    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [December 12, 2002]
    [Pages 2184-2189]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the White House Conference on Faith-Based and Community
    Initiatives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    December 12, 2002

        The President. Thanks a lot for the warm welcome. It's a pleasure to
    be back in Philadelphia, a city known for the history that was made here
    and the spirit of compassion which is found here.
        I'm honored to spend the time with you all. I thank you for your
    interest in our country. You love God with all your heart and all your
    soul and all your strength. You love your neighbor. And by the works
    that come from your faith, you are building a more just and generous
    nation. And we are grateful for your efforts.
        I appreciate the tremendous turnout for this White House Conference
    on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. I think it's a really
    important conference. Many faiths and many traditions are represented
    here. Yet we share the same belief that every person in need is a worthy
    child of God. And we share the same goal: We must bring the hope and
    healing of faith-based services to more and more Americans.
        Government has often been slow to recognize the importance of faith-
    based and community efforts. That's changing, and

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    more changes are needed. So today I'm announcing a series of actions to
    stop the unfair treatment of religious charities by the Federal
    Government. If a charity is helping the needy, it should not matter if
    there is a rabbi on the board or a cross or a crescent on the wall or a
    religious commitment in the charter. The days of discriminating against
    religious groups just because they are religious are coming to an end.
        And I want to thank the members of my Cabinet who have traveled here
    today, Mel Martinez and Ann
    Veneman. I appreciate the fact that two fine
    United States Senators from Pennsylvania are here, Rick
    Santorum and Arlen Specter. I'm honored they have traveled with me to this fine
    event. I see Congressman Greenwood is
    with us as well. Thank you for coming. Anybody else from the Congress?
    They'll get the message.
        I want to thank Mike Brown, who's the
    Deputy Director of FEMA, who is here. Of course, I want to thank your
    mayor, John Street. I appreciate the fact--I
    appreciate the very fact that the mayor understands the importance of
    encouraging faith-based programs to change the neighborhoods and the
    lives of the good people of Philadelphia.
        I want to thank Cardinal Bevilacqua for coming. Your Eminence, it's good to see you,
    sir. I want to thank Franklin Graham. I want
    to thank all the leaders, the generals, the soldiers in the armies of
    compassion who are here with us today.
        Today I landed Air Force One--one of the things I try to do is
    herald the heroes of our society. I met Gary Hobbs, the USA Freedom Corps greeter, the former NFL player
    for, of course, the Eagles, who volunteers as a mentor for disadvantaged
    children. I want to thank Gary for his support and his service.
        Every generation of Americans must rise to its own challenges, and
    the challenges facing this generation are very clear. We must overcome
    great dangers to our country, wherever they gather. We're waging a war--
    we're waging an unrelenting effort in this war to dismantle a terrorist
    network which has attacked America.
        I have no greater obligation than to protect our country and to
    defend our freedoms. We will confront outlaw regimes which hate our
    country and arm to threaten civilization, itself. We have that
    obligation, to recognize the world changed for America on September the
    11th, 2001. Before that date, it seemed like we could use the oceans to
    protect us from gathering dangers. We could be confident that nobody
    could possibly hurt America--hurt Americans on American soil, and that
    changed. And therefore, our Government and your leadership must have a
    realistic assessment of the dangers we have faced and we will face. We
    have acted, and we will act again, to protect the American people and to
    keep the peace.
        We must also rise to a second challenge facing our country. This
    great and prosperous land must become a single nation of justice and
    opportunity. We must continue our advance toward full equality for every
    citizen, which demands the guarantee of civil rights for all. Any
    suggestion that the segregated past was acceptable or positive is
    offensive, and it is wrong.
        Recent comments by Senator Lott do not
    reflect the spirit of our country. He has apologized, and rightly so.
    Every day our Nation was segregated was a day that America was
    unfaithful to our founding ideals. And the founding ideals of our Nation
    and, in fact, the founding ideals of the political party I represent was
    and remains today the equal dignity and equal rights of every American.
        And so the--and this is the principle that guides my administration.
    We will not, and we must not, rest until every person of every race
    believes in the promise of America because they see it in their own
    eyes, with their own eyes, and they live it and feel it in their own
    lives.

