Nuns lean out to see Pope Francis as he greets and blesses seminarians, novices and religious guests inside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington Wednesday.(Photo: JIM BOURG, ap)

WASHINGTON — Pope Francis made an unscheduled stop to visit the Little Sisters of the Poor Wednesday, a move that Vatican officials said was intended to send a message of support in the nuns' battle against Obamacare.

The religious order of Catholic sisters is suing the Obama administration over a provision of the Affordable Care Act that the administration has interpreted as requiring the sisters to purchase health insurance with birth control coverage.

Catholic teaching opposes the use of birth control. The sisters can request a waiver, but their lawsuit argues that requiring that paperwork infringes on their religious freedom. The sisters are suing under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a Clinton-era law that prohibits the government from placing a "substantial burden" on the free exercise of religion.

Last August, an appeals court sided with the government, but an unusual dissent by five judges this month called that decision “clearly and gravely wrong — on an issue that has little to do with contraception and a great deal to do with religious liberty.” The question now goes to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Francis met with the sisters at their Washington convent next door to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, where he celebrated a canonization Mass for St. Junipero Serra. The private meeting was not on the pope's public schedule and was only disclosed afterward.

“This is a sign, obviously, of support for them,” said the Vatican Press Secretary, Rev. Federico Lombardi.

Louisville Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the court case represents the broader understanding of freedom of religion held by the Catholic church.

“Freedom of religion also means the ability to live out your religion,” he said. “The last thing the Little Sisters of the Poor want to do is sue somebody. They want to serve the poor and the elderly, and do so in a way that doesn’t conflict with their beliefs. We feel strongly about that. It’s a freedom not of special privilege, it’s a freedom to serve others, and serve others in such a way that does not compromise the integrity of our beliefs.”

The quiet show of support comes as Francis walks a political tightrope in Washington this week, speaking out on moral issues of concern to conservatives (abortion and religious freedom) and liberals (immigration and the environment) alike.

While Kurtz acknowledged that there were political ramifications to the issues Francis will raise in his address to Congress Thursday, Kurtz cautioned people to "hear his whole message.”

“We have to be careful not to pick one item in isolation," he said. “The Holy Father comes as a pastor and as a prophet, and as a prophet he comes with a certain moral voice."

Francis also greeted 3,000 seminarians and members of other religious orders inside the Basilica before the canonization Mass in order to encourage vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

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