President Addresses 2,000 Catholics at Breakfast

"His Holiness believes that freedom is the Almighty's gift to every man, woman and child on earth. He understands that every person has value."

WASHINGTON, D.C.(Zenit) - It was a privilege to welcome Benedict XVI to the United States, President George Bush told the crowd at the 5th Annual Catholic Prayer Breakfast.

The president said this today to the sold-out crowd of 2,000. This year's theme was "A Celebration of Benedict XVI in America," since the event coincided with the U.S. papal visit.

When asked about the timing of the event, Austin Ruse, vice president of the NCPB, told ZENIT, "It is actually a miracle. We picked our date a year ago. We were worried that having it at the same time would be a problem, but we are already in record territory."

Bush, after greeting the many dignitaries present, including Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, spoke about the Holy Father's visit to Washington and the White House.

"This has been a joyous week," he said. "It's been a joyous time for Catholics -- and it wasn't such a bad week for Methodists, either. The excitement was just palpable. The streets were lined with people that were so thrilled that the Holy Father was here. And it was such a privilege to welcome this good man to the United States."

"For those of you on the South Lawn -- who saw the South Lawn ceremony live," the president continued, "it was just such a special moment. And it was a special moment to be able to visit with the Holy Father in the Oval Office. He is a humble servant of God. He is a brilliant professor. He is a warm and generous soul. He is courageous in the defense of fundamental truths."

"His Holiness believes that freedom is the Almighty's gift to every man, woman and child on earth. He understands that every person has value, or to use his words, 'each of us is willed, each of us is loved, [and] each of us is necessary,'" Bush continued, receiving a standing ovation for underlining the value of every human life.

The event's keynote speaker was Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City, Missouri. Other speakers included theologian Michael Novak and EWTN host Marcus Grodi.

Logan Gage, a policy analyst at the Discovery Institute, attended the breakfast even though he is Presbyterian. He told ZENIT, "It is fun to celebrate this with my good Catholic friends. I love the Pope and I think President Bush said it well when he talked about Pope Benedict's commitment to a few core truths. I think many of us who are not Catholic really appreciate that and his commitment to those truths."

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Joseph Cella, the founder and president of the annual Catholic prayer breakfast, said the success of the Washington event has inspired other states and cities to hold their own prayer breakfasts, including two in California and one in Chicago.

Others are in the works, he said: "We are talking with six foreign countries to hold Catholic prayer breakfasts, including Indonesia, Singapore, India, Hong Kong and a few others."

As for Europe, Cella says they have Poland and Italy in mind for the future. "The Holy Spirit is upon it and we pray it continues to grow."