[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
[April 18, 2008]
[Pages 520-523]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast
April 18, 2008
Thank you very much. Good morning. Thank you. Please be seated.
Thank you for the gracious welcome. Austin,
thanks for your kind introduction. Thanks for giving me this unusual
speaking opportunity. I understand that this program builds up to
another speech. [Laughter] It's not every day you get to be the warmup
act to the Holy Father. [Laughter] I am
honored to be here. I do thank Austin for his leadership for the
Catholic Prayer Breakfast. I thank the board of directors for having me.
I thank Archbishop Gomez--Tejano--for being
here. And I want to thank our--Bishop Finn,
members of the clergy. Thank
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you for serving our country. Thank you for being men of faith.
I'm proud to be here with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court,
John Roberts. He's always looking for a
free breakfast. [Laughter] I'm proud to be here with Members of the
United States Senate and Congress. Thank you all for being here.
Solicitor General Paul Clement is with us
today, members of my administration, members of the diplomatic corps,
and distinguished guests.
This has been a joyous week. It's been a joyous time for Catholics,
and it wasn't such a bad week for Methodists either. [Laughter] You
know, the excitement was just palpable. The streets were lined with
people that were so thrilled that the Holy Father was here. And it was such a privilege to welcome this
good man to the United States.
For those of you on the South Lawn ceremony--who saw the South Lawn
ceremony live, it was--what an unbelievable--it was just such a special
moment. And it was a special moment to be able to visit with the Holy
Father in the Oval Office. He is a humble
servant of God. He is a brilliant professor. He is a warm and generous
soul.
He is courageous in the defense of
fundamental truths. His Holiness believes that freedom is the Almighty's
gift to every man, woman, and child on Earth. He understands that every
person has value, or to use his words, ``Each of us is willed, each of
us is loved, [and] each of us is necessary.''
The Holy Father strongly believes that
to whom much is given, much is required. And he is a messenger of God's
call to love our neighbors as we'd like to be loved ourselves.
I've seen how American Catholics are guided by these truths. One of
the blessings of being the President is I get to see firsthand how
people are motivated by the fundamental truths articulated by the Holy
Father. I've watched you live out the
Gospel through countless acts of compassion and courage. I've joined
with you in striving to heed the Scriptures' noble calling to see God's
image in all mankind and to uphold the dignity of each human being on
Earth.
Together, over the nearly 7\1/2\ years, we've worked to uphold the
dignity of human life. Over the last years, my administration has put a
stop to U.S. tax dollars funding foreign groups that perform or promote
abortions. We've worked together to protect unborn victims of violence
and to end the barbaric practice of partial-birth abortion. We have
stood fast in our belief that promising medical advances can coexist
with ethical medical practices. Last November, scientists discovered a
way to reprogram adult skin cells to act like embryonic stem cells. This
is a significant breakthrough, because science--scientists have found a
path that can lead beyond the divisive debates of the past and extend
the healing potential of medicine without destroying human life.
Together, we've worked to strengthen America's lifelines of
learning, including our Nation's Catholic schools. The Catholic Church
has a proud educational tradition dating back centuries, and one of the
Holy Father's priorities has been
maintaining this tradition in the United States. Today, America's
Catholic schools serve thousands of students, both Catholic and non-
Catholic, in some of our Nation's poorest neighborhoods. They help
minority students narrow the achievement gap. They prepare children for
lives of character and purpose and success. And yet these schools are
closing at an alarming rate. Nearly 1,200 Catholic schools have shut
their doors since the year 2000.
In my State of the Union Address, I proposed a new $300 million
program called Pell Grants for Kids. And the reason I did so is cause I
want to help low-income children in underperforming public schools be
able to attend a private or parochial school of their choice. I am
concerned about the loss of a major national asset, and that is
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the decline of Catholic schools, particularly in inner-city America. And
to this end, next week we're having a White House Summit on Inner-City
Children and Faith-Based Schools. And the purpose of the summit is to
highlight the lack of educational options facing low-income urban
students. And we're going to bring together educators and clergy and
philanthropists and business leaders, all aiming to urge there to be
reasonable legislation out of Congress and practical solutions to save
these schools and, more importantly, to save the children.
And some of the people trying to save America's Catholic schools are
here at this prayer breakfast, and I can't thank you enough for your
efforts.
Together, we've worked to foster a culture of tolerance and peace.
