[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 15 (Monday, April 18, 2005)]
[Pages 583-584]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

April 9, 2005

    Good morning. This week I have been in Rome to attend the funeral 
mass of Pope John Paul II. The ceremonies were a powerful and moving 
reminder of the profound impact this Pope had on our world. And on 
behalf of America, Laura and I were honored to pay tribute to this good 
and holy man.
    During nearly three decades on the Chair of Saint Peter, this Pope 
brought the gospel's message of hope and love and freedom to the far 
corners of the Earth. And over this past week, millions of people across 
the world returned the Pope's gift with a tremendous outpouring of 
affection that transcended differences of nationality, language, and 
religion.
    The call to freedom that defined his papacy was forged in the 
experiences of Pope John Paul's own life. He came to manhood during the 
Nazi occupation of his beloved Poland, when he eluded the Gestapo to 
attend an underground seminary. Later, when he was named Poland's 
youngest bishop, he came face to face with the other great 
totalitarianism of the 20th century, communism. And soon he taught the 
communist rulers in Warsaw and Moscow that moral truth had legions of 
its own and a force greater than their armies and secret police.
    That moral conviction gave the man from Krakow a confidence that 
inspired millions. In 1978, when he looked out at the crowd in front of 
Saint Peter's as their new Pope, the square rang with his words ``Be Not 
Afraid.''
    Everywhere he went, the Pope preached that the call of freedom is 
for every member of the human family because the Author of Life wrote it 
into our common human nature.
    Many in the West underestimated the Pope's influence, but those 
behind the Iron Curtain knew better, and ultimately even the Berlin Wall 
could not withstand the gale force of this Polish Pope.
    The Pope held a special affection for America. During his many 
visits to our country, he spoke of our ``providential Constitution,'' 
the self-evident truths about human dignity enshrined in our 
Declaration, and the blessings of liberty that followed from them. It is 
these timeless truths about man, enshrined in our founding, the Pope 
said, that have led freedom-loving people around the world to look to 
America with hope and respect. And he challenged America always to live 
up to its lofty calling. The Pope taught us that the foundation for 
human freedom is a universal respect for human dignity. On all his 
travels, John Paul preached that even the least among us bears the image 
of our Creator, so we must work for a society where the most vulnerable 
among us have the greatest claim on our protection.
    And by his own courageous example in the face of illness and 
suffering, he showed us the path to a culture of life where the dignity 
of every human person is respected and human life at all its stages is 
revered and treasured.
    As the Pope grew physically weaker, his spiritual bond with young 
people grew stronger. They flocked to him in his final moments, 
gathering outside his window to pray and sing hymns and light candles. 
With them, we honor this son of Poland who became the Bishop of Rome and 
a hero for the ages.
    Thank you for listening.
      

Note: The address was recorded at 7:45 a.m. on April 8 at the U.S. 
Ambassador's residence in Rome, Italy, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on 
April 9. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on April 8 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. 
The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language 
transcript of this address.

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