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Religious Broadcasters 1/29/90 [OA 4391] [1]
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Religious Broadcasters 1/29/90 [OA 4391] [1]
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Records of the White House Office of Speechwriting (George H. W. Bush Administration)
Speech Draft Files
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Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
S
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Draft Files
Subseries:
Chron File, 1989-1993
OA/ID Number:
13518
Folder ID Number:
13518-001
Folder Title:
Religious Broadcasters 1/29/90 [OA 4391][1]
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
G
25
6
7
3
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
November 20, 1991
MEMORANDUM FOR RECORDS MANAGEMENT
FROM:
DRUCIE SCALING
Communications Administrative Officer
Room 122, x2930
SUBJECT: FILING OF PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH FOLDERS
Enclosed please find the speech folders for President Bush's
speeches, video messages, and talking points from January 24,
1990 through February 14, 1990. Listed speeches and talking
points were reconciled and edited by Chriss Winston, Deputy
Assistant to the President for Communications, and reviewed by
David F. Demarest, Jr., Assistant to the President for
Communications.
The writers were Dan McGroarty, Mark Davis, Barry Tron, Mark
Lange, Mary Kate Grant, Curt Smith, Edward McNally, Deborah
Amend, and Maria Sheehan. The researchers were Peggy Dooley,
Christina Martin, Carolyn Cawley, Jean Nappo, Stephanie Blessey,
and Bob Simon. Ray Sillers, an occasional consultant for humor,
also contributed material for one speech. The folders correspond
to the following speeches, video messages, and talking points
delivered by the President (with dates of delivery and
speechwriters' names) :
1. Arrival of Saleh of Yemen
01/24/90
McGroarty/Dooley
2. Nonprofit Organiz. for Poland
01/24/90
3. POTUS Press Conference
01/24/90
Davis/Martin
4. Video Session
01/25/90
Tron/Sheehan
a) Breakthrough Foundation -
Youth at Risk
b) United Fruit & Vegetable
Association
c) Travel & Tourism Govt.
Affairs Council
d)
Natl. Assoc. Wholesaler/
Distributors
5. Newspaper Publishers' Luncheon
01/25/90
Lange/Cawley
6.
Special Needs Adopted Children/
01/26/90
Grant/Nappo
Celebration of Children
7. U.S. Conference of Mayors
01/26/90
Smith/Blessey
8. Alfalfa Club Dinner
01/27/90
McNally/Simon/
Sillers
9. Religious Broadcasters
01/29/90
Smith/Blessey
10. Eagles Gala
01/29/90
Davis/Martin
4391
ENCLOSURES FILED OVERSIZE ATTACHMENTS
11. Video Session
01/30/90
Tron/Sheehan
a) United Fruit and Vegetable
Association
b) National Assoc. of
Secondary School Principals
c) National Foundation for the
Handicapped
d) Northwood Institute
12.
1990 Talking Points
01/30/90
Amend
13. Vista
01/31/90
Davis/Martin
14. State of the Union Address
01/31/90
McGroarty/Dooley
15.
1990 Agenda Highlights
02/01/90
Amend
16. Prayer Breakfast
02/01/90
Davis/Martin
17. University of Tennessee
02/02/90
McNally/Simon
18. PBS Concert
02/04/90
Smith/Blessey
19. Republican Eagles Event
02/04/90
20. Intergovernmental Panel
02/05/90
Lange/Cawley
on Climate Change
21. National Training Center
02/06/90
Martin/Davis
22. Calif. State GOP Fundraiser
02/06/90
Grant/Nappo
23. Lawrence Livermore
02/07/90
Lange/Cawley
24.
Commonwealth Club
02/07/90
Davis/Martin
25.
Kay Orr
02/08/90
Smith/Blessey
26. "Choices" Anti-Drug and Alcohol
02/08/90
Program
27. Ohio GOP Fundraiser
02/08/90
McGroarty/Dooley
28. National Conference of State
02/09/90
McNally/Simon
Legislators
29. Presentation of Flo Hyman Award
02/09/90
30. National Literacy Honors
02/11/90
Davis/Martin
31. Boy Scouts of America
02/12/90
McGroarty/Dooley
32. Arrival Statement/Congo Pres.
02/12/90
McNally/Simon
33. State Dinner/Congo President
02/12/90
McNally/Simon
34. Video Session
02/13/90
Tron/Cawley
1. American Association of
School Administrators
2. AL Hall of Fame and Ray
Scott
3. Emergency Broadcast System
Training Video
4. 1992 Quincentennial Expo.
in Seville
5. Prince of Wales Business
Leadership Forum
35. Industrial Education Magazine
02/14/90
Lange/Cawley
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
January 29, 1990
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT ^THE NATIONAL RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS' CONVENTION
The Sheraton Hotel
Washington, D.C.
2:13 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Thank you
President Rose. Thank you very much. Thank you for that warm
welcome and President Rose, Director Cook, new Director Gustavson,
friend Pat Robertson, Dr. Robertson. My greetings to you all, and I
certainly want to salute your leadership -- all the leadership of the
NRB. And ladies and gentlemen. It's often said of a group or
individual that he hasn't got a prayer. Well, I'm pleased to be with
an audience about whom that will never be said. (Laughter and
applause.)
This marks the fourth time that I've had the honor of
addressing the annual convention of the National Religious
Broadcasters. And once again, it is a delight to be back and I know
I speak for Barbara in that regard as well.
In the spirit of the occasion, I want to make two vows.
First, I'll be brief. And I know there's a mention in the Bible
about the burning bush. (Laughter.) But I also know -- and I say
this not with humility, but with objectivity -- compared to most
around me here, I'm not that hot a speaker. (Laughter.) So I won't
burden you.
But the second promise is for those of you way off in the
back of the room, I'll try to speak up. Pat Robertson warned me that
the agnostics in this room are very bad. (Laughter.)
Let me begin with some good news for modern man. There
is no denying that America is a religious nation. And sure,
differences exist over sect and theology. I'm reminded of what that
French stateman Talleyrand once said of America, "I found there a
country with 32 religions and only one sauce." (Laughter.) Well,
yet we know -- you know these Frenchmen. (Laughter.) And yet, you
know that what unites us, eclipses what divides us. For we believe
that political values without moral values -- a moral underpinning --
cannot sustain a people. (Applause.)
And this afternoon I'd like to talk to you about those
moral values. I speak of the qualities of tolerance and decency,
courage and responsibility and, of course, faith. Values which
remind us that while God can live without man, man cannot live
without God. (Applause.) And today, amid political and economic
upheaval, these values have not changed, nor will they be more
crucial than in the 1990s.
I hope you know by now -- you know me -- I am an
optimist, and after all, last year I had the experience that renewed
my faith. I was running out of prayers. I had almost given up.
Then a miracle occurred -- I caught a fish. (Laughter.) so, it
won't surprise you that I'm convinced we can and will uphold the
values that I'm referring to. For as Americans we always have.
Consider that for more than two centuries America has endorsed --
properly so -- the separation of church and state, but it has also
shown how religion and government can coexist.
MORE
- 2 -
And that, to paraphrase our founding document, "All men
are endowed not by government but by their Creator with certain
unalienable rights. And these rights include the freedom of
expression and to think, dream and worship as we please. Equal
protection under the law and the right to choose our leaders and our
destinies. The inherent dignity of the individual. And we must
manifest that dignity by the policies that we pursue.
For example, I believe that we should help parents obtain
the best child care for their kids, and so we have sent legislation
to Congress to make good that goal. But I want to ensure that
parents, not bureaucrats, are the ones who decide how to care for
these children. (Applause.) I will not see the option of
religious-based child care restricted or eliminated. I will fight
that every inch of the way. (Applause.)
And next there is the concern of every child, the quality
and the diversity of America's schools. Our pioneering legislation,
the Education Excellence Act of 1989, will spur excellence and demand
accountability. For our kids sake, let's help American education
make the grade.
We come next to an issue on which many Americans
disagree, but for my part let me be very clear; I support the
sanctity of life. (Applause.) We need policies that encourage
adoption, not abortion (Applause.) And that comes right from the
heart.
Finally, I continue to support a belief held by the
overwhelming majority of Americans -- the right to voluntary school
prayer. (Applause.) And so I continue to support a constitutional
amendment restoring voluntary prayer. You see we need the faith of
our Fathers back in our schools. (Applause.)
so, as we struggle to find answers to our pressing social
problems, I will endorse policies that reflect the rights of the
individual a concept as old as the scriptures. Rights which form the
essence of America and that to other nations have become the message
of America, for our freedoms have been carried to every corner of the
Earth.
