    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
    [April 9, 2005]
    [Pages 579-580]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    April 9, 2005

        Good morning. This week I have been in Rome to attend the funeral
    mass of Pope John Paul II. The ceremonies were a powerful and moving
    reminder of the profound impact this Pope had on our world. And on
    behalf of America, Laura and I were honored to pay tribute to this good
    and holy man.
        During nearly three decades on the Chair of Saint Peter, this Pope
    brought the gospel's message of hope and love and freedom to the far
    corners of the Earth. And over this past week, millions of people across
    the world returned the Pope's gift with a tremendous outpouring of
    affection that transcended differences of nationality, language, and
    religion.
        The call to freedom that defined his papacy was forged in the
    experiences of PopeJohn Paul's own life. He came to manhood during the
    Nazi occupation of his beloved Poland, when he eluded the Gestapo to
    attend an underground seminary. Later, when he was named Poland's
    youngest bishop, he came face to face with the other great
    totalitarianism of the 20th century, communism. And soon he taught the
    communist rulers in Warsaw and Moscow that moral truth had legions of
    its own and a force greater than their armies and secret police.

        That moral conviction gave the man from Krakow a confidence that
    inspired millions. In 1978, when he looked out at the crowd in front of
    Saint Peter's as their new Pope, the square rang with his words ``Be Not
    Afraid.''

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        Everywhere he went, the Pope preached that the call of freedom is
    for every member of the human family because the Author of Life wrote it
    into our common human nature.
        Many in the West underestimated the Pope's influence, but those
    behind the Iron Curtain knew better, and ultimately even the Berlin Wall
    could not withstand the gale force of this Polish Pope.
        The Pope held a special affection for America. During his many
    visits to our country, he spoke of our ``providential Constitution,''
    the self-evident truths about human dignity enshrined in our
    Declaration, and the blessings of liberty that followed from them. It is
    these timeless truths about man, enshrined in our founding, the Pope
    said, that have led freedom-loving people around the world to look to
    America with hope and respect. And he challenged America always to live
    up to its lofty calling. The Pope taught us that the foundation for
    human freedom is a universal respect for human dignity. On all his
    travels, John Paul preached that even the least among us bears the image
    of our Creator, so we must work for a society where the most vulnerable
    among us have the greatest claim on our protection.
        And by his own courageous example in the face of illness and
    suffering, he showed us the path to a culture of life where the dignity
    of every human person is respected and human life at all its stages is
    revered and treasured.
        As the Pope grew physically weaker, his spiritual bond with young
    people grew stronger. They flocked to him in his final moments,
    gathering outside his window to pray and sing hymns and light candles.
    With them, we honor this son of Poland who became the Bishop of Rome and
    a hero for the ages.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 7:45 a.m. on April 8 at the U.S.
    Ambassador's residence in Rome, Italy, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on
    April 9. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press
    Secretary on April 8 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast.
    The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language
    transcript of this address.