•HCON 313 IH 
Whereas October 22, 2003, marked the Silver Jubilee of His 
Holiness’ inauguration of his ministry as Bishop of Rome 
and Supreme Pastor of the Catholic Church, signifying 
Pope John Paul II’s completion of 25 years as the spir-
itual leader of more than 1,000,000,000 Catholic Chris-
tians around the world, including more than 66,000,000 
Catholic Christians in the United States; 
Whereas Pope John Paul II was a unique, substantial, and 
historic catalyst in the demise of Soviet communism and 
the emancipation of hundreds of millions of people from 
totalitarian rule; 
Whereas Pope John Paul II, in his inaugural sermon, boldly 
offered hope to oppressed peoples around the world while 
causing authoritarian rulers to brace by proclaiming 
‘‘open the boundaries of states, economic and political 
systems, the vast fields of culture, civilization and devel-
opment. Do not be afraid.’’; 
Whereas Pope John Paul II returned to his native Poland for 
9 days in June 1979, unleashing patriotic and religious 
forces that would ultimately lead to the peaceful toppling 
of the communist regime in Poland and the dramatic de-
mise of the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union; 
Whereas Pope John Paul II, before visiting his native Poland 
in 1987, met with President Ronald Reagan, who recog-
nized the fruits of His Holiness’ labors by stating ‘‘be as-
sured that the hearts of the American people are with 
you. Our prayers will go with you in profound hope that 
the terrible burden of brave people everywhere who yearn 
for freedom, even as all men and women yearn for the 
freedom that God gave us all. . . . We see the power of 
the spiritual force in that troubled land, uniting a people 
in hope, just as we see the powerful stirrings in the East
•HCON 313 IH 
of a belief that will not die despite generations of oppres-
sion. . . . For despite all the attempts to extinguish it, 
the people’s faith burns with a passionate heat: once al-
lowed to breathe free, that faith will burn so brightly it 
will light the world.’’; 
Whereas Pope John Paul II was recognized by Lady Mar-
garet Thatcher to have ‘‘provided the main impetus for 
the revival of Solidarity and the pressure for reform [in 
his native Poland]’’; 
Whereas Pope John Paul II was acknowledged by Mikhail 
Gorbachev to have played an essential role in the libera-
tion of those who lived under European communism when 
he stated ‘‘everything that happened in Eastern Europe 
. . . would have been impossible without this pope’’; 
Whereas Pope John Paul II carried on an active correspond-
ence with world leaders during the 1980’s, involving the 
Church in efforts to promote peace by reducing tensions, 
and exerting his moral authority to persuade the super-
powers to engage in a ‘‘dialogue’’ that succeeded in re-
ducing conventional and nuclear weapons and helped to 
avert a nuclear war; 
Whereas Pope John Paul II has used public and private di-
plomacy and the power of moral suasion to encourage 
world leaders to respect the inalienable rights of the 
human person; 
Whereas Pope John Paul II, on May 13, 1981, was shot by 
a would-be assassin, and nevertheless provided a remark-
able example of the power of grace, later visiting his 
attacker in prison, and stating afterwards ‘‘I spoke to 
him as I would speak to a brother whom I have forgiven 
and who enjoys my confidence’’;
•HCON 313 IH 
Whereas Pope John Paul II has ministered to Catholic and 
non-Catholic alike, providing a personal example of grace, 
endurance, compassion, courage, sacrifice, and foresight; 
Whereas Pope John Paul II has sought to heal divisions be-
tween the Catholic Church and other Christian faiths, the 
Jewish faith, and Islam, expressing sadness and regret 
for the individual acts of present and former Catholics 
who persecuted members of other faiths, and promoting 
reconciliation and dialogue through the first-ever Papal 
visits to synagogues and mosques, as well as visits to 
areas of historic conflict, including Ireland and the Holy 
Land; 
Whereas Pope John Paul II visited Cuba to speak directly to 
the Cuban people and their communist rulers in 1998, 
calling for political and religious freedom, the release of 
political prisoners, a recognition of the right to express 
one’s faith ‘‘in the context of public life’’, and the impor-
tance of fundamental human dignities, including that 
‘‘each person enjoying freedom of expression, being free 
to undertake initiatives and make proposals within civil 
society, and enjoying appropriate freedom of association’’ 
is a necessity; 
Whereas Pope John Paul II has traveled farther than any 
other Pope in history, traversing nearly three quarters of 
a million miles, visiting more than 125 countries, includ-
ing African nations never before visited by a Pope, being 
seen by more people than anyone in human history, and 
evangelizing to more than 6,000,000 people in the closing 
mass of World Youth Day ’95 in the Philippines; 
Whereas Pope John Paul II has changed the course of his-
tory, leading the Catholic Church through a dramatic and
•HCON 313 IH 
remarkable period, and into Christianity’s third millen-
nium; 
Whereas Pope John Paul II has devoted his life to the ame-
lioration of the human cost of terror and oppression 
through his dedication to truth, forgiveness, and the de-
velopment of a vibrant public moral culture; 
Whereas Pope John Paul II has articulated the importance 
of individual liberty being undergirded by a ‘‘moral 
order’’, has embraced the poor and oppressed masses of 
the world, and encouraged governments and the faithful 
to attend to the needs of those who are less fortunate; 
Whereas Pope John Paul II has brought hope and inspiration 
to hundreds of millions of people around the world op-
pressed by tyranny, hunger, disease, and despair; 
Whereas Pope John Paul II has worked tirelessly to bring 
peace to regions of the world that have been driven by 
strife, intolerance, hatred, and violence for far too long; 
and 
Whereas the Presidential Medal of Freedom is considered the 
highest civilian award of the United States Government: 
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That the Congress urges the President, on 
behalf of the United States, to present the Presidential 
Medal of Freedom to His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, 
in recognition of his significant, enduring, and historic 
contributions to the causes of freedom, human dignity, 
and peace and to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of His
•HCON 313 IH 
Holiness’ inauguration of his ministry as Bishop of Rome 
and Supreme Pastor of the Catholic Church.
Æ