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        We have work to do. We must be honest about it. We have got a lot of
    work to do in this country, because there are pockets of despair in
    America. There are men and women who doubt the American Dream is meant
    for them. There are people who face the struggles of illness and old age
    with no one to help them or pray with them. There are men and women who
    fight every minute of the day against terrible addictions. There are
    boys with no family but a gang and teenage moms who are abandoned and
    alone. And then there are the children who wonder if anybody loves them.
        We've reformed welfare in America to help many, yet welfare policy
    will not solve the deepest problems of the spirit. Our economy is
    growing, yet there are some needs that prosperity can never fill. We
    arrest and convict dangerous criminals, yet building more prisons is no
    substitute for responsibility and order in our souls.
        No Government policy can put hope in people's hearts or a sense of
    purpose in people's lives. That is done when someone, some good soul,
    puts an arm around a neighbor and says, ``God loves you, and I love, and
    you can count on us both.'' And we find that powerful spirit of
    compassion in faith-based and community groups across our Nation, people
    giving shelter to the homeless, providing safety for battered women,
    giving care and comfort to AIDS victims, bringing companionship to
    lonely seniors.
        I saw that spirit of compassion earlier today when I visited adults
    and children involved in a program called Amachi at the Bright Hope
    Baptist Church right here in Philadelphia. In the Amachi program, good
    people from more than 50 churches in this area serve as mentors to the
    children of prisoners. They share their time and attention. They just
    serve as a friend.
        Most of us find it difficult to imagine the life of a child who has
    to go through a prison gate to be hugged by their mom or dad. Yet this
    is the reality for almost a million-and-a-half American boys and girls.
    They face terrible challenges that no child deserves to face. Without
    guidance, they have a higher risk of failing in school and committing
    crimes themselves. The volunteers of Amachi, who are with us here today
    with the children they are loving, are such wonderful givers of guidance
    and love.
        I'm told that ``amachi'' is a Western African word that means, ``Who
    knows what God has brought us through this child.'' That attitude is the
    inspiration of a good mentoring program. No child is a problem or a
    burden. Every child is a priority and a blessing. That is the message of
    the Almighty God who cares for these, and that is the message carried to
    the city by the volunteers of Amachi. And I want thank them for being
    here today. And I want to thank them for their love. And I want to thank
    them for their example for other Americans to follow.
        Faith-based charities work daily miracles because they have
    idealistic volunteers. They're guided by moral principles. They know the
    problems of their own communities, and above all, they recognize the
    dignity of every citizen and the possibilities of every life. These
    groups and many good charities that are not specifically religious have
    the heart to serve others. Yet many lack the resources they need to meet
    the needs around them.
        They deserve the support of the rest of us. They deserve the support
    of foundations. They deserve the support of corporate America. They
    deserve the support of individual donors, of church congregations, of
    synagogues and mosques, and they deserve, when appropriate, the support
    of the Federal Government.
        Faith-based groups will never replace Government when it comes to
    helping those in need. Yet Government must recognize the power and
    unique contribution of faith-based groups in every part of our country.
    And when the Federal Government gives contracts to private groups to
    provide social services, religious groups

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    should have an equal chance to compete. When decisions are made on
    public funding, we should not focus on the religion you practice; we
    should focus on the results you deliver.
        The Amachi program receives 38 percent of its funding from the
    Federal Government. My administration has been working for nearly 2
    years to encourage this kind of support to good faith-based programs.
    And we're making some progress. The Department of Housing and Urban
    Development, run by Mel--we've changes
    regulations in eight programs which cover over $8 billion in grants to
    encourage competition that includes faith-based groups. We've opened up
    more than $1 billion in after-school programs to competition, including
    faith-based groups. We're reaching out to grassroots community groups
    and helping them learn the complicated process of grantmaking. I see a
    lot of heads nodding when it comes to complicated process. [Laughter]
        Yet there's a lot to do. In Government, we're still fighting old
    attitudes, habits, and rules that discriminate against religious groups
    for no good purpose. In Iowa, for example, the Victory Center Rescue
    Mission was told to return grant money to the Government because the
    mission's board of directors was not secular enough. The St. Francis
    House Homeless Shelter in South Dakota was denied a grant because
    voluntary prayers were offered before meals. A few years ago in New
    York, the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty was discouraged from
    even applying for Federal funds because it had the word ``Jewish'' in
    its name.
        These are examples of a larger pattern, a pattern of discrimination.
    And this discrimination shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the law.
    I recognize that Government has no business endorsing a religious creed
    or directly funding religious worship or religious teaching. That is not
    the business of the Government. Yet Government can and should support
    social services provided by religious people, as long as those services
    go to anyone in need, regardless of their faith. And when Government
    gives that support, charities and faith-based programs should not be
    forced to change their character or compromise their mission.
        And I don't intend to compromise either. I have worked for a Faith-
    Based Initiative to rally and encourage the armies of compassion. I will
    continue to work with Congress on this agenda. But the needs of our
    country are urgent, and as President, I have an authority I intend to
    use. Many acts of discrimination against faith-based groups are
    committed by executive branch agencies. And as the leader of the
    executive branch, I'm going to make some changes, effective today.
        First, in a few minutes--you'll be happy to hear--[laughter]--I am
    going to sign an Executive order directing all Federal agencies to
    follow the principle of equal treatment in rewarding social service
    grants. Every person in every Government agency will know where the
    President stands, and every person will have the responsibility to
    ensure a level playing field for faith-based organizations in Federal
    programs. No funds will be used to directly support inherently religious
    activities; yet no organization that qualifies for funds will ever be
    forced to change its identity.
        And secondly, I have directed specific action in several Federal
    agencies with a history of discrimination against faith-based groups.
    FEMA will revise its policy on emergency relief so that religious
    nonprofit groups can qualify for assistance after disasters like
    hurricanes and earthquakes. HUD and HHS, who provide so much grant money
    to communities across America, will revise their regulations to reflect
    the principle of nondiscrimination.
        In addition, we're issuing a guidebook which you've received. The
    book explains in plain English--[laughter]--how faith-based groups can
    qualify for Government grants. It gives guidance on what you can