One year ago in my inaugural address I said, "the day of
the dictator is over." And indeed, the last year has been a victory
for the freedoms with which God has blessed the United States of
America. We've seen the rights of man move mountains or, as in East
Berlin, even move a wall. (Applause.) And think of Central America
where men and women facing great personal risk work for human rights
and against tyranny of any ideology.
And let me add, I am especially proud of our troops in
Panama. (Applause.) Americans supported Operation Just Cause for a
lot of reasons, but because democracy is a noble cause. And to the
young soldiers who serve this country, every American thanks you.
(Applause.)
Think next of South Africa and the Philippines where the
values of church leaders have been a force for democratic change.
And yes, in Eastern Europe too, where for centuries, faith has
sustained those striving for freedom amid adversity.
You know, eight years ago, one of the Lord's great
ambassadors, the Reverend Billy Graham, went to Eastern Europe and
the Soviet Union, and upon returning, spoke of a movement there
toward more religious freedom. And perhaps he saw it before many of
us, because it takes a man of God to sense the early movement of the
hand of God. And yet, who could predict that in 1989 freedom's tide
would also be economic, political and intellectual? Or that the
walls of bayonets and barbed wire -- the walls of tyranny -- would
come tumbling down?
Look, first, at East Germany, where in 1982, long before
last November's mass demonstration, members of Leipzig St. Nicholas
MORE
- 3 -
Church -- 1982 -- members of that church began a weekly prayer for
peace. In the services, students were taught nonviolence, and
started the candlelight vigils that one day would rouse a continent.
And the police came and threatened them. But the students vowed to
stay, and did, becoming a light under the world.
And ultimately, that light spread to Dresden and East
Berlin. And as it shone, a Wittenberg pastor said, "I would rather
see a thousand drops of candle wax on the marketplace than one drop
of blood. And there was no blood. Only the stirring sight last
October of 70, workers in the streets and squares of Leipzig. And
weapons? They carried candles. And their light was likened to a
blizzard of fireflies in the night. Ask anyone that evening. They
sought what we Americans enjoy; free markets, free elections and the
exercise of free will unhampered by the state.
And they were propelled by many things; faith, not the
least of them. And as they and others marched across Eastern Europe,
the day of the dictator did end, and the day of democracy began.
Look at Bulgaria, where last month the state press agency
conceded. People were wishing Merry Christmas to each other maybe
for the first time without fear they would be accused of being
religious.
And Czechoslovakia. There too, a victory for the rights
of man. For years police chased carolers from Praque's Kings Road.
And this Christmas, carols warmed the heart of the city and there was
wonder in the air.
In the Soviet Union last year, Moscow hosted the first
nationwide gatherings of Jews since the fall of the Czar.
And in Romania, still further victories. Christmas
songs on the radio for the first time since 1946. And heroes who
showed that you can't lock people behind walls forever, when moral
conviction uplifts their hearts.
And let me close, then, with a story of two such heroes,
both Romanian. And how their example illumined decency, courage and
love. The first was a Lutheran minister, Laszlo Tokes, who dared to
speak of freedom. So last November in Timisoara, masked thugs broke
into the small apartment of Tokes and his pregnant wife. And they
beat him. And they stabbed him. And the government allowed them no
food and even parishioners were not permitted to bring bread. And
finally, the police arrived to deport the pastor, but the flock
protected him, forming a human chain around his apartment. And in
time, the chain grew across the land until, as we celebrated
Christmas, Romania's quest for freedom summoned lightness against the
dark. Today, Laszlo Tokes ministers to ever larger numbers preaching
his faith, but now preaching it without any fear at all.
As does another, Gheorghe Calciu, a Romanian Orthodox
minister. His story proves you can't kill an idea. or you can't
destroy the human will. Father Calciu has spent 21 of his 64 years
in jail -- 21 of his 64 years -- a third of his entire life in
prison.
And in fact, he found God there while in prison for
opposing the government. Released, he risked his freedom by
preaching a series of Lenten sermons. And for that he was imprisoned
again, tortured beyond belief.
Yet Father Calciu had faith. He refused to break and was
sentenced to death. And as he stood in the corner of the prison yard
praying for his wife and son, awaiting death, it was then something
remarkable occurred. His two executioners called to him and surely,
he thought, this was the end. But instead they said, "Father," --
that was the first time they had called him that -- "we have decided
not to kill you." And three weeks later he asked permission to
celebrate the divine liturgy, and while making preparations heard
these same two men approach. And he turned around and was astonished
MORE
- 4 -
-- his would-be executioners were on their knees on the cold concrete
of the cell.
Father Calciu is with us today. Father, it is an honor
to salute you, and I know you're glad to be here -- (applause) -- and
I'm sure you're glad to be here -- but I know, too, you hope to
return to your native land. And in the season of miracles, who can
doubt you will? For today, the times are on the side of peace
because the world increasingly is on the side of God.
For my own part, I know this is true. For although I've
been President for barely a year, I believe with all my heart that
one cannot be America's President without a belief in God, without
the strength that your faith gives to you. (Applause.) Another
President, Dwight Eisenhower -- beloved Ike -- once said, "Free
government is the political expression of a deeply-felt religious
faith. " Let each of us use his faith to express the noblest values
of America so that together we can then serve the inalienable rights
of man.
Thank you for your work, for your kindness to Barbara and
me, and God bless you. And God bless our beloved land, the United
States of America. Thank you very, very much. (Applause.)
END
2:32 P.M. EST
FILE
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
January 29, 1990
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT THE NATIONAL RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS' CONVENTION
The Sheraton Hotel
Washington, D.C.
2:13 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Thank you
President Rose. Thank you very much. Thank you for that warm
welcome and President Rose, Director Cook, new Director Gustavson,
friend Pat Robertson, Dr. Robertson. My greetings to you all, and I
certainly want to salute your leadership -- all the leadership of the
NRB. And ladies and gentlemen. It's often said of a group or
individual that he hasn't got a prayer. Well, I'm pleased to be with
an audience about whom that will never be said. (Laughter and
applause.)
This marks the fourth time that I've had the honor of
addressing the annual convention of the National Religious
Broadcasters. And once again, it is a delight to be back and I know
I speak for Barbara in that regard as well.
In the spirit of the occasion, I want to make two vows.
First, I'll be brief. And I know there's a mention in the Bible
about the burning bush. (Laughter.) But I also know -- and I say
this not with humility, but with objectivity -- compared to most
around me here, I'm not that hot a speaker. (Laughter.) So I won't
burden you.
But the second promise is for those of you way off in the
back of the room, I'll try to speak up. Pat Robertson warned me that
the agnostics in this room are very bad. (Laughter.)
Let me begin with some good news for modern man. There
is no denying that America is a religious nation. And sure,
differences exist over sect and theology. I'm reminded of what that
French stateman Talleyrand once said of America, "I found there a
country with 32 religions and only one sauce." (Laughter.) Well,
yet we know -- you know these Frenchmen. (Laughter.) And yet, you
know that what unites us, eclipses what divides us. For we believe
that political values without moral values -- a moral underpinning --
cannot sustain a people. (Applause.)
And this afternoon I'd like to talk to you about those
moral values. I speak of the qualities of tolerance and decency,
courage and responsibility and, of course, faith. Values which
remind us that while God can live without man, man cannot live
without God. (Applause.) And today, amid political and economic
upheaval, these values have not changed, nor will they be more
crucial than in the 1990s.
I hope you know by now -- you know me -- I am an
optimist, and after all, last year I had the experience that renewed
my faith. I was running out of prayers. I had almost given up.
Then a miracle occurred -- I caught a fish. (Laughter.) -so, it
won't surprise you that I'm convinced we can and will uphold the
values that I'm referring to. For as Americans we always have.
Consider that for more than two centuries America has endorsed --
properly so -- the separation of church and state, but it has also
shown how religion and government can coexist.
MORE
- 2 -
L.
And that, to paraphrase our founding document, "All men
are endowed not by government but by their Creator with certain
unalienable rights. And these rights include the freedom of
expression and to think, dream and worship as we please. Equal
protection under the law and the right to choose our leaders and our
destinies. The inherent dignity of the individual. And we must
manifest that dignity by the policies that we pursue.
For example, I believe that we should help parents obtain
the best child care for their kids, and so we have sent legislation
to Congress to make good that goal. But I want to ensure that
parents, not bureaucrats, are the ones who decide how to care for
these children. (Applause.) I will not see the option of
religious-based child care restricted or eliminated. I will fight
that every inch of the way. (Applause.)
And next there is the concern of every child, the quality
and the diversity of America's schools. Our pioneering legislation,
the Education Excellence Act of 1989, will spur excellence and demand
accountability. For our kids sake, let's help American education
make the grade.