We believe that religion should be a source of understanding and grace,
not a source of extremism and violence. On his visit and throughout his
time as the Holy Father, the Pope has
worked to foster interreligious dialogue and to heal the wounds of
religious conflict. I strongly support the Pope's call for religious
freedom around the world. I share his concern for Christians in the
Middle East and his desire to see a peaceful and independent Lebanon. I
respect his scholarship, which demonstrates that faith and reason can
coexist. And I join him in praying for a world at peace, where
Christians and Muslims and Jews, believers and nonbelievers, can live
side by side. And I thank all of you here who work to make this vision a
reality.
Together, we've worked to bring comfort to troubled souls. We
believe that where hearts are burdened by destitution and disease and
despair, we must answer with hope and love and faith. We know that [no]
* government program can answer the call like our armies of compassion
can, but we also know that government programs can support and must
support their work. And so I've been a strong believer in the faith-
based and community-based effort to bring healing and hope to people who
wonder whether or not there's a bright tomorrow.
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* White House correction.
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I don't know if you really realize this, but in 2006, 3,000 direct
Federal grants totaling more than $2 billion were made to faith-based
organizations, including many Catholic organizations. And the reason why
is because Catholic organizations provide shelter to the homeless in
very effective and loving ways. They tutor at-risk youth. They help
children of prisoners while, at the same time, they work tirelessly to
help prisoners get back on their feet. These groups seek out our
society's most vulnerable and fulfill Christ's promise that ``the last
shall be first.''
Abroad, Catholic organizations are a vital part, an integral part of
our effort to fight hunger and disease from Latin America to the
continent of Africa. In these places, Catholic groups have a hand in
what some call the ``Lazarus effect,'' where whole communities that once
lay dying are brought back to life.
Oftentimes, people ask me, why is it that you're so focused on
helping the hungry and diseased in strange parts of the world? My answer
is, we're a wealthy enough nation to take care of people at home and to
help those abroad. It is in our moral interests that when we find people
suffering, that we do all we can do to help ease the burden. It's in our
national interests--[applause]--and it's in our national interests that
we defeat the ideologues of hate with an ideology of hope.
During these--as President, I've seen some of the great wonders of
compassion as a result of our Catholic citizens. I've seen them here in
Washington, with the Little Sisters of the Poor. Laura and I had the honor of visiting with the Little
Sisters, and, you know, I was struck by how hard they worked to ask
[for] * money to care
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for the old and the sick so that the old and the sick don't have to beg
for money.
I've seen the wonders of Catholic love on the Gulf Coast. I'm struck
by the Catholic educators that, in the face of unprecedented disaster,
worked night and day to provide good and stable schools for the children
and provide comfort for, you know, people that were just wondering
whether or not there was going to be a good tomorrow.
I've seen wonders on the Sea of Galilee during my recent trip to the
Middle East. On a recent visit, my guides were joyful Catholic nuns who
preserve the holy sites for all mankind, even as they struggle with the
dangers to the region's Christian minority.
I've seen the wonders in Africa, in an emergency--in a hospital
supported by PEPFAR. In February, I saw a 9-year-old girl who is HIV-
positive who had lost both her parents to AIDS. And for the last year,
Catholic Relief Services had been playing--had been paying for the girl
to receive treatment at the clinic. I want to tell you what her
grandmother said: ``As a Muslim, I never imagined that a Catholic group
would help me like that.'' She went on to say, ``I am so grateful to the
American people.'' And I am grateful for those who provide love and
compassion in America and around the world.
This is a prayer breakfast, and this is a perfect place for me to
say how much I appreciate the prayers of the people for me and
Laura. I can't thank our fellow citizens enough
for taking time out of their lives to lift us up for prayer. I have
finally begun to understand the story of the calm and the rough seas,
and I believe--I believe in my heart of hearts--that it's because of the
prayers of my fellow citizens.
And today, with the trust in the Lord's wisdom and goodness, I offer
prayers of my own for each gathered in the room, for the safety and
success of the Holy Father's visit, and for
God's continued blessings on our great land. Thank you.
Note: The President spoke at 8:33 a.m. at the Washington Hilton Hotel.
In his remarks, he referred to D. Austin Ruse, cofounder and member of
the board of directors, National Catholic Prayer Breakfast; Pope
Benedict XVI; Most Reverend Jose H. Gomez, Archbishop of San Antonio,
TX; and Most Reverend Robert W. Finn, Bishop of Kansas City--St. Joseph,
MO. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language
transcript of these remarks.