    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
    [April 7, 2006]
    [Pages 676-678]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast
    April 7, 2006

        Thank you all very much. Gracias, mi Tejano. Thank you, sir, for your kind words. Thanks for inviting a Methodist.
    [Laughter]
        When I first came out here and saw how comfortable these chairs
    look, I was a little worried you thought I might be giving quite a long
    speech. [Laughter]
        I'm so thrilled to be here with cardinals of the Church. Cardinal
    McCarrick, I know, is here, and
    Cardinal Bevilacqua. Must make you
    feel good to see there's not a slice of bacon around. [Laughter] My
    spirits are always uplifted when I'm in the presence of Their
    Excellencies, and it's great to see you both.
        I've been looking forward to this breakfast, but I've got to tell
    you, I was slightly concerned when I saw the draft of the program went
    like this: ``We will mark the conclusion of the President's speech with
    the hymn, `Now Thank We All Our God.' '' [Laughter]
        Laura sends her love and her best. I want to
    thank the leadership of the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast for
    having me and, more importantly, having this chance for all to worship
    together.
        I appreciate so very much the Chief Justice joining us. I'm proud you're here, Chief Justice. I
    haven't got to the best part of the family yet--[laughter]--and
    Jane.
        Secretary Nicholson, I appreciate you
    being here--Jim Nicholson and Suzanne.
    As you might recall, he was our Ambassador to the Vatican, and he did a
    fantastic job.
        Other members of the administration, thanks for coming. Don't tarry
    too long. [Laughter] Get back to work. [Laughter]
        Looking around, I see Members of the United States Senate--
    Santorum; Members of the House of
    Representatives. Thank you all for coming. Proud you're here. Thanks for
    taking time out of your day. Smith,
    Beauprez, Lungren, I can't--I don't dare name them all.
        We needed a hopeful moment for this world of ours. It's a time when
    more people have a chance to claim freedom that God intended for us all.
    It's also a time of great challenge. In some of the most

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    advanced parts of our world, some people no longer believe that the
    desire for liberty is universal. Some people believe you cannot
    distinguish between right and wrong. The Catholic Church rejects such a
    pessimistic view of human nature and offers a vision of human freedom
    and dignity rooted in the same self-evident truths of America's
    founding.
        This morning we ask God to guide us as we work together to live up
    to these timeless truths. When our Founders wrote the Declaration of
    Independence, they called liberty an unalienable right. An unalienable
    right means that freedom is a right that no government can take away
    because freedom is not government's to give.
        Freedom is a gift from the Almighty because it is--and because it is
    universal, our Creator has written it into all nature. To maintain this
    freedom, societies need high moral standards. And the Catholic Church
    and its institutions play a vital role in helping our citizens acquire
    the character we need to live as free people.
        In the last part of the 20th century, we saw the appeal of freedom
    in the hands of a priest from Poland. When Pope John Paul II ascended to
    the Chair of Saint Peter, the Berlin Wall was still standing, his native
    Poland was occupied by a Communist power, and the division of Europe
    looked like a permanent scar across the continent. Yet Pope John Paul
    told us, ``Be not afraid,'' because he knew that an empire built on lies
    was ultimately destined to fail. By reminding us that our freedom and
    dignity rests on truths about man and his nature, Pope John Paul II set
    off one of the greatest revolutions for freedom the world has ever
    known.
        Pope John Paul has now been succeeded by one of his closest friends
    and colleagues, Pope Benedict XVI. Pope
    Benedict, when he was a Cardinal, and recently--when he was a Cardinal,
    Laura and I had a chance to meet him, and
    recently she went back to Rome to see him again. He was such a gracious
    host, wonderfully kind man.
        Like his predecessor, Pope Benedict
    understands that the measure of a free society is how it treats the
    weakest and most vulnerable among us. In his Christmas homily, the Pope
    noted that the Savior came to Earth as a defenseless child, and said
    that the splendor of that Christmas shines upon every child, born and
    unborn. Here in the United States, we work to strengthen a culture of
    life through many State and Federal initiatives that expand the
    protections of the unborn. These initiatives reflect the consensus of
    the American people acting through their elected representatives, and we
    will continue to work for the day when every child is welcome in life
    and protected in law.
        I appreciate the leading role that the Catholic faith-based
    organizations play in our nation's armies of compassion. And one of the
    many ways that Catholic faith-based organizations serve their neighbors
    is by welcoming newcomers and helping them become good citizens.
        This Nation of ours is having an important debate about immigration,
    and it is vitally important that this debate be conducted in a civil
    tone. I believe that the American Dream is open to all who work hard and
    play by the rules and that America does not have to choose between being
    a compassionate society and a society of law.
        An immigration system that forces people into the shadows of our
    society or leaves them prey to criminals is a system that needs to be
    changed. I'm confident that we can change our immigration system in ways
    that secures our border, respects the rule of law, and, as importantly,
    upholds the decency of our country. As the Congress continues this
    debate, its Members must remember, we are a nation of immigrants, and
    immigration has helped restore our soul on a regular basis.
        In this young century, our Nation has been called to great duties.
    I'm confident

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    we'll meet our responsibilities so long as we continue to trust in God's
    purposes. During our time in the White House, Laura and I have been
    blessed by the prayers of countless Americans, including many in this
    room. It's really an amazing country where people walk up to you, say,
    ``Mr. President, I pray for you''--expecting to say, ``Mr. President,
    I'd like a bridge.'' [Laughter] But instead, they say, ``I pray for you
    and your family.'' It uplifts us, and I want to thank you for that from
    the bottom of our hearts.
        I ask for your prayers again, that our Nation may always be an
    inspiration to those who believe that God made every man, woman, and
    child for freedom. It is such an honor to be here. May God bless you
    all, and may God continue to bless our country.

    Note: The President spoke at 8:30 a.m. at the Washington Hilton Hotel.
    In his remarks, he referred to Most Rev. Jose H. Gomez, Archbishop of
    San Antonio, who introduced the President; Theodore E. Cardinal
    McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington; Anthony J. Cardinal Bevilacqua,
    Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia; Jane M. Roberts, wife of Chief
    Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.; and Suzanne M. Nicholson, wife of
    Secretary of Veterans Affairs R. James Nicholson.