We come next to an issue on which many Americans
disagree, but for my part let me be very clear; I support the
sanctity of life. (Applause.) We need policies that encourage
adoption, not abortion (Applause.) And that comes right from the
heart.
Finally, I continue to support a belief held by the
overwhelming majority of Americans -- the right to voluntary school
prayer. (Applause.) And so I continue to support a constitutional
amendment restoring voluntary prayer. You see we need the faith of
our Fathers back in our schools. (Applause.)
So, as we struggle to find answers to our pressing social
problems, I will endorse policies that reflect the rights of the
individual a concept as old as the scriptures. Rights which form the
essence of America and that to other nations have become the message
of America, for our freedoms have been carried to every corner of the
Earth.
One year ago in my inaugural address I said, "the day of
the dictator is over." And indeed, the last year has been a victory
for the freedoms with which God has blessed the United States of
America. We've seen the rights of man move mountains or, as in East
Berlin, even move a wall. (Applause.) And think of Central America
where men and women facing great personal risk work for human rights
and against tyranny of any ideology.
And let me add, I am especially proud of our troops in
Panama. (Applause.) Americans supported Operation Just Cause for a
lot of reasons, but because democracy is a noble cause. And to the
young soldiers who serve this country, every American thanks you.
(Applause.)
Think next of South Africa and the Philippines where the
values of church leaders have been a force for democratic change.
And yes, in Eastern Europe too, where for centuries, faith has
sustained those striving for freedom amid adversity.
You know, eight years ago, one of the Lord's great
ambassadors, the Reverend Billy Graham, went to Eastern Europe and
the Soviet Union, and upon returning, spoke of a movement there
toward more religious freedom. And perhaps he saw it before many of
us, because it takes a man of God to sense the early movement of the
hand of God. And yet, who could predict that in 1989 freedom's tide
would also be economic, political and intellectual? Or that the
walls of bayonets and barbed wire -- the walls of tyranny -- would
come tumbling down?
Look, first, at East Germany, where in 1982, long before
last November's mass demonstration, members of Leipzig St. Nicholas
MORE
- 3 -
Church -- 1982 -- members of that church began a weekly prayer for
peace. In the services, students were taught nonviolence, and
started the candlelight vigils that one day would rouse a continent.
And the police came and threatened them. But the students vowed to
stay, and did, becoming a light under the world.
And ultimately, that light spread to Dresden and East
Berlin. And as it shone, a Wittenberg pastor said, "I would rather
see a thousand drops of candle wax on the marketplace than one drop
of blood." And there was no blood. Only the stirring sight last
October of 70,000 workers in the streets and squares of Leipzig. And
weapons? They carried candles. And their light was likened to a
blizzard of fireflies in the night. Ask anyone that evening. They
sought what we Americans enjoy; free markets, free elections and the
exercise of free will unhampered by the state.
And they were propelled by many things; faith, not the
least of them. And as they and others marched across Eastern Europe,
the day of the dictator did end, and the day of democracy began.
Look at Bulgaria, where last month the state press agency
conceded. People were wishing Merry Christmas to each other maybe
for the first time without fear they would be accused of being
religious.
And Czechoslovakia. There too, a victory for the rights
of man. For years police chased carolers from Praque's Kings Road.
And this Christmas, carols warmed the heart of the city and there was
wonder in the air.
In the Soviet Union last year, Moscow hosted the first
nationwide gatherings of Jews since the fall of the Czar.
And in Romania, still further victories. Christmas
songs on the radio for the first time since 1946. And heroes who
showed that you can't lock people behind walls forever, when moral
conviction uplifts their hearts.
And let me close, then, with a story of two such heroes,
both Romanian. And how their example illumined decency, courage and
love. The first was a Lutheran minister, Laszlo Tokes, who dared to
speak of freedom. So last November in Timisoara, masked thugs broke
into the small apartment of Tokes and his pregnant wife. And they
beat him. And they stabbed him. And the government allowed them no
food and even parishioners were not permitted to bring bread. And
finally, the police arrived to deport the pastor, but the flock
protected him, forming a human chain around his apartment. And in
time, the chain grew across the land until, as we celebrated
Christmas, Romania's quest for freedom summoned lightness against the
dark. Today, Laszlo Tokes ministers to ever larger numbers preaching
his faith, but now preaching it without any fear at all.
As does another, Gheorghe Calciu, a Romanian Orthodox
minister. His story proves you can't kill an idea. or you can't
destroy the human will. Father Calciu has spent 21 of his 64 years
in jail -- 21 of his 64 years -- a third of his entire life in
prison.
And in fact, he found God there while in prison for
opposing the government. Released, he risked his freedom by
preaching a series of Lenten sermons. And for that he was imprisoned
again, tortured beyond belief.
Yet Father Calciu had faith. He refused to break and was
sentenced to death. And as he stood in the corner of the prison yard
praying for his wife and son, awaiting death, it was then something
remarkable occurred. His two executioners called to him and surely,
he thought, this was the end. But instead they said, "Father," --
that was the first time they had called him that -- "we have decided
not to kill you." And three weeks later he asked permission to
celebrate the divine liturgy, and while making preparations heard
these same two men approach. And he turned around and was astonished
MORE
- 4 -
-- his would-be executioners were on their knees on the cold concrete
of the cell.
Father Calciu is with us today. Father, it is an honor
to salute you, and I know you're glad to be here -- (applause) -- and
I'm sure you're glad to be here -- but I know, too, you hope to
return to your native land. And in the season of miracles, who can
doubt you will? For today, the times are on the side of peace
because the world increasingly is on the side of God.
For my own part, I know this is true. For although I've
been President for barely a year, I believe with all my heart that
one cannot be America's President without a belief in God, without
the strength that your faith gives to you. (Applause.) Another
President, Dwight Eisenhower -- beloved Ike -- once said, "Free
government is the political expression of a deeply-felt religious
faith. " Let each of us use his faith to express the noblest values
of America so that together we can then serve the inalienable rights
of man.
Thank you for your work, for your kindness to Barbara and
me, and God bless you. And God bless our beloved land, the United
States of America. Thank you very, very much. (Applause.)
END
2:32 P.M. EST
statud
Alisan garlys
Bertolear
609
&
924-9600
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Alloi galls (Smith/Blessey)
7:00 P.M.
January 25, 1990
CAST
xy
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS
SHERATON WASHINGTON HOTEL
MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 1990
2:00 P.M.
Dr. Robertson.
President Rose, Director Cook -- and I want to salute your
leadership of the NRB. Ladies and gentlemen. ( (It is often said
of a group or individual that "He hasn't got a prayer." Today, I
am pleased to be with an audience about whom that will never be
(This mahs the Fourth time C have
said. )) // /
( (Two years ago, Fill had the honor of addressing this annual
And once agains
convention of the National Religious Broadcasters. And now, I'm
it is a delight to be back.
back again. Even though I know this isn't what you had in mind
when you talk about the Second Coming.))
Still, I'm delighted to be with you. And in the spirit of
want to
the occasion, I intend to keep two vows. First, I'll be brief.
( (I know there's a mention in the Bible about the Burning Bush,
but I also know I'm not that hot a speaker. )) //
The second promise is for those of you in the back of the
room. I'll try to speak up. // ( (Jerry Rose warned me that the
agnostics in this room are very bad. )) //
Let me begin with some good news for modern man. According
to the Gallup Poll, no society is more religious than the United
States of America. // Seven in ten Americans believe in life
after death. Eight in ten in a final Judgment Day and that God
wild ac water en for cumpany usure 32
2
works miracles. Nine in ten Americans pray. And 94 per cent
believe in God. // To which I say: Thank God. //
28
Sure, differences exist over sect and theology. ( (Some, for
instance, claim the stairway to heaven is climbed through good
works
// Some, that faith ensures that when the roll is called
up yonder, I'll be there. // Others think the Pearly Gates
welcome only those who like horse shoes and country music. //
Namrally,
These beliefs aren't mutually exclusive.) ) // Yet we know what
unites us eclipses what divides us. // For we believe that
political values without moral values cannot sustain a people. //
This afternoon, I'd like to talk to you about those moral
values. Values which reflect the et
he Sermon
on the Mount. I speak of the qualit
responsibility, generosity and faith
up hssual
nd us
that while God can live without man,
hout God.
Today, amid political and economic change, these values
haven't changed. Nor have they been more crucial than in 1990.
They can help build a more decent America -- and help America
build a more ennobling world. But only if while endorsing the
separation of church and state, we also endorse the union of
conscience and government. //
At home, this means I believe -- that we must support
that most basic value the s sanctity of life. // We need policies
that encourage adoption, not abortion. //
Conscience and government also dictate that we must help
parents obtain the best child-care for their kids. // So we
3
that goal.
have sent legislation to Congress to make good this pledge? I
ensure that Parents, not bureaucrats, decide how best to
want to 90 right of send their kidste
care for their children. And I will not allow religious - based child care
the center of their choice. That includes especially --
to be restricted or eliminated.
