Bruce F. Vento: “I, of course, as I said, rise in support of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I would point out that Pope John Paul II…”

“I, of course, as I said, rise in support of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I would point out that Pope John Paul II chose his name from his two predecessors that reigned very briefly, Pope John Paul XXIII and Pope Paul VI. He has, of course, for the past 2 decades been the leader of a billion Catholics in the world, including myself. We are very proud of the work that he has done and the tremendous contributions he has made over the past 2 decades as we have seen the startling changes occur around the globe. He has been instrumental in his role in terms of leadership, positive leadership. I have had the privilege when visiting in Rome with other Members of Congress to have audiences with the Pope, as so many of my colleagues have, and I am sure that they have been as impressed as I have been by his breadth of vision and leadership and the charge that he admonished us with with regards to our responsibility as elected officials, as well as, of course, our responsibility as citizens of the world. He has certainly exemplified that role in his much-traveled work, his wonderful solidarity in spirit from his native Poland, one the first non-Italian popes to have served in a long time. And, of course, being an Italian-American, I'm very keenly aware of that ancestry and the special role that he had played.”