    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 42 (Monday, October 22, 2007)]
    [Pages 1361-1362]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks on Presenting the Congressional Gold Medal to the Dalai Lama

    October 17, 2007

        Madam Speaker and Senator Byrd; Mr. Leader; members of the
    congressional delegation, particularly Senators Feinstein and
    Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen; Senator Thomas--God rest his soul;
    distinguished guests, particularly our friend Elie Wiesel; and Your
    Holiness: Over the years, Congress has conferred the gold medal on many
    great figures in history--usually at a time when their struggles were
    over and won. Today Congress has chosen to do something different. It
    has conferred this honor on a figure whose work continues and whose
    outcome remains uncertain.
        In doing so, America raises its voice in the call for religious
    liberty and basic human rights. These values forged our Republic. They
    sustained us through many trials, and they draw us by conviction and
    conscience

    [[Page 1362]]

    to the people of Tibet and the man we honor today.
        Nearly two decades have passed since the Dalai Lama was welcomed to
    the White House for the very first time. Members of both of our
    political parties and world leaders have seen His Holiness as a man of
    faith and sincerity and peace. He's won the respect and affection of the
    American people, and America has earned his respect and affection as
    well.
        As a nation, we are humbled to know that a young boy in Tibet--as a
    young boy in Tibet, His Holiness kept a model of the Statue of Liberty
    at his bedside. Years later, on his first visit to America, he went to
    Battery Park in New York City so he could see the real thing up close.
    On his first trip to Washington, he walked through the Jefferson
    Memorial, a monument to the man whose words launched a revolution that
    still inspires men and women across the world. Jefferson counted as one
    of America's greatest blessings the freedom of worship. It was, he said,
    ``a liberty deemed in other countries incompatible with good government
    and yet proved by our experience to be its best support.''
        The freedom of belief is a yearning of the human spirit, a blessing
    offered to the world, and a cherished value of our Nation. It's the very
    first protection offered in the American Bill of Rights. It inspired
    many of the leaders that this rotunda honors in portraits and in marble.
    And it still defines our way of life.
        Consider where we gather today. This great symbol of democracy sits
    quietly near a Catholic parish, a Jewish synagogue, a Muslim community
    center, a Greek Orthodox cathedral, and a Buddhist temple--each with
    faithful followers who practice their deeply held beliefs and live side
    by side in peace. This diversity is not a source of instability; it's a
    source of strength. This freedom does not belong to one nation; it
    belongs to the world.
        One of the tragic anomalies of the past century is that in an era
    that has seen an unprecedented number of nations embrace individual
    freedom has also witnessed the stubborn endurance of religious
    repression. Americans cannot look to the plight of the religiously
    oppressed and close our eyes or turn away. And that is why I will
    continue to urge the leaders of China to welcome the Dalai Lama to
    China. They will find this good man to be a man of peace and
    reconciliation.
        Throughout our history, we have stood proudly with those who offer a
    message of hope and freedom to the world's downtrodden and oppressed.
    This is why all of us are drawn to a noble and spiritual leader who
    lives a world away. Today we honor him as a universal symbol of peace
    and tolerance, a shepherd for the faithful, and a keeper of the flame
    for his people.
        I congratulate His Holiness on this recognition. I'm so honored to
    be here with you, sir. Laura and I join all Americans in offering the
    people of Tibet our fervent prayer that they may find days of prosperity
    and peace.
        And now I ask the Speaker and Senator Byrd to join me for the gold
    medal presentation.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:51 p.m. in the Rotunda at the U.S.
    Capitol. In his remarks, he referred to Nobel Prize winner and author
    Elie Wiesel.