.- This
morning in the nation’s capital, Catholic and political leaders from
around the U.S. gathered for the annual National Catholic Prayer
Breakfast. For his part, President George Bush praised the Catholic
Church for its voice in the national immigration debate and called for
hope in a time of national and international tension.
President Bush
quipped about what an honor it was that the organizers of the Catholic
event invited himself--a Methodist. He also added his particular thrill
“to be here with the cardinals of the Church.”
He began by
saying that the world needs a “hopeful moment,” at a time “when more
people have a chance to claim freedom that God intended for us all.”
“It's also a
time of great challenge,” he said. “Some people believe you cannot
distinguish between right and wrong. The Catholic Church rejects such a
pessimistic view of human nature and offers a vision of human freedom
and dignity rooted in the same self-evident truths of America's
founding.”
Recalling the
late Pope John Paul II, Bush said that “in the last part of the 20th
century, we saw the appeal of freedom in the hands of a priest from
Poland.”
“When [John
Paul] ascended to the chair of St. Peter, the Berlin Wall was still
standing. His native Poland was occupied by a communist power. And the
division of Europe looked like a permanent scar across the continent.
Yet Pope John Paul told us, "Be not afraid," because he knew that an
empire built on lies was ultimately destined to fail.”
He went on to
say that “By reminding us that our freedom and dignity rests on truths
about man and his nature, Pope John Paul II set off one of the greatest
revolutions for freedom the world has ever known.”
The president
also talked spoke about John Paul’s predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who
he said “understands that the measure of a free society is how it
treats the weakest and most vulnerable among us. In his Christmas
homily, the Pope noted that the Savior came to earth as a ‘defenseless
child,’ and said that the splendor of that Christmas shines upon every
child, born and unborn.”
In this light,
he called for a strengthening of a “culture of life”, a term coined by
John Paul II, saying that “we will continue to work for the day when
every child is welcome in life and protected in law.”
San Antonio’s
Archbishop Jose Gomez greeted the president and congratulated him for
his efforts in developing an immigration legislation that
simultaneously strives to protect the U.S.’s borders and extend
compassion to immigrants.
On this, the
president praised the role of Catholic organizations in “welcoming
newcomers and helping them to become good citizens.”
Calling for more
civil discussion on the immigration debate, Bush said that “an
immigration system that forces people into the shadows of our society,
or leaves them prey to criminals is a system that needs to be changed.
He expressed his
confidence “that we can change our immigration system in ways that
secures our border, respects the rule of law, and, as importantly,
upholds the decency of our country. As the Congress continues this
debate, its members must remember we are a nation of immigrants. And
immigration has helped restore our soul on a regular basis.”
1,700 people
attended the prayer breakfast, including some 20 congressmen, 3
senators, and two Secretaries of the current administration.
In addition,
Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the new Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S. was on
hand bearing personal greetings of Pope Benedict XVI.
Madison’s Bishop
Robert C. Morlino gave the keynote address, speaking about how
Catholics have to respond to the dictatorship of relativism created by,
among other things by the complete manipulation of language.
President Bush praises Church as voice for human dignity at National Catholic prayer breakfast
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