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NRL News
Visit of
Pope Benedict XVI The National Right to Life Committee was honored with an invitation to attend the White House ceremonies welcoming His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on the first day of his visit to the United States on April 16, 2008. As President of National Right Life Committee, I attended the welcome ceremony on the White House lawn and the White House dinner in honor of the Pope that evening. Other members of the staff and board of the National Right to Life Committee who were at the White House lawn for the welcome ceremony included the Chairman of the Board, The Honorable Geline Williams of Virginia; Margie Montgomery of Kentucky; Co-Executive Director Darla St. Martin of NRLC; and Religious Outreach Director Ernest Ohlhoff. In addition, Barbara Holt, President of North Carolina Right to Life, and Michael Ciccocioppo, Executive Director of Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, were also able to attend. The weather was incredibly beautiful—sunny and cool—for the Pope’s arrival at the White House. President Bush welcomed the Pope to a trumpet fanfare from the Marine Band at the south entrance to the White House. The special ceremonies included the playing of the national anthem, a 21-gun salute, Kathleen Battle singing The Lord’s Prayer, and the Marine band and choir performing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” It was stirring and up-lifting, but also very warm, as the crowd spontaneously sang “Happy Birthday” to the Pope, in addition to the formal singing of “Happy Birthday” at the end of the ceremony, led by Kathleen Battle.
The President welcomed the Pope by stressing how much they had in common and how much he valued the Pope’s beliefs, including his appreciation of the inherent dignity of each human person, his recognition of the presence of fundamental truths, and his belief in good and evil. The Pope, in his remarks, stated his admiration for the United States. The pope praised the fact that from its beginning, America has recognized that a social/political order based on freedom can only succeed if it is linked to a moral order that includes a belief in God the Father. He made specific reference to our Declaration of Independence where the “self-evident truth” states that “all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with inalienable rights.” The Pope repeated the statement made by the late Pope John Paul II that history demonstrates that “in a world without truth, freedom loses its foundations.” He then acknowledged the similarity of this statement to the one made by President Washington in his farewell address where he pointed out that “religion and morality represent ‘indispensable supports’ of political property.” He expressed his hope that these high principles will guide us through the perils of our current age. He ended his statement by saying, “God bless America.” In statements made later during his visit, the Pope built on these comments by calling us all to use our freedoms to build a culture of life. At St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, he said, “The Church ... is called to proclaim the gift of life, to serve life, and to promote a culture of life.” He called upon all of us to “Choose life!” Thus, the Pope’s message was one of hope for America and for our ability to transform our culture to one that respects the dignity of each human person. He then took time to specifically visit with a group of disabled children and their families, which demonstrated for us what it means to support every human person regardless of ability or skill. On the evening of his arrival in Washington, D.C., the White House held a formal dinner to honor the visit of the Pope. He did not attend, as the Pope avoids being honored and doesn’t attend dinners in his honor. Although the Pope did not attend, it was a wonderful opportunity to meet with many leaders who share his pro-life hopes for America. Some of these prominent pro-lifers included Mary Ann Glendon, United States Ambassador to the Holy See; Supreme Court Justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito; Dr. Robert George of Princeton University; Raymond Arroyo, head of the News Department at EWTN-TV; John Klink, who, as part of the delegation of the Vatican to the United Nations for many years, worked with us to help prevent pro-abortion rhetoric from infecting UN documents; and pro-life Senator John McCain, presumptive nominee of the Republican Party to the Presidency of the United States. The President and Mrs. Bush welcomed the attendees to the dinner and wished the Pope a very happy birthday. It was a lovely evening and I was proud to be able to represent the grass roots pro-life Americans at such an important event. |
