Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, despite failing health, Pope John Paul II has continued to travel around the world promoting the cause of peace. He has made over 102 journeys outside Italy to 123 countries and territories to spread peace and God's word. He has used his moral authority to challenge dictators in his fight for human rights and dignity. Pope John Paul II has been one of the most significant figures of the 20th century. Until John Paul II, most Popes confined themselves to Rome and the surrounding area. They were often distant and unapproachable. But John Paul has revolutionized the papacy. The Pope is conservative and is a champion of long-standing Church traditions. He is also the most traveled Pope in history and a man of the world. He has brought much attention to his role of helping and encouraging the Church around the world. John Paul was instrumental in the fall of communism in Eastern Europe for support for the Solidarity movement in Poland where he is a national hero. With the collapse of the Soviet Empire and the subsequent visit of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to Rome, the papacy reached a height of moral and political influence in the world. He has used that influence to further the cause of human rights so that people have the right not to be fearful, the right to be able to work and to practice their faith.”