//
Next comes an issue that concerns all children: the quality
and diversity of America's schools. // Our pioneering
legislation -- the "Educational Excellence Act of 1989" -- will
spur excellence, demand accountability, and allow our kids to
Let's help our educations system make the grade. 11
learn. Remember Secoul on the Damascus Road. We-need-a conversion
Rember Saul an in Road 10 Damasass we need a
conversion in Ameician education
Finally, moral values support a belief held by the
overwhelming majority of Americans: The right to voluntary
school prayer. I share that belief. So I endorse a
Constitutional Amendment restoring voluntary prayer. We need the
Faith of our Fathers back in our schools. //
Now, you know me. I'm an optimistic guy. ( (After all, last
year I had an experience that renewed my faith. I was running
out of prayers and had given up hope. Then a miracle occurred.
// I caught a fish.) ) // So it won't surprise you that I'm
convinced we can -- and will -- uphold these values. And as we
do, we will help do God's work. Yet that work must not be for
America alone. // /
stu
What, after all, does religion cherish? The dignity of each
human being. // And what does such dignity require?
Inevitably, the triumph of democracy. // Well, the past year
has been a victory for the freedoms with which God has blessed
4
America. A true season of miracles. // We have seen how moral
values can move mountains or -- as in East Berlin -- even move a
wall. //
askedus
us
to
It was Christ Himself, of course, who said, Be a light unto
the world.
So let us carry that light to every corner of the
world -- freedom of expression. And to think, dream, and worship
as we please. The freedom of equal protection under the law.
And to choose our leaders and our destinies. Our Administration
has reaffirmed these freedoms. What's more, we have -- and we
will -- support those individuals, and movements, who proclaim:
Let my people go. //
Think of Central America, where men and women of God --
facing great personal risk -- condemn terrorism whatever the
ideology. Think, especially, of Panama -- and let me say to the
Vatican: Every American thanks you. // Think of South Africa
and the Phillipines, where church leaders are fighting against
oppression and tyranny. // And, yes, of that miracle called
Eastern Europe. Where for centuries religion has been a catalyst
for democracy. And where men and women of faith braved
persecution to renew the faith which makes us free. //
More than five centuries ago, the Hungarian patriot Janos
Hunyadi (YAHN-osh HOON-yah-dee) stopped a would-be Turkish
invasion. In his honor, the Pope ordered each church to ring a
bell at the time of day the battle ended. And since then,
Catholic church bells around the world ring precisely at mid-day.
The Catholic Church has been an apostle of God. // And so
Easter volle Pressu Judaium town x Juans 0 5
have the Protestant, Reformed, and Jewish churches of Eastern
Europe Few will forget heroes like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and
Raoul Wallenberg, who led the anti-Nazi resistance. They, too,
were apostles of God. //
Recall, more recently, this last miraculous year. And one
Lord's
ambassadors
of the great of this or any time, the Reverend
Eight years ago,
Billy Graham. // Four years ago Reverend Graham went to
spon
Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. And upon returning
a movement there toward more religious freedom. Perhaps he saw
it before many others because it takes a man of God to sense the
early movement of the hand of God. // Yet not even Reverend
ster
Graham could predict how in 1989, the walls of bayonets and
barbed wire -- the walls of tyranny -- would come tumbling down.
Look, first, at the miracle of East Germany -- where in 1982
-- long before last November's mass demonstrations -- members of
Leipzig's St. Nicholas Church began weekly prayers for peace. At
Bible Study, students were taught non-violence. And started the
candle-light vigils that would one day rouse a continent. The
police came and threatened them. But the students would not be
moved. They vowed to stay, and did. Becoming, yes, a light unto
the world.
As with the disciples, that light spread to Dresden and
Berlin. And as it shone, a Wittenberg pastor said, "I would
rather see 1,000 drops of candle wax on the market place then one
drop of blood." // And there was no blood -- just as Christ
taught us. // Only the stirring sight last October of 70,000
In Poland, the closing refrain of an ancime
god, our our 6 free fatheland, " to "Our free Fasherland
hymn was changed from "Bring us back, 0
Protect, O god." 11
workers -- brave, defiant -- in the streets and squarës of
Leipzig. Weapons? They carried candles. Their march rivaled "a
blizzard of fireflies in the night. Ask anyone that evening.
God was moving in miraculous -- not merely mysterious -- ways.
Look, next, at Bulgaria. Where last month the State press
agency conceded: "People [were] wishing Merry Christmas to each
other without fear they would be accused of being 'religious.'
// And Czechoslovakia. There, too, a miracle. For years,
police chased carolèrs from Prague's King's Road. This
Christmas, the cold night of Charles Bridge echoed with young
voices. Their carols warmed the heart of the city. There was
wonder in the air. // And in Romania: Still further miracles.
Christmas songs on the radio for the first time since 1946. And
heroes who showed that you can't lock people behind walls forever
-- when they have religious faith locked in their hearts. //
Let me close, then, with the story of two such heroes --
both Romanian. And how their example -- and miracle -- illumined
Christ's special mission to mankind.
(Laz-low To-kesh)
The first was a Lutheran minister, Laszlo Tokes, who dared
to speak of freedom. So last November, masked thugs broke into
the small apartment in Timisoara of Tokes and his pregnant wife.
They beat and stabbed him. The government allowed them no food.
// When parishioners brought bread, police arrived to deport the
pastor. But the flock protected him -- forming a human chain
around his apartment. In time, the chain grew across the land.
7
Until as celebrated Christmas -- Romania's morning
star of freedom summoned "lightness against the dark." 11
Today, Laszlo Tokes preaches his faith without fear --
ministering to ever-larger numbers -- truly, an apostle of the
Lord. // As is that second man I spoke about
(9come Ral-ched
here.
His name is Gheorghe Calciu chew] a
Romanian Orthodox minister. His story proves you can't slay an
idea -- nor destroy the human will. //
Father
Reverend Calciu has spent 21 of his 61 years in jail. In
fact, he found God there while imprisoned for opposing the
government. Released, he risked his freedom by preaching a
series of Lenten sermons. And for that he was imprisoned again
Father
-- tortured beyond belief. // Yet Peverend Calciu had faith.
He refused to break -- and was sentenced to death. So he went to
a corner of the prison yard, and began to pray for his wife and
for his son. // It was then that the miracle occurred. //
fame
His two Father executioners called him over. Surely, thought
Calciu, this was the end. But instead they said,
"Father" -- that was the first time they called him that -- "we
Three weeks
have decided not to kill you. // A few days later, he asked
Divine Liturgy.
permission to celebrate the Mass And while making preparations,
heard these same two men approach. He turned around, and was
astonished. // His would-be executioners were on their knees on
at
Ad
Ue's
the cold concrete of the cell. //
for
in
In 1985, Father Calciu was exiled to America.
But he hopes
Bur
{ ker, us. tw Lips is
to return to his native land. And in this season of miracles,
you
today
we
you'red
3
And he's with us Fathe, it's an honor
to salure you. // I know you're glad to be has But
I Know, too, that you hope to return to your native land.
you
8
who can doubt he will? // For today, the times are on the side
of peace. Because the world, increasingly, is on the side of
God. //
If you doubt it, think of this past Christmas of miracles.
And of miracles yet to come. // Miracles that will occur in
Eastern Europe, in America, and around the globe. Wherever one
finds the truth that comes on one's knees.
wonderful occasion. God bless America.
And let me leave you with a favorite hymn, "God Be With You Till
We Meet Again."
barely a year,
my
#
#
#
#
L T know that this is true. For a that though
For my my own part behive - with all my leart 1 god, one I
[ive can been not President be America's 4 I President believe withou in miracles a belief --as yndo. in that
in prayer.
And too, t thank yn for your work speads
Thank you for your kindness
The word.
and for this
Values present (Smith/Blessey)
11:30 A.M.
January 25, 1990
CAST
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS
SHERATON WASHINGTON HOTEL
MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 1990
2:00 P.M.
President Rose, Director Cook -- and I want to salute your
leadership of the NRB. Ladies and gentlemen. ( (It is often said
of a group or individual that "He hasn't got a prayer." Today, I
am pleased to be with an audience about whom that will never be
said. )) //
( (Two years ago, I had the honor of addressing this annual
convention of the National Religious Broadcasters. And now, I'm
back again. Even though I know this isn't what you had in mind
tach
when you preach about the Second Coming. )) //
Still, I'm delighted to be with you. And in the spirit of
the occasion, I intend to keep two VOWS. First, I'll be brief.
