[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 4 (Monday, February 1, 1999)]
[Page 127]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Exchange With Reporters Prior to Discussions With Pope John Paul II in 
St. Louis

January 26, 1999

    Q. Mr. President, are there any thoughts you'd care to share with 
us, now, as you sit down with the Holy Father?
    The President. Well, we have a lot of things to discuss, so I'm 
looking forward to it. We're going to talk about many places in the 
world, and I'm anxious to hear his thoughts on his recent trip to 
Mexico. And then I expect we'll go through a lot of other hot spots in 
the world.
    Q. How has his advice affected your decisions so far in your 
Presidency?
    The President. He reminds us to think of the people, not just the 
governments of other countries but the people of other countries. And 
that's an important thing for an American President to keep in mind.
    Press aide. Thank you, pool. To your left, please. We have another 
wave.

[At this point, one group of reporters left the room, and another group 
entered.]

    The President. I think the Church should buy the company producing 
the film, and you could fund all the Catholic charities all over the 
world with it. We could sell all the film the photographers use. 
[Laughter]

Note: The exchange began at 2:28 p.m. at the Air National Guard Base. A 
tape was not available for verification of the content of this exchange.