[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 15 (Monday, April 21, 2008)]
[Pages 539-542]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast

April 18, 2008

    Thank you very much. Good morning. Thank you. Please be seated. 
Thank you for the gracious welcome. Austin, thanks for

[[Page 540]]

your kind introduction. Thanks for giving me this unusual speaking 
opportunity. I understand that this program builds up to another speech. 
[Laughter] It's not every day you get to be the warmup act to the Holy 
Father. [Laughter] I am honored to be here. I do thank Austin for his 
leadership for the Catholic Prayer Breakfast. I thank the board of 
directors for having me. I thank Archbishop Gomez--Tejano--for being 
here. And I want to thank our--Bishop Finn, members of the clergy. Thank 
you for serving our country. Thank you for being men of faith.
    I'm proud to be here with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, 
John Roberts. He's always looking for a free breakfast. [Laughter] I'm 
proud to be here with Members of the United States Senate and Congress. 
Thank you all for being here. Solicitor General Paul Clement is with us 
today, members of my administration, members of the diplomatic corps, 
and distinguished guests.
    This has been a joyous week. It's been a joyous time for Catholics, 
and it wasn't such a bad week for Methodists either. [Laughter] You 
know, the excitement was just palpable. The streets were lined with 
people that were so thrilled that the Holy Father was here. And it was 
such a privilege to welcome this good man to the United States.
    For those of you on the South Lawn ceremony--who saw the South Lawn 
ceremony live, it was--what an unbelievable--it was just such a special 
moment. And it was a special moment to be able to visit with the Holy 
Father in the Oval Office. He is a humble servant of God. He is a 
brilliant professor. He is a warm and generous soul.
    He is courageous in the defense of fundamental truths. His Holiness 
believes that freedom is the Almighty's gift to every man, woman, and 
child on Earth. He understands that every person has value, or to use 
his words, ``Each of us is willed; each of us is loved; [and] each of us 
is necessary.''
    The Holy Father strongly believes that to whom much is given, much 
is required. And he is a messenger of God's call to love our neighbors 
as we'd like to be loved ourselves.
    I've seen how American Catholics are guided by these truths. One of 
the blessings of being the President is I get to see firsthand how 
people are motivated by the fundamental truths articulated by the Holy 
Father. I've watched you live out the Gospel through countless acts of 
compassion and courage. I've joined with you in striving to heed the 
Scriptures noble calling to see God's image in all mankind and to uphold 
the dignity of each human being on Earth.
    Together, over the nearly 7\1/2\ years, we've worked to uphold the 
dignity of human life. Over the last years, my administration has put a 
stop to U.S. tax dollars funding foreign groups that perform or promote 
abortions. We've worked together to protect unborn victims of violence 
and to end the barbaric practice of partial-birth abortion. We have 
stood fast in our belief that promising medical advances can coexist 
with ethical medical practices. Last November, scientists discovered a 
way to reprogram adult skin cells to act like embryonic stem cells. This 
is a significant breakthrough, because science--scientists have found a 
path that can lead beyond the divisive debates of the past and extend 
the healing potential of medicine without destroying human life.
    Together we've worked to strengthen America's lifelines of learning, 
including our Nation's Catholic schools. The Catholic Church has a proud 
educational tradition dating back centuries, and one of the Holy 
Father's priorities has been maintaining this tradition in the United 
States. Today, America's Catholic schools serve thousands of students, 
both Catholic and non-Catholic, in some of our Nation's poorest 
neighborhoods. They help minority students narrow the achievement gap. 
They prepare children for lives of character and purpose and success. 
And yet these schools are closing at an alarming rate. Nearly 1,200 
Catholic schools have shut their doors since the year 2000.
    In my State of the Union Address, I proposed a new $300 million 
program called Pell Grants for Kids. And the reason I did so is cause I 
want to help low-income children in underperforming public schools be 
able to attend a private or parochial school of their choice. I am 
concerned about the loss of a major national asset, and that is the 
decline of Catholic schools, particularly in inner-city America. And to 
this end, next week we're having a White House Summit on Inner-City 
Children and Faith-Based Schools. And the