( (I know there's a mention in the Bible about the Burning Bush,
but I also know I'm not that hot a speaker. )) //
The second promise is for those of you in the back of the
room. I'll try to speak up. // ( (Jerry Rose warned me that the
agnostics in this room are very bad. )) //
good news about modern mon,
Let me begin with someth A simple statement of
fact According to the Gallup Poll, no society is more religious
than the United States of America. // Seven in ten Americans
believe in life after death. Eight in ten in a final Judgment
2
Day and that God works miracles. Nine in ten Americans pray.
And 94 per cent believe in God. // To which I say: Thank God. //
Sure, differences exist over sect and theology. ( (Some, for
instance, claim the stairway to heaven is climbed through good
works. // Some, that faith ensures that when the roll is called
up yonder, I'll be there. // Others think the Pearly Gates
welcome only those who like horse shoes and country music. //
These beliefs aren't mutually exclusive. )) // Yet we know what
unites us eclipses what divides us. // For we believe that
political values without' moral values cannot sustain a people. //
This afternoon, I'd like to talk about you those moral values --
both home and abroad Values which reflect the eternal
teachings of the Sermon on the Mount. I speak of the qualities
of freedom and responsibility, generosity and faith. Values
which remind us that while God can live without man, man cannot
live without God. / /
Today, we see political and economic charge
Get some things don't change. anivalues and
Since Plymouth Rock, these values have brought good news for all around
modern man_to untold millions of Americans. Yet never have they
been more crucial than in 1990. They can help build a more
decent America -- and help America build a more ennobling world.
But only if while endorsing the separation of church and state,
we also endorse the union of conscience and government. //
At home, this means -- I believe -- that we must support the
sanctity of life. H Remember the song, Bless the Beasts and
the Children. Keep them safe. Keep them warm. 71 We need
policies that encourage adoption, not abortion. //
3
Conscience and government also dictate that we must help
parents obtain the best child-care for their kids. // So we
have sent legislation to the Congress to make good this pledge:
I want to protect the right of every parent to send their kids to
the care center of their choice. That includes -- especially --
church-sponsored centers. //
Next comes an issue that concerns all children: the quality
and diversity of America's schools. // Our pioneering
legislation -- the "Educational Excellence Act of 1989" -- will
spur excellence, demand accountability, and allow our kids to
learn. Remember Saul on the Damascus Road. We need a conversion
in American education. //
Finally, moral values support a belief held by the
overwhelming majority of Americans: The right to voluntary
school prayer. I share that belief. So I endorse a
Constitutional Amendment restoring voluntary prayer. We need the
Faith of our Fathers back in our schools.
//
Mych
Now, I'm convinced we can -- and will -- achieve these
goals. You know me. I'm an optimistic guy ( (After all, last
year I had an experience that renewed my faith. I was running
out of prayers and had given up hope. Then miracle occurred.
// I caught a fish. )) // And as we achieve them, we will help
do God's work. Yet that work must not be for America alone. //
What, after all, does religion cherish? The dignity of each
human being. // And what does such dignity require?
Inevitably, the triumph of democracy. // Well, the past year
0
4
has been a victory for the freedoms with which God has blessed
America. A true season of miracles. // We have seen how
morde values
religious principles can move mountains or -- as in East Berlin
-- even move a wall. //
that
So
value
Now You know let us carry those principles to every corner of the
earth. For it was Christ Himself who said, "Be a light unto the
world." / I mean <the freedom of expression. And to think,
dream, and worship as we please. The freedom of equal protection
under the law. And to choose our leaders and our destinies. Our
Administration has reaffirmed these freedoms. What's more, we
mainers
t
have --- and we will -- support those individuals and Churches,
who proclaim: Let my people go. //
Facers great personal reah
Think of Central America, where men of God condemn terrorism
and worm
whatever the ideology And to the Vatican, especially: Every
it
3
ave
or south afruca
Paren-
American thanks you ) // Think of the Phillipines, where church
leaders are fighting against oppression and tyranny. // And,
Espends
5
yes, of that miracle called Eastern Europe. Where for centuries
religion has been a catalyst for democracy. And where men and
women of faith braved persecution to renew the faith which makes
us free. //
More than five centuries ago, the Hungarian patriot Janos
Hunyadi (YAHN-osh HOON-yah-dee) stopped a would-be Turkish
invasion. In his honor, the Pope ordered each Catholic church to
ring a bell at the time of day the battle ended. And since then,
Catholic church bells around the world ring precisely at mid-day.
Carholic
//
The Church has been an apostle of God. // And so have the
5
Protestant, Reformed, and Jewish churches of Eastern Europe. Few
will forget heroes like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Raoul Wallenberg,
who led the anti-Nazi resistance. They, too, were apostles of
God. //
Recall, more recently, this last miraculous year. And one
of the great soldiers of God of this or any time, the Reverend
Billy Graham. // Four years ago, Billy went to Eastern Europe
and the Soviet Union. And upon returning foretold a movement
there toward more religious freedom. Perhaps Billy saw it before
many others because it takes a man of God to sense the early
movement of the hand of God. // Yet not even he could predict
how in 1989, the walls of bayonets and barbed wire -- the walls
of tyranny -- would come tumbling down.
//
Nuck
Look, first, at the miracle of East Germany -- where in 1982
last Decembers
-- long before 1989 S mass demonstrations -- members of Leipzig's
St. Nicholas Church began weekly prayers for peace. At Bible
Study,
students were taught non-violence. And started the
candle-light vigils that would one day rouse a continent. The
police came and threatened them. But the students would not be
moved. They vowed to stay, and did. Becoming, yes, a light unto
the world.
As with the disciples, that light spread to Dresden and
Berlin. And as it shone, a Wittenberg pastor said, "I would
rather see 1,000 drops of candle wax on the market place then one
drop of blood.' // And there was no blood -- just as Christ
taught us. // Only the stirring sight last October of 70,000
6
workers -- brave, defiant -- in the streets and squares of
Leipzig. Weapons? They carried candles. Their march rivaled "a
blizzard of fireflies in the night.' " Ask anyone that evening.
God was moving in miraculous -- not merely mysterious -- ways.
Look, next, at Bulgaria. Where last month the State press
agency conceded: "People [were] wishing Merry Christmas to each
other without fear they would be accused of being 'religious.
// And Czechoslovakia. There, too, a miracle. For years,
police chased carolers from Prague's King's Road. This
the cold might cr of
Christmas, Charles Bridge echoed with young voices in the cold of
night Their carols warmed the city. There was truly wonder in the
as
heartable
air. // And in Romania: Still further miracles. Christmas
songs on the radio for the first time since 1946. And heroes who
showed that you can't lock people behind walls forever -- when
they have religious faith locked in their hearts. //
Let me close, then, with the story of two such heroes --
both Romanian. And how their example -- and miracle -- illumined
Christ's special mission to mankind.
The first was a Lutheran minister, Laszlo Tokes, who dared
to speak of freedom. So last November, masked thugs broke into
the small apartment in Timisoara of Tokes and his pregnant wife.
allowed
no
They beat and stabbed him. The government deprived them both of
food. // When parishioners brought bread, police arrived to
deport the pastor. But the flock protected him -- forming a
human chain around his apartment. In time, the chain grew across
3 is J
I
7
the land. Until on Christmas Week, Romania's morning star of
freedom summoned "lightness against the dark."
preaches his fauth without // fear
Today, Laszlo Tokes is ministering to ever-larger numbers --
truly, an apostle of the Lord. // As is that second man I spoke
about -- a man who's with us here. His name is Gheorghe Calciu
-- a Roman Orthodox minister. His story proves you can't slay an
Cul-)
idea -- nor destroy the human spirit. //
Reverend Calciu has spent 21 of his 61 years in prison, -lb in
he
fact, found God there while serving time for opposing the
How
government. En 1978, he defied that government by preaching a
series of Lenten sermons. And for that was imprisoned again --
Rev. Calciu hadforth
tortured beyond belief. // Yet he refused to break -- and so
NE
Sele
was sentenced to death But as he was praying a miracle
PS
b
occurred. His two executors 1m called to him, saying, "Father"
4 hel
yard
sharl
the
is
Knew
that was the first time they called him that
"we have decided
not to kill you. " //
fulital
pmn
w
A few days later, Reverend Calciu asked permission to
hink in we
in
celebrate the Mass. And while making preparations, heard these
same two men approach. Moments later, he turned around. And was
astonished to see them on their knees on the cold concrete of the
cell. //
In 1985, Father Calciu was exiled to America. But he wants
to return to his native land. And in this season of miracles,
who can doubt he will? 1:1 For the work of God is not done. And
the word of God is everywhere that religious values triumph. In
8
Eastern Europe, in America, around the world. Wherever one finds
the truth that comes on one's knees. //
Today, the times are on the side of peace. Because the
world, increasingly, is on the side of God. // If you doubt it,
think of this past Christmas of miracles. Even as we look
forward -- two months from now -- to the greatest miracle of all.
