THE
PRESIDENT: 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
looked, I was a little worried you thought I might be giving quite a
long speech. (Laughter.)
I'm so thrilled to be here with the 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 and
applause.) 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. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.) I haven't got to the best part
of the family yet. (Laughter.) And Jane. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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.
(Applause.) 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 -- (applause) -- 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. (Applause.)
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 St. 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 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. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.)
I appreciate the leading role that the Catholic faith-based
organizations play in our nation's armies of compassion. (Applause.) And
one of the many ways that Catholic faith-based organizations serve their
neighbors is by welcoming newcomers and helping them become good
citizens. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.) 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.
(Applause.) 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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)