[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book II)]
[August 12, 1993]
[Pages 1371-1372]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Following Discussions With Pope John Paul II in Denver
August 12, 1993

    Good afternoon. It was a great pleasure and a great honor for me to 
be able to spend some time with the Holy Father. We had a cordial and 
productive meeting, and I believe we laid the basis for a productive and 
constructive relationship in the future.
    We shared many values and perspectives: a commitment to today's 
young people in the United States and throughout the world; a belief in 
work and family and the importance of pursuing policies that support 
them; a commitment to correcting the social problems that give rise to 
so many problems for our people in this country, violence, drugs, and 
other things; and a recognition that we need in this Nation and 
throughout the world both more individual responsibility and more 
community action.
    We talked about a wide range of international problems. We discussed 
Bosnia at length, as you might imagine. We talked about the peacekeeping 
mission in Somalia. We talked about the efforts of nations working 
together through the United Nations to reduce violence and support human 
rights and democracy throughout the world, in Cambodia, for example, and 
other places. We talked about the former Soviet Union and conditions in 
many countries. We talked about the Holy Father's native Poland and the

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progress that they are making there. We talked about Haiti and what the 
United States has tried to do there to restore democracy and freedom.
    And throughout, I, like every other person who has ever met him, was 
profoundly impressed by the depth of His Holiness' conviction, the depth 
of his faith, and the depth of his commitment to continue on his 
mission.
    I very much welcome the Vatican's commitment to human rights, 
including religious freedom for all. I welcome the progress that is 
being made in forging relationships and closer ties between the Vatican 
and Israel. That can only help as we seek to pursue peace in the Middle 
East.
    We both are worried about the conditions in Somalia, the Sudan, 
Haiti, and Bosnia. We both are concerned about the problems that have 
always been with us, but we believe that we can make progress in dealing 
with them.
    Finally, let me just say once again how very grateful I am to the 
Holy Father for coming to World Youth Day here in Denver and for the 
Catholic Church's decision to bring World Youth Day to the United States 
and to Denver. It is my hope that the success of this extraordinary 
gathering of young people will create a greater spirit of unity and 
community among them and renewed commitment among those who are 
Americans to work for greater justice and opportunity here at home.
    At the end of our meeting the Holy Father presented me with a Bible. 
And so, I close with a verse from it that I think characterizes his work 
and I hope in due time will characterize the work that we are doing 
here, the exhortation in St. Paul's letter to the Galatians, ``Let us 
not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we 
do not lose heart.''
    Thank you, Your Holiness, for your heart and your efforts.

Note: The President spoke at 5:20 p.m. at Regis University.