Thank you for this wonderful occasion. God bless America. And
if I could leave you with a favorite hymn, "God Be With You Till
We Meet Again."
# # # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
Date: 1/26
TO: Chriss
FROM: JOHN S. GARDNER
Special Assistant to the President
and Assistant Staff Secretary
Information
Action
Let's Discuss
These are obionsly bootley, but they
polatty won't change much.
&
w/op
Document Y25 No. 100/700
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
0637
0661
01/25/90
11:00 AM Friday 01/26
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS
SUBJECT:
(01/25 7:00 p.m. draft)
5/4
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
P
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
WINSTON
FITZWATER
GRAY
è
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 11:00 a.m. on Friday, 01/26, with a copy to my office.
Thanks.
RESPONSE:
TO: CHRISS WINSTON
NSC clears with the changes indicated.
Brent Scowcroft
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
CC: James W. Cicconi
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Blessey)
1990 JAN 25 PM 8: 40
7:00 P.M.
January 25, 1990
CAST
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS
SHERATON WASHINGTON HOTEL
MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 1990
2:00 P.M.
President Rose, Director Cook -- and I want to salute your
leadership of the NRB. Ladies and gentlemen. ((It is often said
of a group or individual that "He hasn't got a prayer." Today, I
am pleased to be with an audience about whom that will never be
said.) ) 11
((Two years ago, I had the honor of addressing this annual
convention of the National Religious Broadcasters. And now, I'm
?!
back again. Even though I know this isn't what you had in mind
when you talk about the Second Coming.) ) 11
Still, I'm delighted to be with you. And in the spirit of
the occasion, I intend to keep two vows. First, I'll be brief.
((I know there's a mention in the Bible about the Burning Bush,
but I also know I'm not that hot a speaker.) ) 11
The second promise is for those of you in the back of the
room. I'll try to speak up. // ((Jerry Rose warned me that the
agnostics in this room are very bad.) ) 11
Let me begin with some good news for modern man. According
to the Gallup Poll, no society is more religious than the United
States of America. 11 Seven in ten Americans believe in life
after death. Eight in ten in a final Judgment Day and that God
2
works miracles. Nine in ten Americans pray. And 94 per cent
believe in God. // To which I say: Thank God. //
Sure, differences exist over sect and theology. ((Some, for
instance, claim the stairway to heaven is climbed through good
works. // Some, that faith ensures that when the roll is called
up yonder, I'll be there. // Others think the Pearly Gates
welcome only those who like horse shoes and country music. //
These beliefs aren't mutually exclusive.) // Yet we know what
unites us eclipses what divides us. // For we believe that
political values without moral values cannot sustain a people. //
This afternoon, I'd like to talk to you about those moral
values. Values which reflect the eternal teachings of the Sermon
on the Mount. I speak of the qualities of freedom and
responsibility, generosity and faith. Values which remind us
that while God can live without man, man cannot live without God.
Today, amid political and economic change, these values
haven't changed. Nor have they been more crucial than in 1990.
They can help build a more decent America -- and help America
build a more ennobling world. But only if while endorsing the
separation of church and state, we also endorse the union of
conscience and government. //
At home, this means -- I believe -- that we must support
that most basic value -- sanctity of life. // we need policies
that encourage adoption, not abortion. //
Conscience and government also dictate that we must help
parents obtain the best child-care for their kids. // So we
3
have sent legislation to Congress to make good this pledge: I
want to protect the right of every parent to send their kids to
the care center of their choice. That includes -- especially --
church-sponsored centers. //
Next comes an issue that concerns all children: the quality
and diversity of America's schools. 11 Our pioneering
legislation -- the "Educational Excellence Act of 1989" -- will
spur excellence, demand accountability, and allow our kids to
learn. Remember Saul on the Damascus Road. We need a conversion
in American education. //
Finally, moral values support a belief held by the
overwhelming majority of Americans: The right to voluntary
school prayer. I share that belief. So I endorse a
Constitutional Amendment restoring voluntary prayer. We need the
Faith of our Fathers back in our schools. //
Now, you know me. I'm an optimistic guy. ((After all, last
year I had an experience that renewed my faith. I was running
out of prayers and had given up hope. Then a miracle occurred.
// I caught a fish.)) // So it won't surprise you that I'm
convinced we can -- and will -- uphold these values. And as we
do, we will help do God's work. Yet that work must not be for
America alone. //
What, after all, does religion cherish? The dignity of each
human being. // And what does such dignity require?
Inevitably, the triumph of democracy. 11 Well, the past year
has been a victory for the freedoms with which God has blessed
4
America. 1 true season of miracles. // We have seen how moral
values can move mountains or -- as in East Berlin -- even move a
wall. //
It was Christ Himself, of course, who said, "Be a light unto
the world." // So let us carry that light to every corner of the
world -- freedom of expression. And tò think, dream, and worship
as we please. The freedom of equal protection under the law.
And to choose our leaders and our destinies. Our Administration
has reaffirmed these freedoms. What's more, we have -- and we
will -- support those individuals, and movements, who proclaim:
Let BY people go. //
Think of Central America, where men and women of God --
facing great personal risk -- Gendemn terrorism whatever the
work for human rights and against tyrany of any
ideology. Think, especially, of Panama -- and let me say to the
Vatican: Every American thanks you. // Think of South Africa
have been a force for
and the Phillipines, where church leaders are fighting against)
democratic change.
oppression and tyranny. // And, yes, of that miracle called
sustained the will
Churches
Eastern Europe. Where for centuries religion has been a catalyst
have
to freedom even amid adversity.
for democracy.) And where men and women of faith braved
historytwing n
persecution to renew the faith which makes us free. 11
More than five centuries ago, the Hungarian patriot Janos
No
(1) Don't knock
Hunyadi (YAHN osh HOON-yah-dee) stopped a would-be Turkish
Torks!
invasion. In his honor the Pope ordered each church to ring a
(2) Sands wrong-
bell at the time of day the battle ended. And since then,
Isn't it the
Angelus
Catholic church bells around the world ring precisely at mid-day.
at mid-day?
anymy
// The Catholic Church has been an apostle of God. // And so
5
"churehes"
Communities
isn'tright
have the Protestant, Reformed, and Jewish Churches of Eastern
hard
Europe. Few will forget heroes like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and
'led resistance"
stood against the Nazis and their evildeeds.
isn't quite
Raoul Wallenberg, who Led the anti Nazi resistance They, too,
right
were apostles of God. //
Recall, more recently, this last miraculous year. And one
of the great soldiers of God of this or any time, the Reverend
Billy Graham. // Four years ago, Reverend Graham went to
Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. And upon returning foretold
a movement there toward more religious freedom. Perhaps he saw
it before many others because it takes a nan of God to sense the
early movement of the hand of God. // Yet not even Reverend
Graham could predict how in 1989, the walls of bayonets and
barbed wire -- the walls of tyranny -- would come tumbling down.
Look, first, at the miracle of East Germany -- where in 1982
-- long before last November's mass demonstrations -- members of
Leipzig's St. Nicholas Church began weekly prayers for peace. At
Bible Study, students were taught non-violence. And started the
candle-light vigils that would one day rouse a continent. The
police came and threatened them. But the students would not be
moved. They vowed to stay, and did. Becoming, yes, a light unto
the world.
As with the disciples, that light spread to Dresden and
East
Berlin. And as it shone, a Wittenberg pastor said, "I would
1
rather see 1,000 drops of candle wax on the market place then one
drop of blood." // And there was no blood -- just as Christ
taught us. // Only the stirring sight last October of 70,000
Alongside East Europers democratic revelution was ,
religious reawaking, testimony to the indomitable
spirit sustained by faith,
workers -- brave, defiant -- in the streets and squares of
Leipzig. Weapons? They carried candles. Their march rivaled "a
blizzard of fireflies in the night." Ask anyone that evening.
was
demo cratic
God was moving in miraculous -- not merely mysterious -- ways.
revolution,
not justa
Look, next, at Bulgaria. Where last month the State press
religious
agency conceded: "People [were] wishing Merry Christmas to each
event
other without fear they would be accused of being 'religious. "
// And Csechoslovakia. There, too, a miracle. For years,
police chased carolers from Prague's King's Road. This
Christmas, the cold night of Charles Bridge echoed with young
voices. Their carols warmed the heart of the city. There was
wonder in the air. // And in Romania: Still further miracles.
