope Francis visit

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Members of the congregation at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church are preparing for a trip to Washington D.C. to see Pope Francis during his visit.

Among the members heading to the East Coast for the pope's visit is 12-year-old Angela Zamarano.

Zamarano and other children making the trip will be wearing T-shirts that say in Spanish, "Children around the world have a right to be happy." They hope they will be able to deliver their message to the pope directly.

"I would tell him to help us to legalize our parents," Zamarano said.

The congregation is hopeful the pope may be able to help with the immigration issues in the U.S. Father Luis Estrada said Francis has brought more people back to the church and opened lines of communication.

"More people has been attracted by him and not only Catholics, but different religions. When the pope speaks everyone listen to it, regardless of your religion or your political party," he said.

The group will be leaving at 6:30 a.m. Monday. In addition to Washington D.C., the pope will visit New York and Philadelphia.