WASHINGTON (AP) – Three New England senators and at least one House member were invited to join a congressional delegation traveling to the Vatican for the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

Democratic Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and John Kerry of Massachusetts and Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut were expected to leave for Rome late Wednesday with Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. The funeral is scheduled for Friday morning.

All three senators saw the pope celebrate Mass on Boston Common during his first papal visit to the United States in October 1979. Dodd and Kennedy also met privately with the pontiff on several occasions.

Kennedy recalled presenting the pope with a bust of his brother, President John F. Kennedy, during a visit to the Vatican. “He told us that in God’s eyes, we were all created equally, we all had creative gifts, and all of our talents were enlightened by God,” said Kennedy, who also attended the funeral of Pope Paul VI in 1978.

Dodd’s first meeting with the pope came in St. Peter’s Square in 1983, when he delivered a message to the pontiff from Polish solidarity leader Lech Walesa.

“Lech Walesa wanted to know if his solidarity movement was overusing the church,” said Dodd. He said the pope’s answer was no, he was not concerned that the churches – often meeting places for the solidarity movement – were being misused.

“He was already sowing the seeds for the critical role he played in that,” recalled Dodd, who still carries rosary beads that the pontiff gave him. “No one deserves more credit than the pope for bringing to an end the cold war.”

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Associated Press Writer Lolita Baldor can be reached at: lbaldor(at)ap.org