[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 6858-6859]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                   TRIBUTE TO JOHN CARDINAL O'CONNOR

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I will use 5 minutes and then yield to my 
senior colleague from New York for 5 minutes.
  It is with a heavy heart that I rise today to honor the memory of His 
Eminence, John Cardinal O'Connor. As you know, His Eminence was a man 
of immense honor and conviction, a man who dedicated his entire life in 
service to our Nation and the betterment of humanity. He was completely 
loyal to Catholic doctrine but was able to reach out to New Yorkers of 
all races, religions, and ethnic and economic backgrounds. His loss is 
New York's loss, America's loss, and humankind's loss.

[[Page 6859]]

  Today, all New Yorkers mourn this profound loss. And while today will 
be one filled with great sorrow, I believe that during this period of 
grief, many will find moments of joyous reflection in thinking about 
the innumerable ways this servant of God was able to touch the lives of 
millions.
  Earlier this year, I rose alongside a number of my colleagues in the 
Senate and called upon this body to support legislation to honor the 
enormous contributions made by the Cardinal to religion, humanity, and 
service to America, by bestowing upon him the Congressional Gold Medal.
  The measure passed unanimously, and I had the honor to personally 
present His Eminence with a framed copy of that legislation, and 
although he was weakened, you could see a man of peace. He believed he 
had accomplished much of his life's goal and was proud of what he had 
done, although in his own modest way. It is my prayer that all of us, 
when our time comes, may feel just that way.
  The Cardinal cared about the poor, the sick, and the elderly. He 
would be giving a speech on Catholic doctrine at the cathedral one hour 
and the next hour would quietly slip off and minister to an AIDS victim 
in a hospice. He was a man of great intelligence and of great passion. 
He was a man who believed and didn't flinch from those beliefs but at 
the same time had a unique ability to reach out to others who might not 
believe what he did. He served, of course, as a military chaplain and 
at the same time was a voice for the poor. He cared about working 
people and spoke up for the union movement repeatedly.
  He loved all of God's children, and he will be forever cherished and 
remembered by people of the Jewish community for bringing Jews and 
Catholics closer together. I truly believe that much of the Vatican's 
rapprochement with the Jewish community worldwide started with His 
Eminence Cardinal O'Connor. He served as an international ambassador, 
traveling the world over, to: Israel, Jordan, Haiti, Bosnia-
Herzegovina, and Russia, as a messenger of peace, humanity, and 
freedom. Wherever war, oppression, and poverty have threatened to 
weaken the human spirit, he has been there--a tireless servant of the 
Roman Catholic Church and as an American citizen.
  John Cardinal O'Connor was an institution in New York, a beacon of 
hope and inspiration who, from our cherished St. Patrick's Cathedral 
championed the simplest of causes--the betterment of humanity. He was a 
man that I respected a great deal because of his unwavering commitment 
to his convictions, even when we disagreed.
  So, last night, Mr. President, New York, America, and the entire 
world lost one of our greatest treasures. This morning, the earthly 
world is a bit poorer for the passing of this great man and the 
heavenly world a bit richer. I thank you and my colleagues for allowing 
me to express, on behalf of all New Yorkers, the profound sense of 
sorrow we feel today with the loss of Cardinal O'Connor.
  I yield the remainder of my time to the senior Senator from New York.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New York is recognized.
  Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, on February 22, my beloved colleague, 
the junior Senator from New York, introduced legislation to authorize 
the President to award a gold medal on behalf of the Congress to John 
Cardinal O'Connor, Archbishop of New York, in recognition of his 
accomplishments as a priest, a chaplain, and a humanitarian.
  Congress finds that His Eminence, John Cardinal O'Connor, was a man 
of deep compassion, great intellect, and tireless devotion to spiritual 
guidance and humanitarianism.
  I think it is a special note that the Cardinal joined the Navy 
Chaplain's Corps in June of 1952 during the Korean conflict. He served 
with elements of both the Navy and the Marine Corps and saw combat 
action in Vietnam.
  He later served as chaplain of the United States Naval Academy and 
was appointed Chief of Chaplains of the Navy with the grade of rear 
admiral, from which position he retired 4 years later.
  In May 1979, he was ordained a bishop by Pope John Paul II. He then 
served as Victor General of Military Ordnance--now the Archdiocese for 
Military Services--until 1984.
  This son of a working-class laborer, a union man from Pennsylvania, 
found himself, on the one extreme, in the jungles of Vietnam saying 
mass in foxholes and asking himself, as he saw the deaths on all sides 
of all the combatants, why?
  He came back with that same courage to the Archdiocese of New York. 
There are 2.37 million of us, and we have been rancorous from the 
first, and continue so. He quickly adapted to that environment and 
adopted some of those characteristics.
  But he was a wonderful priest. As my friend, Senator Schumer, said, 
he was a healer and a man who reached out to others.
  He is in his heaven now. As we mourn his passing, we celebrate his 
life.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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