Christmas songs on the radio for the first time since 1946. And
heroes who showed that you can't lock people behind walls forever
-- when they have religious faith locked in their hearts. //
Let me close, then, with the story of two such heroes --
both Romanian. And how their example -- and miracle -- illumined
Christ's special mission to mankind.
(TER-kish)
The first was a Lutheran minister, Laszlo Tokes, who dared
to speak of freedom. So last November, masked thugs broke into
the small apartment in Timisoara of Tokes and his pregnant wife.
They beat and stabbed him. The government allowed them no food.
// When parishioners brought bread, police arrived to deport the
pastor. But the flock protected him -- forming a human chain
around his apartment. In time, the chain grew across the land.
7
Until -- as the world celebrated Christmas -- Romania's morning
star of freedom summoned "lightness against the dark." //
Today, Laszlo Tokes preaches his faith without fear --
ministering to ever-larger numbers -- truly, an apostle of the
Lord. 11 As is that second man I spoke about -- a man who's
with us here. His name is Gheorghe Caiciu [CUL-chew] -- a
Romanian Orthodox minister. His story proves you can't slay an
idea -- nor destroy the human will. 11
Reverend Calciu has spent 21 of his 61 years in jail. In
fact, he found God there while imprisoned for opposing the
government. Released, he risked his freedom by preaching a
series of Lenten sermons. And for that he was imprisoned again
-- tortured beyond belief. 11 Yet Reverend Calciu had faith.
He refused to break -- and was sentenced to death. So he went to
a corner of the prison yard, and began to pray for his wife and
for his son. // It was then that the miracle occurred. 11
His two executioners called him over. Surely, thought
Reverend Calciu, this was the end. But instead they said,
"Father" -- that was the first time they called him that -- "we
have decided not to kill you. 11 A few days later, he asked
permission to celebrate the Mass. And while making preparations,
heard these same two men approach. He turned around, and was
astonished. 11 His would-be executioners were on their knees on
the cold concrete of the cell. //
In 1985, Father Calciu was exiled to America. But he hopes
to return to his native land. And in this season of miracles,
8
who can doubt he will? // For today, the times are on the side
of peace. Because the world, increasingly, is on the side of
God. 11
If you doubt it, think of this past Christmas of miracles.
And of miracles yet to come. 11 Miracles that will occur in
Eastern Europe, in America, and around the globe. Wherever one
finds the truth that comes on one's knees.
Thank you for this wonderful occasion. God bless America.
And let me leave you with a favorite hymn, "God Be with You Till
We Meet Again."
# # # #
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
TIME STAMP
EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT STAFFING DOCUMENT
RECEIVED
SYSTEM LOG NUMBER:
0637
90JAN26
45
ACTION OFFICER:
RODMAN
DUE:
ASAP, 26 JAN
Prepare Memo For Scowcroft/Gates
Appropriate Action
URGENT
Prepare Memo For Cicconi
Prepare Memo for Hughes
Prepare Memo
SCOWCROFT
to
WINSTON w/ INFO CICCONI
CONCURRENCES/COMMENTS*
PHONE* to action officer at ext.
6907
YI
FYI
FYI
Basora
Lampley
Rostow
Beers
Levin
Salvetti
Blackwill
Mahley
Tilley
Charles
Mandel
Tobey
Coulson
Melby
Van Eron
Davis
Menan
Watson
Deal
Merchant
Welch
Dorminey
Miller
Whitley
Dyke
Needels
Wilson
Gordon
Paal
Working
Grimes
Pacelli consurs
Zelikow
Haass
Passage
Hayden
Pilling
Hutchings concurs
Popadiuk
Jackson
Pryce
Kanter
Rademaker
Kitchen
Rice
Rodman
INFORMATION
Sittmann
Exec. Sec. Desk
Scowcroft (advance)
Gates (advance)
Secretariat
COMMENTS
Logged By AL
Return to Secretariat
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
January 26, 1990
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
ROGER B. PORTER
RBP
SUBJECT:
Remarks to the Religious Broadcasters
We have reviewed the draft remarks and offer the following
suggestions which we believe will strenghten the remarks. This
is the second time we have seen the two jokes included in the
second, and fourth paragraphs on page one and we still believe
they are inappropriate. We also consider the joke in the third
paragraph inappropriate as well.
Second, with respect to the reference on page 4 to Janos
Hunyadi, we suggest referring to "a would-be foreign invasion"
rather than identifying the Turks by name. The Turks tend to be
hypersensitive about hints that they may be aggressive.
Third, with respect to the discussion of child care on pages
two and three, the discussion should be modified to reflect our
emphasis on parents, which the reference to center-based care
obscures. We suggest revising the discussion of the legislation
to read, "I want to protect the right of parents to choose the
child care arrangements they find best. Some in the Congress
want to help only those who choose day care. Others want to
prevent religious programs from being assisted. I want child
care legislation that will help all parents and their children.
If you have any questions, or if I can be of assistance in
any other way, please do not hesitate to let me know.
89 DEC 26 P12: 09
Document No. 107760
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
01/25/90
11:00 AM Friday 01/26
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS
SUBJECT:
(01/25 7:00 p.m. draft)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
WINSTON
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 11:00 a.m. on Friday, 01/26, with a copy to my office.
Thanks.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Blessey)
7:00 P.M.
1990 JAN 25 PM 8: 40
January 25, 1990
CAST
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS
SHERATON WASHINGTON HOTEL
MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 1990
2:00 P.M.
President Rose, Director Cook -- and I want to salute your
leadership of the NRB. Ladies and gentlemen. ((It is often said
of a group or individual that "He hasn't got a prayer." Today, I
am pleased to be with an audience about whom that will never be
said. )) //
((Two years ago, I had the honor of addressing this annual
convention of the National Religious Broadcasters. And now, I'm
back again. Even though I know this isn't what you had in mind
when you talk about the Second Coming.) ) //
Still, I'm delighted to be with you. And in the spirit of
the occasion, I intend to keep two vows. First, I'll be brief.
((I know there's a mention in the Bible about the Burning Bush,
but I also know I'm not that hot a speaker.) )) //
The second promise is for those of you in the back of the
room. I'll try to speak up. // ( (Jerry Rose warned me that the
agnostics in this room are very bad.) ) 11
Let me begin with some good news for modern man. According
to the Gallup Poll, no society is more religious than the United
States of America. // Seven in ten Americans believe in life
after death. Eight in ten in a final Judgment Day and that God
2
works miracles. Nine in ten Americans pray. And 94 per cent
believe in God. // To which I say: Thank God. //
Sure, differences exist over sect and theology. ( (Some, for
instance, claim the stairway to heaven is climbed through good
works. // Some, that faith ensures that when the roll is called
up yonder, I'll be there. // Others think the Pearly Gates
welcome only those who like horse shoes and country music. //
These beliefs aren't mutually exclusive.) // Yet we know what
unites us eclipses what divides us. // For we believe that
political values without moral values cannot sustain a people. //
This afternoon, I'd like to talk to you about those moral
values. Values which reflect the eternal teachings of the Sermon
on the Mount. I speak of the qualities of freedom and
responsibility, generosity and faith. Values which remind us
that while God can live without man, man cannot live without God.
Today, amid political and economic change, these values
haven't changed. Nor have they been more crucial than in 1990.
They can help build a more decent America -- and help America
build a more ennobling world. But only if while endorsing the
separation of church and state, we also endorse the union of
conscience and government. 11
At home, this means -- I believe -- that we must support
that most basic value -- sanctity of life. // We need policies
that encourage adoption, not abortion. //
Conscience and government also dictate that we must help
parents obtain the best child-care for their kids. // So we
3
have sent legislation to Congress to make good this pledge: I
want to protect the right of every parent to send their kids to
the care center of their choice. That includes -- especially --
church-sponsored centers. //
Next comes an issue that concerns all children: the quality
and diversity of America's schools. 11 Our pioneering
legislation -- the "Educational Excellence Act of 1989" -- will
spur excellence, demand accountability, and allow our kids to
learn. Remember Saul on the Damascus Road. We need a conversion
in American education. //
Finally, moral values support a belief held by the
overwhelming majority of Americans: The right to voluntary
school prayer. I share that belief. So I endorse a
Constitutional Amendment restoring voluntary prayer. We need the
Faith of our Fathers back in our schools. //
Now, you know me. I'm an optimistic guy. ((After all, last
year I had an experience that renewed my faith. I was running
out of prayers and had given up hope. Then a miracle occurred.
// I caught a fish.)) // So it won't surprise you that I'm
convinced we can -- and will -- uphold these values. And as we
do, we will help do God's work. Yet that work must not be for
America alone. //
What, after all, does religion cherish? The dignity of each
human being. // And what does such dignity require?
