[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 15 (Wednesday, February 16, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E166]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


     PRESENTING CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO JOHN CARDINAL O'CONNOR

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. HELEN CHENOWETH-HAGE

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 15, 2000

  Mrs. CHENOWETH-HAGE. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to support the passage 
of H.R. 3557 to bestow a Congressional Gold Medal to John Cardinal 
O'Connor. With the Cardinal's retirement arriving in the near future, 
it is time for us to publicly thank him for his important contributions 
to American public life.
  Mr. Speaker, as I am sure you are aware, Cardinal O'Connor is 
arguably one of the most influential American Catholic prelates in the 
second half of this century. He is a Priest, a Bishop, and Cardinal of 
the Catholic Church. But he is also more than that. He is a retired 
Admiral in the United States Navy, a statesman, an accomplished 
academic, and a leader in the pro-life movement.
  From his boyhood in Philadelphia to his present-day residence in New 
York City, Cardinal O'Connor has served the poor and the sick. 
Throughout his career, he has worked with local charities to provide 
needed assistance for the poor. Additionally, he was critical in 
extending health care for AIDS patients in the early days of the AIDS 
crisis. To this day, the Archdiocese of New York is still the largest 
health care provider for AIDS patients in New York City.
  However, fewer people are aware that Cardinal O'Connor is a veteran. 
For twenty-seven years, Cardinal O'Connor served his country honorably 
as a Chaplain in the United States Navy. He later was ordained a Bishop 
by Pope John Paul II so he could serve as the Bishop for the Military 
Archdiocese. After serving in this position for four years, he became 
Bishop of Scranton, Pennsylvania and was then evaluated to his 
Cardinatial See in New York City 1985.
  Furthermore, Cardinal O'Connor provided one of the most important 
voices in America for the unborn. His commitment to the unborn is a 
well-known and important aspect of his pastorate as the Cardinal in New 
York City. He has been an effective advocate for the unborn in both a 
pastoral and legislative capacity. Additionally, he headed the 
Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities for the National Conference of 
Catholic Bishops. He is completely committed to ending the horror of 
legalized abortion on demand and will be remembered for that.
  Many times, people on the side of keeping abortion legal claim that 
the pro-life movement does little to support pregnant women. Cardinal 
O'Connor's example refutes this. On January 23, 2000, he re-stated 
publicly promised.

       On the 15th of October in 1984, I announced from this 
     pulpit that any woman, of any religion, of any color, of any 
     race, of anywhere could come here to New York and we would do 
     everything that we could if she were unable to meet her needs 
     herself to provide free hospitalization, free medical care, 
     free legal care, whatever she needed so that her baby could 
     be born.

  Mr. Speaker, we should take this opportunity to commend and impart 
our thanks to Cardinal O'Connor by bestowing this Congressional Gold 
Medal upon him.




                          ____________________