    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
    [January 26, 1999]
    [Page 107]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Exchange With Reporters Prior to Discussions With Pope John Paul II in St. Louis
    January 26, 1999

        Q. Mr. President, are there any thoughts you'd care to share with
    us, now, as you sit down with the Holy Father?
        The President. Well, we have a lot of things to discuss, so I'm
    looking forward to it. We're going to talk about many places in the
    world, and I'm anxious to hear his thoughts on his recent trip to
    Mexico. And then I expect we'll go through a lot of other hot spots in
    the world.
        Q. How has his advice affected your decisions so far in your
    Presidency?
        The President. He reminds us to think of the people, not just the
    governments of other countries but the people of other countries. And
    that's an important thing for an American President to keep in mind.

    [At this point, one group of reporters left the room, and another group
    entered.]

        The President. I think the Church should buy the company producing
    the film, and you could fund all the Catholic charities all over the
    world with it. We could sell all the film the photographers use.
    [Laughter]

    Note: The exchange began at 2:28 p.m. at the Missouri Air National Guard
    Hangar at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. A tape was not
    available for verification of the content of this exchange.