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    and cannot do with taxpayers' money. We're going to distribute this
    guidebook widely. We will continue to hold regional conferences like
    this one all around the United States of America. The rules for dealing
    with the Government are clear, and we want more and more faith-based
    charities to become partners in our efforts, our unyielding efforts to
    change America one heart, one conscience, one soul at a time.
        Through all these actions, I hope that every faith-based group in
    America, the social entrepreneurs of America, understand that this
    Government respects your work, and we respect the motivation behind your
    work. We do not want you to become carbon copies of public programs. We
    want you to follow your heart. We want you to follow the Word. We want
    you to do the works of kindness and mercy you are called upon to do.
    [Applause] Thank you.
        For too long--for too long, some in Government believed there was no
    room for faith in the public square.
        Audience members. Preach on, brother!
        The President. I guess they've forgotten the history of this great
    country. People of faith led the struggle against slavery. People of
    faith fought against child labor. People of faith worked for women's
    equality and civil rights. Every expansion of justice in American
    history received inspiration from men and women of moral conviction and
    religious belief. And in America today, people of faith are waging a
    determined campaign against need and suffering.
        When Government discriminates against religious groups, it is not
    the groups that suffer most. The loss comes to the hungry who don't get
    fed, to the addicts who don't get help, to the children who drift toward
    self-destruction. For the sake of so many brothers and sisters in needs,
    we must and we will support the armies of compassion in America.
        The steps we take today will help clear away a legacy of
    discrimination against faith-based charities. In the new year, I will
    announce further initiatives to help community groups that serve their
    neighbors.
        Our Nation needs more mentors, particularly mentors for children
    whose mom or dad is in prison. Our Nation needs more centers to treat
    addiction. Our Nation must recognize that if we can change a heart,
    we're more than likely to change someone's habits and addiction on drugs
    and alcohol. Instead of building towering bureaucracies, Government
    should be finding new and creative ways to support local efforts.
        I call this approach compassionate conservatism. And in my State of
    the Union Message, I will ask members of both political parties to move
    forward with me on this vision. By promoting the compassion of our
    people, by promoting the great strength of America, we will bring new
    hope to neighborhoods all across this land.
        You know something about America? We meet every challenge that faces
    our country. That's why I'm so optimistic about our future. And we will
    answer the call of our times. We will defend our freedoms, and we will
    lead the world toward peace. And we will unite America behind the great
    goals of justice and compassion.
        In the work of compassion, it is not the people in Government who
    are the experts; the people in this room are the experts. The people in
    this room are helping lead America to a better day. You just need to
    know that. And you need to know that I am incredibly grateful for what
    you do. There is a saying: Nobody can teach you how to be a good servant
    of God; you have to learn it on the job. And you are doing that job so
    incredibly well.
        Audience member. And you are, too!
        The President. I appreciate your commitment--I appreciate your
    commitment. I appreciate your service. I appreciate your love.
        And now I'm proud to sign this Executive order providing equal
    treatment for faith-based charities all across the greatest land on the
    face of the Earth, the United States of America. May God bless you all.

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    Note: The President spoke at 12:45 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom at the
    Downtown Marriott Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to Anthony Cardinal
    Bevilacqua, Archbishop of Philadelphia; and Franklin Graham, chairman
    and chief executive officer, Samaritan's Purse. The Office of the Press
    Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.
    The Executive order on equal protection of the laws for faith-based and
    community organizations is listed in Appendix D at the end of this
    volume.