Washington D.C., Feb 2, 2006 / 22:00 pm
Americans are a prayerful people who continue to seek God’s will and to respond to this will in service to those in need, said President George W. Bush at yesterday’s National Prayer Breakfast. The event was held at the Hilton Washington Hotel.
The annual breakfast is organized without government funding by the Fellowship Foundation, an evangelical Christian group. But this year’s breakfast had a more interfaith presence than past years in that the event’s co-chair was the Jewish Senator Norm Coleman. King Abdullah II of Jordan, a Muslim, was also one of the honored guests. He gave the keynote speech at a lunch, following the breakfast.
Rock star and humanitarian Bono gave the keynote address. He spoke about his own experience of faith and God and referred to the Jubilee 2000 Campaign before urging the United States to give "an additional one percent of the federal budget" to the poor, especially in Africa.
President Bush followed Bono at the pulpit.
“It is fitting we have a National Prayer Breakfast, because our nation is a nation of prayer,” said the president. He said he appreciated the presence of world leaders and people of other faiths, and adding that all present were “united in our dedication to peace and tolerance and humility before the Almighty.”
“In America, we do not prescribe any prayer. We welcome all prayer. We're a nation founded by men and women who came to these shores seeking to worship the Almighty freely,” he said.