[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6778]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         CARDINAL JOHN O'CONNOR

  (Mr. FORBES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, after 16 years as the head of the New York 
Archdiocese and a life of devotion, faith, and of love for the Catholic 
Church and all of its parishioners, Cardinal John O'Connor passed on 
last night. And as we say in the Catholic faith, entered eternal life. 
He was the voice of all of God's people. He never forgot those in need.
  Soon after the Cardinal was ordained, he began an illustrious career 
in the Navy. Entering the Navy as a chaplain, he rose to the rank of a 
rear admiral after 27 years of service. He traveled the globe 
celebrating mass in foxholes and on aircraft carriers, spreading the 
word of God.
  He was a passionate defender of the rights of all workers. In fact, 
his father was a skilled interior painter and a union man. His father 
passed these views on to his son. And at a Catholic charities event not 
too long ago, the cardinal, who was a man of great humor, said 
jokingly, I told the Pope that there was only two requirements for the 
guy who replaces me. One is that he be Catholic and the other that he 
be a union guy. Cardinal O'Connor's working-class roots remained with 
him throughout his career until the very end.
  His relations with people of all faiths were strengthened. He was a 
champion of the Jewish faith and helped the Vatican as it began to 
recognize Israel. His lifelong devotion to all those less fortunate and 
sick will not be forgotten. We will miss him terribly.




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