[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.