national catholic prayer breakfast

Bush Emphasizes ‘Dignity of Human Life’ at Annual Prayer Breakfast

By Henrietta Gomes
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the Issue of 4/19/07)

Addressing a crowd of more than 1,600, President George W. Bush emphasized the commitment to renew the promise of America. The promise “begins with upholding the dignity of human life,” he said to the participants at the fourth annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast last Friday.
“Our Declaration of Independence states that our freedom rests on self-evident truths about the dignity of the human person,” the president said at the event held in the ballroom of the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington. Speaking about the necessity of prayer, the president said, “A prayerful nation is a strong nation.”
Joking with the mostly Catholic crowd, the president, who received thunderous applause as he walked on stage said, “You know how to make a Methodist feel right at home.”
Continuing about the protection of all life, a theme which resonates with Catholics, the president alluded to last week’s Senate vote to ease restrictions on federally funded embryonic stem-cell research. He noted, “In our day, there is a temptation to manipulate life in ways that do not respect the humanity of the person. When that happens the most vulnerable among us can be valued for their utility to others instead of their own inherent worth.” Encouraging the welcoming crowd he said, “We must continue to work for a culture of life — where the strong protect the weak, and where we recognize in every human life the image of our Creator.”
During his speech, the president praised the work of Catholics schools in the country. Acknowledging the priests and religious who once staffed the schools, he said, “Today, these schools are also serving thousands of non-Catholic children in some of the nation’s poorest neighborhoods.
“I appreciate the tremendous sacrifices that many dioceses are making to keep the inner-city schools going,” he said.
Prior to the breakfast, participants prayed the rosary led by priests and religious from Arlington and Washington.
Among many members and priests of the Arlington Diocese present at the breakfast was Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde, who celebrated Mass for participants the evening before at St. Matthew Cathedral in Washington.
During a keynote address, Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl spoke about religious values being the underpinnings of law. “The understanding of God’s law at work and discernable through our rational nature also finds resonance in the Catechism of the Catholic Church,” the archbishop said. The catechism, he said, “speaks not only of the foundational nature of the natural moral law, but describes the natural law.”
He encouraged the participants to look to their faith for guidance in public policy. “We are both citizens of the nation and members of the Church. We should look to our most deeply held convictions when we address matters that affect our nation’s activities at home or abroad.” The archbishop said, “We believe that the teaching of the Church represents for us an opening on to the wisdom of God.”
Echoing the president’s emphasis on the dignity of human life, Archbishop Wuerl said, “We cannot divide personal morality and ethics from political life any more than we can separate spiritual values from human values.”
Representing Pope Benedict XVI, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States Bishop Pietro Sambi briefly addressed attendees. He told participants the success of the prayer breakfast was an indication that Catholics feel “the need to pray in accordance with the spirit of the first Christian community in Jerusalem.” He thanked them for being united. Other bishops in attendance were Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison, Wis.; Bishops Francisco Gonzalez and Martin Holley of Washington; and Bishop Octavio Cisneros of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Other dignitaries in attendance included Chief Justice John Roberts and Supreme Court Judge Samuel Alito.
The event continued after the breakfast with talks from Scott Hahn, author and theologian, and Father Richard John Neuhaus, editor in chief of First Things magazine. Following the talks were two afternoon panels on public policy issues of interest to Catholics and Catholics in entertainment and the new evangelization. The next day participants were invited to a Catholic tour of Washington, which included Capitol Hill, the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Henrietta Gomes can be reached at hgomes@catholicherald.com.