[[Page 541]]

purpose of the summit is to highlight the lack of educational options 
facing low-income urban students. And we're going to bring together 
educators and clergy and philanthropists and business leaders, all 
aiming to urge there to be reasonable legislation out of Congress and 
practical solutions to save these schools and, more importantly, to save 
the children.
    And some of the people trying to save America's Catholic schools are 
here at this prayer breakfast, and I can't thank you enough for your 
efforts.
    Together we've worked to foster a culture of tolerance and peace. We 
believe that religion should be a source of understanding and grace, not 
a source of extremism and violence. On his visit and throughout his time 
as the Holy Father, the Pope has worked to foster interreligious dialog 
and to heal the wounds of religious conflict. I strongly support the 
Pope's call for religious freedom around the world. I share his concern 
for Christians in the Middle East and his desire to see a peaceful and 
independent Lebanon. I respect his scholarship, which demonstrates that 
faith and reason can coexist. And I join him in praying for a world at 
peace, where Christians and Muslims and Jews, believers and non-
believers, can live side by side. And I thank all of you here who work 
to make this vision a reality.
    Together we've worked to bring comfort to troubled souls. We believe 
that where hearts are burdened by destitution and disease and despair, 
we must answer with hope and love and faith. We know that [no] * 
government program can answer the call like our armies of compassion 
can, but we also know that government programs can support and must 
support their work. And so I've been a strong believer in the faith-
based and community-based effort to bring healing and hope to people who 
wonder whether or not there's a bright tomorrow.
    * White House correction.
    I don't know if you really realize this, but in 2006, 3,000 direct 
Federal grants totaling more than $2 billion were made to faith-based 
organizations, including many Catholic organizations. And the reason why 
is because Catholic organizations provide shelter to the homeless in 
very effective and loving ways. They tutor at-risk youth. They help 
children of prisoners while, at the same time, they work tirelessly to 
help prisoners get back on their feet. These groups seek out our 
society's most vulnerable and fulfill Christ's promise that ``the last 
shall be first.''
    Abroad, Catholic organizations are a vital part, an integral part of 
our effort to fight hunger and disease from Latin America to the 
continent of Africa. In these places, Catholic groups have a hand in 
what some call the ``Lazarus effect,'' where whole communities that once 
lay dying are brought back to life.
    Oftentimes, people ask me, why is it that you're so focused on 
helping the hungry and diseased in strange parts of the world? My answer 
is, we're a wealthy enough nation to take care of people at home and to 
help those abroad. It is in our moral interests that when we find people 
suffering, that we do all we can do to help ease the burden. It's in our 
national interests--[applause]--and it's in our national interests that 
we defeat the ideologues of hate with an ideology of hope.
    During these--as President, I've seen some of the great wonders of 
compassion as a result of our Catholic citizens. I've seen them here in 
Washington, with the Little Sisters of the Poor. Laura and I had the 
honor of visiting with the Little Sisters, and, you know, I was struck 
by how hard they worked to ask [for] * money to care for the old and the 
sick so that the old and the sick don't have to beg for money.
    * White House correction.
    I've seen the wonders of Catholic love on the gulf coast. I'm struck 
by the Catholic educators that, in the face of unprecedented disaster, 
worked night and day to provide good and stable schools for the children 
and provide comfort for, you know, people that were just wondering 
whether or not there was going to be a good tomorrow.
    I've seen wonders on the Sea of Galilee during my recent trip to the 
Middle East. On a recent visit, my guides were joyful Catholic nuns who 
preserve the holy sites for all mankind, even as they struggle with the 
dangers to the region's Christian minority.

[[Page 542]]

    I've seen the wonders in Africa, in an emergency--in a hospital 
supported by PEPFAR. In February, I saw a 9-year-old girl who is HIV-
positive who had lost both her parents to AIDS. And for the last year, 
Catholic Relief Services had been playing--had been paying for the girl 
to receive treatment at the clinic. I want to tell you what her 
grandmother said: ``As a Muslim, I never imagined that a Catholic group 
would help me like that.'' She went on to say, ``I am so grateful to the 
American people.'' And I am grateful for those who provide love and 
compassion in America and around the world.
    This is a prayer breakfast. And this is a perfect place for me to 
say how much I appreciate the prayers of the people for me and Laura. I 
can't thank our fellow citizens enough for taking time out of their 
lives to lift us up for prayer. I have finally begun to understand the 
story of the calm and the rough seas, and I believe--I believe in my 
heart of hearts that it's because of the prayers of my fellow citizens.
    And today, with the trust in the Lord's wisdom and goodness, I offer 
prayers of my own for each gathered in the room, for the safety and 
success of the Holy Father's visit, and for God's continued blessings on 
our great land. Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 8:33 a.m. at the Washington Hilton Hotel. 
In his remarks, he referred to D. Austin Ruse, cofounder and member of 
the board of directors, National Catholic Prayer Breakfast; Pope 
Benedict XVI; Most Reverend Jose H. Gomez, Archbishop of San Antonio; 
and Most Reverend Robert W. Finn, Bishop of Kansas City--St. Joseph. The 
Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language 
transcript of these remarks.