[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 39 (Thursday, April 7, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3354-S3355]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING POPE JOHN PAUL II

  Mr. TALENT. Mr. President, I rise today just for a few moments to 
offer a few words in honor of the life of Pope John Paul II. Much has 
been said this week, and will be said this week, about his life. I want 
to pay tribute to him on behalf of all the Missourians who are mourning 
his passing this week.
  The Pope left an indelible mark on the history of mankind and, 
indeed, of the world. I think the title of George Weigel's biography 
captured the Pope's work the best. He called him ``A Witness To Hope.'' 
The moral clarity his leadership provided helped spread democracy and 
justice around a world that desperately needed it. But even more than 
that, he brought faith and hope to the empty, to the hopeless, to the 
last and the least among us.
  He was a faithful servant of God, an inspiration to Missourians, to 
countries and cultures around the world. Certainly he was an 
inspiration to me. One of the greatest honors I have had in all my 
years in public life was the opportunity to meet him when he visited 
Missouri 6 years ago.
  As we mourn the Pope's passing, we celebrate his spiritual 
leadership. I want to say, also, we should celebrate his qualities 
which most impressed me in the brief moment I had to meet him at that 
time--I mean his humanness, his courage, his works. Those works for 
years to come will continue giving people hope for the next world and 
better lives in this one.
  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I rise today, to join my colleagues and 
the rest of the world in the remembrance of Pope John Paul II.
  Since the passing of the Pope, it has often been noted that this Pope 
was by far the most traveled of any in history--quite possibly the one 
person seen live by the most people of all time.
  We were fortunate in my State to receive the Pope twice, once in 
Anchorage in 1981 and then again in Fairbanks in 1984. During his 
Anchorage visit, the Pope celebrated Mass with more than 40,000 
Alaskans in a downtown Anchorage park. It was the largest gathering of 
Alaskans up until that time, and beginning in the cold, wet, early 
February morning, until his departure, crowds lined the streets and 
Alaskans strained to get a glimpse of the Pontiff. Always known for his 
compassion and generosity, the Pope extended his visit in Anchorage 
more than an hour to meet in private with 150 disabled Alaskans at Holy 
Family Cathedral.
  The Pope's visit to the Fairbanks International Airport was even more 
momentous, and was transformed into the site of major diplomacy. It was 
an opportunity for the Pope to meet with President Ronald Reagan, who 
was returning from overseas and, like the Pope, stopped in Alaska to 
refuel his aircraft. The President, who had arrived the previous night, 
was the first to greet the Pope. They visited briefly and then the Pope 
surprised many by making an unexpected tour through the crowd that 
waited outside the airport in the drizzling rain.
  While in Alaska, the Pope spoke about the unity of faith that binds 
Alaska's diverse Catholic community--from Native Alaskans to people 
from all over the world. During his Anchorage stopover, John Paul II 
even enjoyed a brief ride on a dogsled.
  Like many Americans and individuals all over the world, I grieve for 
the loss of the Holy Father. From his humble beginnings to the 
principal voice for human rights for over two decades, Pope John Paul 
II will always be remembered. He was an extraordinary, inspirational 
and spiritual person and the world is a better place thanks to his 
service and spiritual leadership.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I wish to submit for the Record today a 
statement joining my colleagues and my countrymen and women in paying 
tribute to the departed and beloved Pope John Paul II. I join them in 
mourning his loss, and I extend my condolences to Roman Catholics in 
Connecticut and all over the world.
  It is impossible to overstate the great sense of loss that is being 
felt by the 1 billion Catholics worldwide, but a telling sign of the 
Holy Father's lasting legacy is that his life and death have touched 
billions of non-Catholics as well. The Pontiff built bridges to non-
Catholics and transformed forever the Church's perception of Jews in 
particular from a separated people to ``older'' brothers and sisters in 
faith.
  Pope John Paul II's outreach to people of all faiths began when he 
was a young man. Known to his friends and family as ``Lolek,'' the 
future Pontiff grew up in Wadowice, Poland, in the 1920s and 1930s. 
Wadowice was a town of about 7,000, more than 20 percent of whom were 
Jewish, including young Lolek's best friend, Jurek Kluger.
  One of Lolek and Jurek's favorite pastimes was soccer. One day, Jurek 
went to the Parish church to meet up with Lolek before heading to a 
soccer match together. A woman in the church expressed her amazement at 
the sight of a Jewish boy standing next to the altar. To the future 
Pope, however, it was a natural and effortless interfaith communion. As 
the young Lolek remarked to the amazed onlooker, ``Aren't we all God's 
children?''
  Pope John Paul II worked to protect all of God's children as a 
courageous champion of religious freedom and human rights and a 
tireless advocate for the poor and sick throughout the world. His 
fervent opposition to the brutal scourge of Nazism was matched by his 
tireless work to break Eastern Europe free from the oppressive grip of 
communism.
  In June of 1979, 8 months after being elected to take the throne of 
St. Peter, Pope John Paul II made a triumphant return to Poland. His 
beloved nation was struggling to survive under the iron fist of Soviet 
rule. An adoring crowd of 1 million supporters gave him a hero's 
welcome.
  For his fellow Poles, who for decades were deprived of their freedom 
to worship, the Pontiff had a strong, clear and inspirational message. 
``You are men. You have dignity. Don't crawl on your bellies,'' he 
said. This visit was a crucial turning point in America's Cold War with 
the Soviet Union.
  Working together with the people of Poland and the United States, the 
Pontiff transformed his homeland into the spiritual battlefront of the 
Cold War. Forging an allegiance with Lech Walesa, the Pope provided 
religious support for the anti-communist Solidarity movement. Over the 
next decade, a tidal wave of the spirit overcame communism in Poland. 
One by one, the dominoes of Communist oppression fell across Eastern 
Europe as faith and freedom triumphed. Stalin once mocked the power of 
the papacy by asking, rhetorically, ``The Pope? How many divisions has 
he got?'' In one of history's sweet ironies, it was indeed a

