[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 6266-6267]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            WELCOMING POPE BENEDICT XVI TO THE UNITED STATES

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 16, 2008

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, my wife Marie and I were 
among the thousands who joined President George W. Bush and Laura on 
the White House lawn today in welcoming Pope Benedict XVI to the United 
States.
  It was among the most inspiring events of my 28 years in Congress.
  Both men--extraordinary leaders for extraordinarily difficult times--
spoke eloquently of the challenges, opportunities and duties of global 
citizenship. Both called us to work harder and more effectively for 
others, especially the disenfranchised, weak and vulnerable.
  President Bush--speaking for us--said to the Pope:

       ``Here in America you'll find a nation of compassion. 
     Americans believe that the measure of a free society is how 
     we treat the weakest and most vulnerable among us. . . . Here 
     in America you'll find a nation that welcomes the role of 
     faith in the public square. . . . Here in America, you'll 
     find a nation that is fully modern, yet guided by ancient and 
     eternal truths. . . . Most of all, Holy Father, you will find 
     in America people whose hearts are open to your message of 
     hope. And America and the world need this message.''

  Pope Benedict said ``I come as a friend. a preacher of the Gospel, 
and one with great respect for this vast pluralistic society . . .''
  He said he hoped his presence would he ``a source of renewal and 
hope.'' He reminded us that ``Freedom is not only a gift, but also a 
summons to personal responsibility.'' And the Pope urged us to greater 
action:

       ``the need for global solidarity is as urgent as ever, if 
     all people are to live in a way worthy of their dignity--as 
     brothers and sisters dwelling in the same house and around 
     that table which God's bounty has set for all his children. 
     America has traditionally shown herself generous in meeting 
     immediate human needs, fostering development and offering 
     relief to the victims of natural catastrophes. I am confident 
     that this concern for the greater human family will continue 
     to find expression in support for the patient efforts of 
     international diplomacy to resolve conflicts and promote 
     progress. In this way, coming generations will be able to 
     live in a world where truth, freedom and justice can 
     flourish--a world where the God-given dignity and the rights 
     of every man, women and child are cherished, protected and 
     effectively advanced.

  Madam Speaker, what follows are both the President and Pope's remarks 
in their entirety.

 President Bush Welcomes His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to White House

       President Bush: Holy Father, Laura and I are privileged to 
     have you here at the White House. We welcome you with the 
     ancient words commended by Saint Augustine: ``Pax Tecum.'' 
     Peace be with you.
       You've chosen to visit America on your birthday. Well, 
     birthdays are traditionally spent with close friends, so our 
     entire nation is moved and honored that you've decided to 
     share this special day with us. We wish you much health and 
     happiness--today and for many years to come.
       This is your first trip to the United States since you 
     ascended to the Chair of Saint Peter. You will visit two of 
     our greatest cities and meet countless Americans, including 
     many who have traveled from across the country to see you and 
     to share in the joy of this visit. Here in America you'll 
     find a nation of prayer. Each day millions of our citizens 
     approach our Maker on bended knee, seeking His grace and 
     giving thanks for the many blessings He bestows upon us. 
     Millions of Americans have been praying for your visit, and 
     millions look forward to praying with you this week.
       Here in America you'll find a nation of compassion. 
     Americans believe that the measure of a free society is how 
     we treat the weakest and most vulnerable among us. So each 
     day citizens across America answer the universal call to feed 
     the hungry and comfort the sick and care for the infirm. Each 
     day across the world the United States is working to 
     eradicate disease, alleviate poverty, promote peace and bring 
     the light of hope to places still mired in the darkness of 
     tyranny and despair.
       Here in America you'll find a nation that welcomes the role 
     of faith in the public square. When our Founders declared our 
     nation's independence, they rested their case on an appeal to 
     the ``laws of nature, and of nature's God.'' We believe in 
     religious liberty. We also believe that a love for freedom 
     and a common moral law are written into every human heart, 
     and that these constitute the firm foundation on which any 
     successful free society must be built.
       Here in America. you'll find a nation that is fully modern, 
     yet guided by ancient and eternal truths, The United States 
     is the most innovative, creative and dynamic country on 
     earth--it is also among the most religious. In our nation, 
     faith and reason coexist in harmony. This is one of our 
     country's greatest strengths, and one of the reasons that our 
     land remains a beacon of hope and opportunity for millions 
     across the world.
       Most of all. Holy Father, you will find in America people 
     whose hearts are open to your message of hope. And America 
     and the world need this message. In a world where some invoke 
     the name of God to justify acts of terror and murder and 
     hate, we need your message that ``God is love.'' And 
     embracing this love is the surest way to save men from 
     ``falling prey to the teaching of fanaticism and terrorism.''
       In a world where some treat life as something to be debased 
     and discarded, we need your message that all human life is 
     sacred, and that ``each of us is willed, each of us is 
     loved'' and your message that ``each of us is willed, each of 
     us is loved, and each of us is necessary.''
       In a world where some no longer believe that we can 
     distinguish between simple right and wrong, we need your 
     message to reject this ``dictatorship of relativism,'' and 
     embrace a culture of justice and truth.
       In a world where some see freedom as simply the right to do 
     as they wish, we need your message that true liberty requires 
     us to live our freedom not just for ourselves, but ``in a 
     spirit of mutual support.''
       Holy Father, thank you for making this journey to America. 
     Our nation welcomes you. We appreciate the example you set 
     for the world, and we ask that you always keep us in your 
     prayers.

