PRCUA: Official News Release

(Photos) The birds were singing! The temperature was eighty-eight degrees! Colorful flowers were bursting from their winter habitat! The leaves on the trees and the bushes were popping out all over! Spring was all about in Washington DC.

As a member of the Board of Trustee of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, PRCUA President Wallace Ozog and his wife, Joann were invited to Washington DC for the visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday, April 17^th. During his stay, Pope Benedict XVI met with President George Bush, the Bishops of the

United States

, Presidents of Catholic Colleges and Universities, Educational leaders and Inter-religious leaders.

President and Mrs. Ozog had the opportunity to be present to witness the meeting at the Cultural Center with over 150 inter-religious leaders representing Judaism, Islam, Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism. During his speech, Pope Benedict stated that faith should be used in promoting peace and harmony. He emphasized the importance of peace and mutual understanding among religions and that religious leaders should become more committed and stand together to defend and promote life and religious freedom everywhere. He also said that religions should be cooperative with each other and they should clearly define their differences. They should pass their religious heritage to their children who are the nourishers of religious culture. Benedict greeted ten selected representatives with a lingering two handed handshake and he accepted gifts from five young adults who represented the five religions present.

Prior to the Holy Father’s arrival, Trustees of the Cultural Center and their guests gathered together in prayer. First, by way of a video, a rosary led by the late Pope John Paul II was recited in Latin and photos taken during the lifetime of the late Holy Father were shown at this time. After the rosary, Mass was concelebrated by Rev. Joseph Fox, Vice-President for Advancement and Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, Rev. Eric Orzech, Chaplain of the Alliance of Poles, Division of PRCUA, Rev. Krzysztof Wieliczko, Provincial of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa and Msgr. Anthony Czarnecki.

Then the moment approached when Pope Benedict XVI arrived at the Cultural Center in his Pope mobile. Excitement rose, the cameras began flashing and then silence throughout the room as His Holiness began his speech. After the meeting, Pope Benedict visited the Chapel for a brief prayer and then privately met for a few minutes with the Jewish leaders in the Pope John Paul II Gallery that is referred to as the Polish Room.

After Pope Benedict left the Cultural Center, The Board of Trustees met for a private dinner with Adam Cardinal Maida, the founder of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center. He spoke about the need for more financial assistance for the Center during these difficult economic times. It was a time for the Board of Directors to come together and reflect on their mission as a Board of Trustee, to be in the presence of the predecessor of Pope John Paul II, and to support his Holiness Benedict XVI in his plea to strengthen the faith, the hope and the love of the Catholic Church and to cooperate with other religions towards world peace. The presence of the Holy Father legitimized the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center.

On Friday morning, President and Mrs. Ozog, along with other members of the Board of Trustees of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center attended a National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. The theme of this year’s breakfast was “A Celebration of Benedict XVI in

America

.” The National Catholic Prayer Breakfast was created five years ago in response to the call of Pope John Paul II for a “new Evangelization, new in ardor, methods and expressions.” This year over two thousand religious, educators and administrators gathered from across the

United States of America

for worship, fellowship and educational workshops. They gathered together to thank Our Lord for his abundant blessings and to reaffirm their faith in Him, to commit themselves to provide for their sisters and brothers who are most vulnerable in society and to commit our country to the protection of the Blessed Mother.

The Program began with the recitation of the rosary followed by breakfast. The first speaker was President George Bush who began by saying that this was a joyous week for Catholics. It was a special time that thrilled many by the visit of a brilliant individual who has a warm and generous soul. President Bush continued by saying that Pope Benedict XVI is God’s messenger who believes that freedom is a gift from the Almighty, that we should love our neighbor as ourselves and that we should uphold the dignity of each human being on earth. The President further said that religion is a source of grace and not of violence and that Catholic schools prepare children with character and many Catholic schools are closing. President Bush concluded by saying that he stopped funding groups that are for abortion and he also strongly supports peace in the world.

Following President Bush came the keynote speaker, the Most Reverend Robert W. Finn, D.D., from the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. Bishop Finn is a member of the Administrative Board of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops and is the Chairman of the Bishops’ Task Force overseeing Human Dignity and Life Issues. President and Mrs. Ozog also had the opportunity to meet Senator John McCain, Presidential Candidate for the

United States

It was a great honor to represent the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America and be part of this historic visit that hopefully will bring a closer cooperation among all religions, educators and government.