[[Page S3355]]

Pope none other than Pope John Paul II who helped dismantle Stalin's 
empire, not with divisions of armed soldiers, but legions of faithful 
followers who yearned to be free.
  In another historic trip 22 years later, the Pontiff made a 
pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He visited Yad Vashem, the Holocaust 
memorial, where he prayed and met with survivors. On his last day in 
Jerusalem, he went to the Western Wall of the Temple. There, the Holy 
Father prayed silently before leaving a small written prayer stuffed 
into a crack in the wall, surrounded by the thousands of notes and 
prayers people leave there every day.
  During his Papacy, while much of the world could not resist the 
temptation of moral compromise and material excess, Pope John Paul II 
remained steadfast in his morality and spirituality. He was a tower of 
integrity, a role model for everyone who sought to defend their values 
from the growing culture of moral relativism. In an age of materialism 
and genocide, he was the world's most consistent advocate of spiritual 
and humanitarian values.
  While the Pope's values remained traditional, his ability to 
communicate was progressive and modern. He forever revolutionized how 
the church could spread its teachings. He masterfully used modern 
technology to bring the church to the world.
  In each of the seven languages he spoke, he had a unique ability to 
touch each one in his presence as if they were the only one to whom he 
was speaking. The Pope was able to inspire those who came to hear his 
message to go forth and make the world a better place. On January 4, 
2001, he called upon a group of hundreds of believers gathered in St. 
Peter's Square--including a Roman Catholic member of my own staff, 
Kenneth Dagliere--to make the most of their God-given potential. ``If 
you are to be what you are meant to be, you will set the world 
ablaze,'' he told them. Those words are as autobiographical as they are 
inspirational.
  Much as he did in life, Pope John Paul II provided a life-affirming 
example of dignity in his death. While we are saddened by his death, we 
take solace in knowing that he left us peacefully and surrounded by 
those closest to him in his Papal residence. Outside, in St. Peter's 
Square, hundreds of thousands of adorers held constant vigil, praying 
for a man who had touched their lives in a way few ever could. It was a 
spontaneous outpouring of love for a man who seemed to possess an 
eternal capacity to spread strength and love wherever he went.
  Mr. President, Pope John Paul II leaves behind a lasting legacy of 
faith and leadership. He will be truly missed by hundreds of millions 
of God's children throughout the world. I thank the Almighty for giving 
us the gift of Pope John Paul II. And I thank Lolek, who became Pope 
John Paul II, for using those gifts to bringing us all closer to God.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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