US Speaker John Boehner to resign from Congress

US House Speaker John Boehner will resign from Congress at the end of October, admitting that “prolonged turmoil” over his leadership would cause “irreparable damage” to the House.

Boehner made his decision while praying on Friday morning, a day after hosting Pope Francis at Congress. In an emotional press conference, he said that a private moment with the pontiff was partly behind his decision.

“The Pope puts his arm around me and kinda pulls me to him, and says ‘please pray for me’. Well, who am I to pray for the pope, but I did.”

Boehner, 65, assumed the position of Speaker in January 2011, after his Republican Party took control of the House. However, he has since been under pressure from his party’s conservative wing.

His resignation comes as Republicans have been discussing plans to defund women’s healthcare provider Planned Parenthood, which has come under fire from pro-life activists who claimed its employees were selling foetal organs.

Conservative Republicans have urged Boehner to stall a government funding bill – a move that could see the US government shut down next week for the second time in two years – if it does not include a pledge to defund Planned Parenthood.

US President Barack Obama said that he was surprised by the news and had called Boehner. Rep. Kevin McCarty, a favourite to replace Boehner, said in a statement that it “it takes profound humility to step down from a position of power”.

House Minority leader Dem. Nancy Pelosi told a press conference that Boehner’s “seismic” resignation was linked to disarray amongst the Republican Party over Planned Parenthood.

“The disarray amongst House Republicans, their obsession with shutting down government at the expense of women’s health needs to be reckoned with and recognised,” she said.