       Pope Benedict XVI: Mr. President, thank you for your 
     gracious words of welcome on behalf of the people of the 
     United States of America. I deeply appreciate your invitation 
     to visit this great country. My visit coincides with an 
     important moment in the life of the Catholic community in 
     America: the celebration of the 200th anniversary of 
     elevation of the country's first Diocese--Baltimore--to a 
     metropolitan Archdiocese and the establishment of the Sees of 
     New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Louisville.
       Yet I am happy to be here as a guest of all Americans. I 
     come as a friend, a preacher of the Gospel, and one with 
     great respect for this vast pluralistic society. America's 
     Catholics have made, and continue to make, an excellent 
     contribution to the life of their country. As I begin my 
     visit, I trust that my presence will be a source of renewal 
     and hope for the Church in the United States, and strengthen 
     the resolve of Catholics to contribute ever more responsibly 
     to the life of this nation, of which they are proud to be 
     citizens.
       From the dawn of the Republic, America's quest for freedom 
     has been guided by the conviction that the principles 
     governing political and social life are intimately linked to 
     a moral order based on the dominion of God the Creator. The 
     framers of this nation's founding documents drew upon this 
     conviction when they proclaimed the self-evident truth that 
     all men are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights 
     grounded in the laws of nature and of nature's God.
       The course of American history demonstrates the 
     difficulties, the struggles, and the great intellectual and 
     moral resolve which were demanded to shape a society which 
     faithfully embodied these noble principles. In that process, 
     which forged the soul of the nation, religious beliefs were a 
     constant inspiration and driving force, as for example in the 
     struggle against slavery and in the civil rights movement. In 
     our time, too, particularly in moments of crisis, Americans 
     continue to find their strength in a commitment to this 
     patrimony of shared ideas and aspirations.
       In the next few days, I look forward to meeting not only 
     with America's Catholic community, but with other Christian 
     communities and representatives of the many religious 
     traditions present in this country. Historically, not only 
     Catholics, but all believers have found here the freedom to 
     worship God in accordance with the dictates of their 
     conscience, while at the same time being accepted as part of 
     a commonwealth in which each individual group can make its 
     voice heard.
       As the nation faces the increasingly complex political and 
     ethical issues of our time, I am confident that the American 
     people will find in their religious beliefs a precious source 
     of insight and an inspiration to pursue reasoned, responsible 
     and respectful dialogue in the effort to build a more human 
     and free society.
       Freedom is not only a gift, but also a summons to personal 
     responsibility. Americans know this from experience--almost 
     every town in this country has its monuments honoring those 
     who sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom, both at 
     home and abroad. The preservation of freedom calls for the 
     cultivation of virtue, self-discipline, sacrifice for the 
     common good, and a sense of responsibility towards the less 
     fortunate. It also demands the courage to engage in civic 
     life and to bring one's deepest beliefs and values to 
     reasoned public debate.
       In a word, freedom is ever new. It is a challenge held out 
     to each generation, and it must constantly be won over for 
     the cause of good. Few have understood this as clearly as

[[Page 6267]]

     the late Pope John Paul II. In reflecting on the spiritual 
     victory of freedom over totalitarianism in his native Poland 
     and in Eastern Europe, he reminded us that history shows time 
     and again that ``in a world without truth, freedom loses its 
     foundation,'' and a democracy without values can lose its 
     very soul. Those prophetic words in some sense echo the 
     conviction of President Washington, expressed in his Farewell 
     Address, that religion and morality represent ``indispensable 
     supports'' of political prosperity.
       The Church, for her part, wishes to contribute to building 
     a world ever more worthy of the human person, created in the 
     image and likeness of God. She is convinced that faith sheds 
     new light on all things, and that the Gospel reveals the 
     noble vocation and sublime destiny of every man and woman. 
     Faith also gives us the strength to respond to our high 
     calling and to hope that inspires us to work for an ever more 
     just and fraternal society. Democracy can only flourish, as 
     your founding fathers realized, when political leaders and 
     those whom they represent are guided by truth and bring the 
     wisdom born of firm moral principle to decisions affecting 
     the life and future of the nation.
       For well over a century, the United States of America has 
     played an important role in the international community. On 
     Friday, God willing, I will have the honor of addressing the 
     United Nations organization, where I hope to encourage the 
     efforts underway to make that institution an ever more 
     effective voice for the legitimate aspirations of all the 
     world's peoples.
       On this, the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration 
     of Human Rights, the need for global solidarity is as urgent 
     as ever, if all people are to live in a way worthy of their 
     dignity--as brothers and sisters dwelling in the same house 
     and around that table which God's bounty has set for all his 
     children. America has traditionally shown herself generous in 
     meeting immediate human needs, fostering development and 
     offering relief to the victims of natural catastrophes. I am 
     confident that this concern for the greater human family will 
     continue to find expression in support for the patient 
     efforts of international diplomacy to resolve conflicts and 
     promote progress. In this way, coming generations will be 
     able to live in a world where truth, freedom and justice can 
     flourish--a world where the God-given dignity and the rights 
     of every man, women and child are cherished, protected and 
     effectively advanced.
       Mr. President, dear friends, as I begin my visit to the 
     United States, I express once more my gratitude for your 
     invitation, my joy to be in your midst, and my fervent 
     prayers that Almighty God will confirm this nation and its 
     people in the ways of justice, prosperity and peace. God 
     bless America.

                          ____________________