[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 128 (Tuesday, September 17, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H10452-H10454]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONFERRING HONORARY U.S. CITIZENSHIP TO MOTHER TERESA
Mr. FLANAGAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
joint resolution (H.J. Res. 191) to confer honorary citizenship of the
United States on Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, also known as Mother Teresa, as
amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.J. Res. 191
Whereas the United States has conferred honorary
citizenship on only three occasions in its more than two
hundred years, and honorary citizenship is and should remain
an extraordinary honor not lightly conferred nor frequently
granted;
Whereas Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, better known through out the
world as Mother Teresa, has worked tirelessly with orphaned
and abandoned children, the poor, the sick, and the dying;
Whereas Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity
in 1950, and has taken in those who have been rejected as
``unacceptable'' and cared for them when no one else would,
regardless of race, color, creed, or condition;
Whereas Mother Teresa has deservedly received numerous
honors, including the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize and the 1985
Presidential Medal of Freedom;
Whereas Mother Teresa has worked in areas all over the
world, including the United States, to provide comfort to the
world's neediest; and
Whereas Mother Teresa through her Missionaries of Charity
has established within the United States numerous soup
kitchens, emergency shelters for women, shelters for unwed
mothers, shelters for men, after-school and summer camp
programs for children, homes for the dying, prison ministry,
nursing homes, and hospital and shut-in ministry: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, That Agnes
Gonxha Bojaxhiu, also known as Mother Teresa, is proclaimed
to be an honorary citizen of the United States of America.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Illinois [Mr. Flanagan] and the gentlewoman from California [Ms.
Lofgren] each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Flanagan].
general leave
Mr. FLANAGAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks on House Joint Resolution 191, the joint resolution under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mr. FLANAGAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Joint Resolution 191,
legislation which I introduced that confers honorary U.S. citizenship
upon Mother Teresa.
Mr. Speaker, Mother Teresa is a living saint. Her work has affected
people around the globe. She has worked tirelessly for the sick and the
dying, giving them comfort and care. Mother Teresa has always, through
her Missionaries of Charity, taken in those who are ``unacceptable,''
and thus unwanted, and cared for them when no one else would. Her
commitment to humanity is unwavering.
Born on August 27, 1910, Mother Teresa has worked for over 65 years
for the betterment of mankind. She began her religious studies in
Ireland in 1928. Later that same year, she went to Calcutta, India,
where she has so nobly performed countless acts of faith and devotion.
Mother Teresa's caregiving has reached beyond creed, nationality,
race, or place. She has extended her service to those who are poor and
those who are unwanted around the world. Aside from her work in India,
Mother Teresa has touched the lives of many in Ireland, Venezuela,
Tanzania, Australia, Jordan, her own Albania, and of course, right here
in the United States, to name but just a few of the more than 90
countries where Mother Teresa and her order have been active.
Bestowing such a prestigious tribute as honorary U.S. citizenship
does not come easily. There have been only three other occasions on
which this privilege has been awarded. Only four individuals have
received honorary citizenship. They are, first, Sir Winston Churchill,
Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II, America's greatest
ally, second, Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat who, during World
War II, saved the lives of thousands of Jews, and third, William Penn
and his wife, Hannah Callowhill Penn, were honored for their role in
the colonial days of our great country.
Honorary U.S. citizenship does not grant any legal rights or
obligations. It does not give the recipient any voting privileges. This
has been a concern in the past. It is crystal clear from the
legislative history of the Churchill, Wallenberg, and Penn bills that
conferral of honorary citizenship is purely a symbolic gesture. It is
recognition of their outstanding commitment to their fellow man and to
America.
There is no question that Mother Teresa is a worthy recipient of this
prestigious honor. She has established numerous soup kitchens, women's
shelters, shelters for unwed mothers, religious education programs,
nursing homes, orphanages, after school and summer camp programs for
children, homes for the dying, prison ministry, family counseling
programs, and missionary work in the United States. She has also been
awarded the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize for her work as well as the 1985
U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom and countless other honors. It would
surely take up the rest of the day to list them all.
The Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa's order, was founded in
India in 1950. The order was established in the United States in 1971.
There are approximately 4,500 sisters affiliated with the congregation.
It is represented in the United States in the Archdioceses of Atlanta,
Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Newark,
Philadelphia, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Washington. Also in the
Dioceses of Baton Rouge, Brooklyn, Dallas, Fall River, Gallup,
Lafayette, Lexington, Little Rock, Peoria, Phoenix, and Memphis. It's
very possible that more have been added since the last official report.
God only knows where Mother Teresa's influence and good works may turn
up next.
Mother Teresa is a woman of simple, yet eloquent, faith. This is best
illustrated by an observation she once made. She said:
We do not accept any government assistance or church
subsidies, salaries or fixed income. The birds of the air and
the flowers of the field do not have an income, but God takes
care of them. Therefore, will not God also take care of us,
who are more important than flowers and birds?
But, it is Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity who, through
their good works throughout the world have, in some way, shape, or
form, taken
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care of us by touching our lives. We should all be honored that we have
had the privilege to have lived in her lifetime.
To those who sometimes ask the question, ``Why is there so much evil
in the world?'' I ask the converse question, ``Why is there so much
good?'' The answer is that there are humble people like Mother Teresa
and those who work with her. Malcolm Muggeridge entitled his biography
of Mother Teresa, ``Something Beautiful for God.'' I would simply add
to that, that Mother Teresa is also something beautiful for the world.
Mr. Speaker, it is important that we recognize and reward the actions
of this living saint. Mother Teresa is undeniably a worthy recipient of
honorary citizenship and I ask my colleagues to join with me in
bestowing this high honor and distinction upon Mother Teresa.
{time} 1515
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. FLANAGAN. I yield to the gentleman from New York.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois
[Mr. Flanagan] for bringing this measure to the floor and to pay proper
respects for this saintly servant of God who has done so much good for
so many throughout the world. It is with a great deal of pride and
pleasure that I join with the gentleman in honoring Mother Teresa in
this manner.
Mr. FLANAGAN. I thank the distinguished chairman.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill. As the gentleman from
Illinois has mentioned, this bill would provide honorary citizenship to
Mother Theresa and that is a symbolic gesture, it does not provide for
voting, citizenship and the like, but it is an honor that I feel ought
to be conferred upon Mother Theresa. I would note that this measure has
come up late in this Congress, but the Committee on the Judiciary did
consider it last week and on voice vote did unanimously approve the
measure.
As the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Flanagan] has indicated, there
have only been three other occasions when honorary citizenship has been
conferred by the United States, and they are all amazing people,
Winston Churchill, Raoul Wallenberg, and William Penn. Certainly Mother
Theresa belongs in this group of honored citizens of the world.
I note that Mother Theresa was actually born in Yugoslavia, of
Albanian parents. She has received an honor from India, the Jewel of
India, as well as the Nobel Peace Prize, and the Order of the British
Empire. Adding honorary U.S. citizenship would add our country's honor
to her which she so richly deserves.
I would note, as my colleague from Illinois has, that what she has
done in her life deserves the admiration of all of us here in the
United States and all around the world. Like many here in America when
she fell ill a short while ago, I offered up a small prayer that she
might be left here with us a little while longer to continue her good
works. We do not know how long the Lord will see fit to leave her with
us, but I hope that this bill bestowing honorary citizenship does pass
in time for her to know that we call her our own as well. She embodies
all the things that we believe is best for our country: hope, and
reaching out to those in need.
I thank the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Flanagan] for introducing
the bill.
Mr. FLANAGAN. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?
Ms. LOFGREN . I yield to the gentleman from Illinois.
Mr. FLANAGAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California
[Ms. Lofgren] for her excellent remarks and her endorsement of the
bill. It is worthy of her endorsement and her endorsement certainly is
most helpful.
Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to observe quickly that the gentlewoman
remarked she was born in Yugoslavia, this is true, in Skopje, but at
the time she was born, she has been with us so long, Skopje was in the
Ottoman Empire at the time she was born. That is how long she has been
with us, out doing her good works. That is an amazing fact in and of
itself.
Ms. LOFGREN. It certainly is.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Colorado [Mrs.
Schroeder].
Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California
for yielding me this time. Obviously no one, no one on this planet dare
ever question Mother Teresa's good works and her qualification for
this.
The only reason I rise is to say I certainly hope that we are not
trying to cloak some of the things that we have done to the less
fortunate in our society by conferring this on Mother Teresa. I am not
too sure she would not have preferred a little different outcome in
some of the things that this body did this year. In fact, I am almost
sure she had almost rather have that done in her name rather than this.
I keep thinking if we look at the real character of Mother Teresa,
she would have been horrified by probably many provisions of the
regressive welfare bill. And, in fact, if she were here, because she is
not a real citizen, she could not qualify, even though she has taken
vows of poverty, for any of those benefits.
I think she would be saddened by many of the debates we have had
about the poor children in this country and the poor people in this
country. I cannot help but point out we have an immigration bill where
she could still not come to this country to live even with this
honorary citizenship unless she had a relative that was 200 percent
over the poverty line willing to sponsor her. And if she got here and
then she wanted to bring some of her relatives here to be with her in
her last few days, she could not do that, either, because she has taken
a vow of poverty and she would fit under our immigration bill.
So I have to say as we get close to election time and all of that,
let us not try to take her tremendous good works and hope that that
reflects on us when I think we have a record that she really would not
particularly want her good works being used to cloak. I certainly do
not come out against this bill. Obviously this woman deserves honors
from every country, from every person anywhere. But I really wonder if
she would not have preferred us spending this time to do something
about the people who have fallen through the cracks in our society that
are Americans and especially those who are least able to do anything,
the young children, those who are terribly sick, those who are elderly
and disabled. Those have been the people she has spoken for. And too
many times in these last 2 years, we have had more of a motto of trying
to keep hate alive, where we have politically preyed on the backs of
the poor and the people who are defenseless.
So, yes, of course everybody is for this bill. But let me just say, I
am not sure that the record of this body would qualify many of us for
the kind of good works she has gotten. And I certainly hope none of us
use this bill to try and cover up some of the votes that Mother Theresa
would have never have made--never have made--had she been a Member of
this body. I think to say, well, I cannot defend those votes but guess
what I did, I tried to honor Mother Theresa, would make her very, very
angry.
So as she has reentered the hospital, and we are all very saddened by
that, I think it is also terribly important to be very serious about
what her life message was to each and every one of us, and, that was,
to do good things and to not ever attack those among us who are least
able to fight back, whether I look at the welfare bill, nutrition
bills, things that have been done in jobs bills, things that have been
done in immigration bills, things that have been done in English only.
Again she would be in trouble because she does not speak English well.
I must say, I am sure she would kind of wonder why we did not try to
correct some of those in her good name and follow her good works rather
than just honor it. I am sure she would prefer we followed her good
works first, and that would be the best way to honor her.
Mr. FLANAGAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I join the gentlewoman from Colorado in her desire not
to have Mother Theresa's name used for a crass
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political purpose. Certainly that is not the intention of this side. I
hope it is not anywhere in the body.
Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I would just add that clearly there are few if any
Members of this body as saintly as Mother Teresa. And we should not
only honor her with honorary U.S. citizenship, but use her faith and
the action that her faith has led her to us as a model for each of us.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. FLANAGAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. (Mr. Miller of Florida). The question is on
the motion offered by the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Flanagan] that
the House suspend the rules and pass the joint resolution, House Joint
Resolution 191, as amended.
The question was taken.
Mr. FLANAGAN. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not
present.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5, rule I, and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.
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