[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 14 (Monday, April 10, 2006)]
[Pages 662-663]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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 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

[[Page 663]]

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--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 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.