    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 32 (Monday, August 16, 1993)]
    [Pages 1612-1613]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks Following Discussions With Pope John Paul II in Denver

     August 12, 1993

        Good afternoon. It was a great pleasure and a great honor for me to
    be able to spend some time with the Holy Father. We had

    [[Page 1613]]

    a cordial and productive meeting, and I believe we laid the basis for a
    productive and constructive relationship in the future.
        We shared many values and perspectives: a commitment to today's
    young people in the United States and throughout the world; a belief in
    work and family and the importance of pursuing policies that support
    them; a commitment to correcting the social problems that give rise to
    so many problems for our people in this country, violence, drugs, and
    other things; and a recognition that we need in this Nation and
    throughout the world both more individual responsibility and more
    community action.
        We talked about a wide range of international problems. We discussed
    Bosnia at length, as you might imagine. We talked about the peacekeeping
    mission in Somalia. We talked about the efforts of nations working
    together through the United Nations to reduce violence and support human
    rights and democracy throughout the world, in Cambodia, for example, and
    other places. We talked about the former Soviet Union and conditions in
    many countries. We talked about the Holy Father's native Poland and the
    progress that they are making there. We talked about Haiti and what the
    United States has tried to do there to restore democracy and freedom.
        And throughout, I, like every other person who has ever met him, was
    profoundly impressed by the depth of His Holiness' conviction, the depth
    of his faith, and the depth of his commitment to continue on his
    mission.
        I very much welcome the Vatican's commitment to human rights,
    including religious freedom for all. I welcome the progress that is
    being made in forging relationships and closer ties between the Vatican
    and Israel. That can only help as we seek to pursue peace in the Middle
    East.
        We both are worried about the conditions in Somalia, the Sudan,
    Haiti, and Bosnia. We both are concerned about the problems that have
    always been with us, but we believe that we can make progress in dealing
    with them.
        Finally, let me just say once again how very grateful I am to the
    Holy Father for coming to World Youth Day here in Denver and for the
    Catholic Church's decision to bring World Youth Day to the United States
    and to Denver. It is my hope that the success of this extraordinary
    gathering of young people will create a greater spirit of unity and
    community among them and renewed commitment among those who are
    Americans to work for greater justice and opportunity here at home.
        At the end of our meeting the Holy Father presented me with a Bible.
    And so, I close with a verse from it that I think characterizes his work
    and I hope in due time will characterize the work that we are doing
    here, the exhortation in St. Paul's letter to the Galatians, ``Let us
    not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we
    do not lose heart.''
        Thank you, Your Holiness, for your heart and your efforts.

    Note: The President spoke at 5:20 p.m. at Regis University.