[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3089-3090]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  EULOGY HONORING FATHER ROBERT DRINAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, a little over a week ago our country 
suffered a great loss with the passing of Father Robert Drinan. He was 
a great man. He was a great humanitarian. He was a priest and he was a 
Member of Congress.
  When asked to talk about Father Drinan, it is impossible not to speak 
in the superlative in every case. And also the words that I would like 
to use are to quote a great man, Father Drinan himself.
  At his funeral, which I had the privilege to eulogize Father Drinan, 
I said that when Saint Francis of Assisi, who is the patron saint of my 
City of San Francisco, when St. Francis of Assisi was asked what a 
person had to do to lead a good and virtual life, he said, Saint 
Francis did, ``Preach the gospel. Sometimes use words.''
  Father Robert Drinan preached the gospel, sometimes from the pulpit, 
sometimes from the floor of this House for 10 years as a Member of 
Congress, and sometimes from the classroom at the Georgetown University 
School of Law. But he always preached the gospel through the power of 
his example.

[[Page 3090]]

  Father Drinan lived and legislated according to an expansive view of 
the gospel, believing that it had something to teach us about the whole 
range of public policy, from war and peace to poverty and justice, to 
how we treat our children and our parents. It was because of his faith 
that he was one of our great champions for human rights. He believed 
that there was a spark of divinity in every person, and he acted upon 
that belief. But he did so selflessly.
  When the Soviet dissident Anatoly Sharansky was freed after 8 years 
in a Siberian labor camp, it was because of years of advocacy by many. 
Yet, at a reception welcoming him to the United States that was held in 
this Capitol, Sharansky, surrounded by supporters and admirers, looked 
to the back so he could find and thank the man who was his major 
champion, Father Drinan. That was Father Drinan, eager to help, slow to 
accept credit.
  I was particularly honored that earlier, it was the beginning of 
January actually, Father Drinan celebrated a mass at my alma matter, 
Trinity College, before I was sworn in as Speaker. He said that mass in 
honor of the children of Darfur and Katrina. And he prayed there that 
``the needs of every child are the needs of Jesus Christ himself.'' 
Those were Father Drinan's words.
  He challenged us by saying, ``Imagine what the world would think of 
the United States if the health and welfare of children everywhere 
became the top objective of America's foreign policy! It could happen, 
and it could happen soon, he said, if enough people cared.''
  He continued, ``Let us reexamine our convictions, our commitments and 
our courage.'' He emphasized courage. ``Our convictions and our 
commitments are clear and certain to us. But do we have the courage to 
carry them out,'' he asked? ``God has great hopes for what this great 
Nation will do in the near future. We are here to ask for the courage 
to carry out God's hopes and aspirations.''
  He inspired us with those words, and as he led us in prayer that day, 
Father Drinan said, ``We learn things in prayer that we otherwise would 
never know.''
  That day in church at his funeral, and since then, we are praying for 
the courage of Father Drinan. That may have been Father Drinan's last 
sermon from the pulpit, but afterwards, he sent me a letter asking that 
I place that sermon in the Congressional Record. And I commend to all 
of you his call for ``peaceful revolution'' to all who read our Record. 
He quoted John F. Kennedy, who said that we could make that possible 
with our actions.
  These words join the many courageous words Father Drinan said on this 
House floor. He came to Congress to oppose the war in Vietnam. They 
join his powerful words on the day, last May, when Congress had the 
privilege of honoring him with the Congressional Distinguished Service 
Award. He received that award, along with our former Ambassador to the 
Vatican and our former colleague in this House, Ambassador and 
Congresswoman Lindy Boggs.
  In his service, it was repeated during the communion service, ``Where 
there is charity there is Christ. Where there is charity there is 
God.'' Ubi caritas Deus ibi est. And on that day, in the Capitol, when 
we honored the two of them, charity was present and so was God's 
goodwill.
  They also, Father Drinan's words that we have submitted to the 
Congressional Record, join the words he shared with his students. He 
was a priest, he was a politician, he was an American patriot who loved 
our Constitution and fought for our civil liberties, and he loved his 
students as a teacher.
  When he left here because Pope John Paul II, when he became Pope said 
he had to choose between being a priest and being a Member of Congress, 
he said, ``I am a priest forever,'' and he left the Congress.
  His successor, I know, is a source of great hope to the people in his 
district. Congressman Barney Frank will be leading the special order in 
honor of Father Drinan shortly.
  But as a teacher, as I say, he loved his students, his law students. 
And just before graduation of one class, Bob Hickmont told me this, who 
was one of his students, Father Drinan offered advice to a group of 
Georgetown law students. He said, ``As I look out at all of you, with 
your new and expensive law school educations, I would urge you to go 
forth into society not as mere legal tradesmen, but as moral 
architects. Design, create and build a better and more equitable 
society and use your skills to help those who are otherwise not being 
served.''
  Father Drinan, this statement and others of your statement are 
entered into the Congressional Record. Again, those words, with those 
of your 10 years in Congress, will serve as an inspiration for all who 
follow the proceedings of Congress and all who ever knew you.
  Again, to his family, the Drinan family, to Helen and all of the 
family, his sister-in-law, Helen, I hope it is a comfort to them that 
so many people mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad 
time. And I extend my deepest sympathy to his family.

                          ____________________