James A. Leach: “Mr. Speaker, on rare occasions Congress awards the Congressional Gold Medal to persons who have contributed…”

“Mr. Speaker, on rare occasions Congress awards the Congressional Gold Medal to persons who have contributed significantly to making the world more humane. This bill authorizes that such a medal be struck for the Pope. John Paul II's dedication of his Pontificate to the freedom and dignity of every individual human being, his use of moral authority to hasten the fall of totalitarian regimes, his efforts to reconcile Christendom and reach out with respect to people of all faiths, and most of all his commitment to the teachings of Jesus Christ provide a model of grace to all peoples of the world. In his first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul wrote, 'I have become all things to all, to save at least some. All this I do for the sake of the gospel, so that I too may share in it.' Last Thursday, John Paul II celebrated his 80th birthday, and Saint Paul's observation is an appropriate summary of Karol Wojtyla's extraordinary trajectory on this earth, from the small town of his birth in Southern Poland, Wadowice, through the war years in Cracow, leadership of Cracow's Archdiocese during the difficult Communist times, finally to the Ministry of Peter in Rome. In this journey, he has left an indelible mark on his Church and the history of our times.”