And in his later years:
Posted on 04/02/2005 12:33:03 PM PST by WinOne4TheGipper
In about half an hour.
Here in a few minutes...
President Bush now.
Rest In Peace, Pope John Paul II.
"Respectful, moving statement from the President. A good and decent man paying tribute to another good and decent man whom has passed.
Rest In Peace, Pope John Paul II."
Thank you for your simple, yet poignant statement . . . it deserves a second post!
And in his later years:
Yes it was, for the President understands the loss and has an appreciation for life.
Nothing stated about "the death process".
For those of us that missed it, if any one has the transcript, it would be very much appreciated if they would post it---
Pretty please?
President Bush just arrived at St. Matthew's in Washington.
That took some quick planning! Glad he is there, a very decent thing to do.
4:02 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Laura and I join people across the Earth in mourning the passing of Pope John Paul II. The Catholic Church has lost its shepherd, the world has lost a champion of human freedom, and a good and faithful servant of God has been called home.
Pope John Paul II left the throne of St. Peter in the same way he ascended to it -- as a witness to the dignity of human life. In his native Poland, that witness launched a democratic revolution that swept Eastern Europe and changed the course of history. Throughout the West, John Paul's witness reminded us of our obligation to build a culture of life in which the strong protect the weak. And during the Pope's final years, his witness was made even more powerful by his daily courage in the face of illness and great suffering.
All Popes belong to the world, but Americans had special reason to love the man from Krakow. In his visits to our country, the Pope spoke of our "providential" Constitution, the self-evident truths about human dignity in our Declaration, and the "blessings of liberty" that follow from them. It is these truths, he said, that have led people all over the world to look to America with hope and respect.
Pope John Paul II was, himself, an inspiration to millions of Americans, and to so many more throughout the world. We will always remember the humble, wise and fearless priest who became one of history's great moral leaders. We're grateful to God for sending such a man, a son of Poland, who became the Bishop of Rome, and a hero for the ages.
President Bush kept a low profile; it was obvious he was there to pay homage to John Paul II and not to mug for the cameras (like you know who would have).
Thank you SO much for posting that---I had missed it!
I think it was a very good message from Dubya...
You're very welcome. :-)
What time did the news break in America that the Pope had died?
I was just watching the coverage on CNN (a channel I rarely go to), and Christine Amanpour was talking with a priest that I think is the young priest that helped Mel Gibson with making "The Passion of Christ"---
I think he even wrote a book about the experience---anyway, I think he is a very charismatic person and if the American Catholic church wants to try to "improve" the image of priests, they should but this guy in some kind of public relation capacity....
I am not even a Catholic and I found myself really enjoying him speak about the movie and now the whole choosing of another Pope process..
In America it was around 3:00 on Saturday afternoon. We were at the grocery, and someone from the parish told my wife.
Thanks for that info on the approximate time of the Pope's death. I was at a wedding and then the reception, and didn't hear about it until I got home a short while ago.
Around 3pm EAST coast time.
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