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Skriven 2006-04-07 23:34:32 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (060407) for Fri, 2006 Apr 7
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President Attends National Catholic Prayer Breakfast
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 7, 2006

President Attends National Catholic Prayer Breakfast
Washington Hilton Hotel
Washington, D.C.

President's Remarks view


8:30 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Gracias Mi Tejano. Thank you, sir,
for your kind words. Thanks for inviting a Methodist. (Laughter.)

When I first came out here and saw how comfortable these chairs looked, I
was a little worried you thought I might be giving quite a long speech.
(Laughter.)

I'm so thrilled to be here with the cardinals of the church. Cardinal
McCarrick I know is here, and Cardinal Bevilacqua -- must make you feel
good to see there's not a slice of bacon around. (Laughter and applause.)
My spirits are always uplifted when I'm in the presence of Their
Excellencies, and it's great to see you both.

I've been looking forward to this breakfast, but I've got to tell you, I
was slightly concerned when I saw the draft of the program went like this:
"We will mark the conclusion of the President's speech with the hymn, 'Now
Thank We All Our God.'" (Laughter.)

Laura sends her love and her best. (Applause.) I want to thank the
leadership of the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast for having me, and,
more importantly, having this chance for all to worship together.

I appreciate so very much the Chief Justice joining us. I'm proud you're
here, Chief Justice. (Applause.) I haven't got to the best part of the
family yet. (Laughter.) And Jane. (Applause.)

Secretary Nicholson, I appreciate you being here. Jim Nicholson and
Suzanne, as you might recall, he was our Ambassador to the Vatican, and he
did a fantastic job. (Applause.)

Other members of the administration, thanks for coming. Don't tarry too
long. (Laughter.) Get back to work. (Laughter.)

Looking around, I see members of the United States Senate -- Santorum;
members of the House of Representatives. Thank you all for coming. Proud
you're here. Thanks for taking time out of your day. (Applause.) Smith,
Beauprez, Lungren, I can't -- I don't dare name them all.

We needed a hopeful moment for this world of ours. It's 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. In some of the most advanced parts of our
world, some people no longer believe that the desire for liberty is
universal. Some people believe you cannot distinguish between right and
wrong. The Catholic Church rejects such a pessimistic view of human nature
-- (applause) -- and offers a vision of human freedom and dignity rooted in
the same self-evident truths of America's founding.

This morning we ask God to guide us as we work together to live up to these
timeless truths. When our founders wrote the Declaration of Independence,
they called liberty an unalienable right. An unalienable right means that
freedom is a right that no government can take away because freedom is not
government's to give. (Applause.)

Freedom is a gift from the Almighty because it is -- and because it is
universal, our Creator has written it into all nature. To maintain this
freedom, societies need high moral standards. And the Catholic Church and
its institutions play a vital role in helping our citizens acquire the
character we need to live as free people.

In the last part of the 20th century, we saw the appeal of freedom in the
hands of a priest from Poland. When Pope John Paul II 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. 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.

Pope John Paul has now been succeeded by one of his closest friends and
colleagues, Pope Benedict XVI. Pope Benedict, when he was a Cardinal, and
recently -- when he was a Cardinal, Laura and I had a chance to meet him,
and recently she went back to Rome to see him again. He was such a gracious
host, wonderfully kind man.

Like his predecessor, Pope Benedict 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. (Applause.) Here in the United States,
we work to strengthen a culture of life, through many state and federal
initiatives that expand the protections of the unborn. These initiatives
reflect the consensus of the American people acting through their elected
representatives, and we will continue to work for the day when every child
is welcome in life and protected in law. (Applause.)

I appreciate the leading role that the Catholic faith-based organizations
play in our nation's armies of compassion. (Applause.) And one of the many
ways that Catholic faith-based organizations serve their neighbors is by
welcoming newcomers and helping them become good citizens. (Applause.)

This nation of ours is having an important debate about immigration, and it
is vitally important that this debate be conducted in a civil tone. I
believe that the American Dream is open to all who work hard and play by
the rules, and that America does not have to choose between being a
compassionate society and a society of law. (Applause.)

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.
(Applause.) I'm confident that we can change -- change our immigration
system in ways that secures our border, respects the rule of law, and, as
importantly, upholds the decency of our country. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.)

In this young century, our nation has been called to great duties. I'm
confident we'll meet our responsibilities so long as we continue to trust
in God's purposes. During our time in the White House, Laura and I have
been blessed by the prayers of countless Americans, including many in this
room. It's really an amazing country where people walk up to you, say, Mr.
President, I pray for you -- expecting to say, Mr. President, I'd like a
bridge. (Laughter.) But instead, they say, I pray for you and your family.
It uplifts us, and I want to thank you for that from the bottom of our
hearts.

I ask for your prayers again, that our nation may always be an inspiration
to those who believe that God made every man, woman and child for freedom.
It is such an honor to be here. May God bless you all, and may God continue
to bless our country. (Applause.)

END 8:41 A.M. EDT

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