Chris Dodd: “I rise to pay tribute to Pope John Paul II, who passed away on Saturday, April 2, 2005. I certainly will not be able to…”

“I rise to pay tribute to Pope John Paul II, who passed away on Saturday, April 2, 2005. I certainly will not be able to capture Pope John Paul's entire legacy in these few words. He was a truly remarkable individual who led a truly remarkable life. Pope John Paul II was a man who had a deep commitment to human freedom political freedom and economic freedom certainly, but more importantly, a freedom of the human soul from the bondage and burdenls of tyranny, oppression, and poverty. As a young man who came of age during World War II, he opposed Nazism. One of his first encyclicals as Pope was in support of workers' rights. During the 1980's, he was one of the leading world figures who helped bring about the end of communism. And he warned us all against the dangers of unbridled capitalism, particularly for those who are less fortunate. Without a doubt, Pope John Paul II was the most ecumenical Pope the world has ever seen. It is fitting that his passing has sparked an outpouring of appreciation not simply from Catholics, but from people of all faiths. John Paul II visited 129 countries outside of Italy by far the most of any Pope. He was the first Pope to visit a synagogue or a mosque. He visited the Western Wall in Israel and apologized for the Church's failure to resist and speak out against the Holocaust. Like no other Pope before him, he used his position to build bridges of understanding and respect between different faiths.…”