Inevitably, the triumph of democracy. // Well, the past year
has been a victory for the freedoms with which God has blessed
4
America. A true season of miracles. // We have seen how moral
values can move mountains or -- as in East Berlin -- even move a
wall. //
It was Christ Himself, of course, who said, "Be a light unto
the world.' // So let us carry that light to every corner of the
world -- freedom of expression. And to think, dream, and worship
as we please. The freedom of equal protection under the law.
And to choose our leaders and our destinies. Our Administration
has reaffirmed these freedoms. What's more, we have -- and we
will -- support those individuals, and movements, who proclaim:
Let my people go. //
Think of Central America, where men and women of God --
facing great personal risk -- condemn terrorism whatever the
ideology. Think, especially, of Panama -- and let me say to the
Vatican: Every American thanks you. // Think of South Africa
and the Phillipines, where church leaders are fighting against
oppression and tyranny. // And, yes, of that miracle called
Eastern Europe. Where for centuries religion has been a catalyst
for democracy. And where men and women of faith braved
persecution to renew the faith which makes us free. //
More than five centuries ago, the Hungarian patriot Janos
Hunyadi (YAHN-osh HOON-yah-dee) stopped a would-be Turkish
invasion. In his honor, the Pope ordered each church to ring a
bell at the time of day the battle ended. And since then,
Catholic church bells around the world ring precisely at mid-day.
// The Catholic Church has been an apostle of God. // And so
5
have the Protestant, Reformed, and Jewish churches of Eastern
Europe. Few will forget heroes like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and
Raoul Wallenberg, who led the anti-Nazi resistance. They, too,
were apostles of God. //
Recall, more recently, this last miraculous year. And one
of the great soldiers of God of this or any time, the Reverend
Billy Graham. // Four years ago, Reverend Graham went to
Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. And upon returning foretold
a movement there toward more religious freedom. Perhaps he saw
it before many others because it takes a man of God to sense the
early movement of the hand of God. // Yet not even Reverend
Graham could predict how in 1989, the walls of bayonets and
barbed wire -- the walls of tyranny -- would come tumbling down.
Look, first, at the miracle of East Germany -- where in 1982
-- long before last November's mass demonstrations -- members of
Leipzig's St. Nicholas Church began weekly prayers for peace. At
Bible Study, students were taught non-violence. And started the
candle-light vigils that would one day rouse a continent. The
police came and threatened them. But the students would not be
moved. They vowed to stay, and did. Becoming, yes, a light unto
the world.
As with the disciples, that light spread to Dresden and
Berlin. And as it shone, a Wittenberg pastor said, "I would
rather see 1,000 drops of candle wax on the market place then one
drop of blood." // And there was no blood -- just as Christ
taught us. // Only the stirring sight last October of 70,000
6
workers -- brave, defiant -- in the streets and squares of
Leipzig. Weapons? They carried candles. Their march rivaled "a
blizzard of fireflies in the night." Ask anyone that evening.
God was moving in miraculous -- not merely mysterious -- ways.
Look, next, at Bulgaria. Where last month the State press
agency conceded: "People [were] wishing Merry Christmas to each
other without fear they would be accused of being 'religious.'"
// And Czechoslovakia. There, too, a miracle. For years,
police chased carolers from Prague's King's Road. This
Christmas, the cold night of Charles Bridge echoed with young
voices. Their carols warmed the heart of the city. There was
wonder in the air. // And in Romania: Still further miracles.
Christmas songs on the radio for the first time since 1946. And
heroes who showed that you can't lock people behind walls forever
-- when they have religious faith locked in their hearts. //
Let me close, then, with the story of two such heroes --
both Romanian. And how their example -- and miracle -- illumined
Christ's special mission to mankind.
The first was a Lutheran minister, Laszlo Tokes, who dared
to speak of freedom. So last November, masked thugs broke into
the small apartment in Timisoara of Tokes and his pregnant wife.
They beat and stabbed him. The government allowed them no food.
// When parishioners brought bread, police arrived to deport the
pastor. But the flock protected him -- forming a human chain
around his apartment. In time, the chain grew across the land.
7
Until -- as the world celebrated Christmas -- Romania's morning
star of freedom summoned "lightness against the dark." //
Today, Laszlo Tokes preaches his faith without fear --
ministering to ever-larger numbers -- truly, an apostle of the
Lord. // As is that second man I spoke about -- a man who's
with us here. His name is Gheorghe Calciu [CUL-chew] -- a
Romanian Orthodox minister. His story proves you can't slay an
idea -- nor destroy the human will. 11
Reverend Calciu has spent 21 of his 61 years in jail. In
fact, he found God there while imprisoned for opposing the
government. Released, he risked his freedom by preaching a
series of Lenten sermons. And for that he was imprisoned again
-- tortured beyond belief. // Yet Reverend Calciu had faith.
He refused to break -- and was sentenced to death. So he went to
a corner of the prison yard, and began to pray for his wife and
for his son. // It was then that the miracle occurred. //
His two executioners called him over. Surely, thought
Reverend Calciu, this was the end. But instead they said,
"Father" -- that was the first time they called him that -- "we
have decided not to kill you. // A few days later, he asked
permission to celebrate the Mass. And while making preparations,
heard these same two men approach. He turned around, and was
astonished. // His would-be executioners were on their knees on
the cold concrete of the cell. //
In 1985, Father Calciu was exiled to America. But he hopes
to return to his native land. And in this season of miracles,
8
who can doubt he will? // For today, the times are on the side
of peace. Because the world, increasingly, is on the side of
God. //
If you doubt it, think of this past Christmas of miracles.
And of miracles yet to come. // Miracles that will occur in
Eastern Europe, in America, and around the globe. Wherever one
finds the truth that comes on one's knees.
Thank you for this wonderful occasion. God bless America.
And let me leave you with a favorite hymn, "God Be With You Till
We Meet Again. "
# # # #
Document No. 107760
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
01/25/90
11:00 AM Friday 01/26
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS
SUBJECT:
(01/25 7:00 p.m. draft)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
9
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
WINSTON
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 11:00 a.m. on Friday, 01/26, with a copy to my office.
Thanks.
RESPONSE:
All commerts AD
91 :2d DECLO 68
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Blessey)
7:00 P.M.
1990 JAN 25 PM 8: 40
January 25, 1990
CAST
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS
SHERATON WASHINGTON HOTEL
MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 1990
2:00 P.M.
President Rose, Director Cook -- and I want to salute your
leadership of the NRB. Ladies and gentlemen. ((It is often said
of a group or individual that "He hasn't got a prayer." Today, I
am pleased to be with an audience about whom that will never be
said.) ) 11
((Two years ago, I had the honor of addressing this annual
convention of the National Religious Broadcasters. And now, I'm
back again. Even though I know this isn't what you had in mind
when you talk about the Second Coming.) ) //
Still, I'm delighted to be with you. And in the spirit of
the occasion, I intend to keep two vows. First, I'll be brief.
((I know there's a mention in the Bible about the Burning Bush,
but I also know I'm not that hot a speaker.) ) 11
The second promise is for those of you in the back of the
room. I'll try to speak up. // ( (Jerry Rose warned me that the
agnostics in this room are very bad.) ) 11
Let me begin with some good news for modern man. According
to the Gallup Poll, no society is more religious than the United
States of America. // Seven in ten Americans believe in life
after death. Eight in ten in a final Judgment Day and that God
2
works miracles. Nine in ten Americans pray. And 94 per cent
believe in God. // To which I say: Thank God. //
Sure, differences exist over sect and theology. (Some, for
instance, claim the stairway to heaven is climbed through good
works. // Some, that faith ensures that when the roll is called
?
L
up yonder, I'll be there. // Others think the Pearly Gates
welcome only those who like horse shoes and country music. //
These beliefs aren't mutually exclusive.)) // Yet we know what
unites us eclipses what divides us. // For we believe that
political values without moral values cannot sustain a people. //
This afternoon, I'd like to talk to you about those moral
values. Values which reflect the eternal teachings of the Sermon
on the Mount. I speak of the qualities of freedom and
responsibility, generosity and faith. Values which remind us
that while God can live without man, man cannot live without God.
Today, amid political and economic change, these values
haven't changed. Nor have they been more crucial than in 1990.
They can help build a more decent America -- and help America
decent
build a more ennobling world. But only if while endorsing the
separation of church and state, we also endorse the union of
conscience and government. //
At home, this means -- I believe -- that we must support
that most basic value -- sanctity of life. // We need policies
that encourage adoption, not abortion. //
Conscience and government also dictate that we must help
parents obtain the best child-care for their kids. // So we
3
have sent legislation to Congress to make good this pledge: I
want to protect the right of every parent to send their kids to
the care center of their choice. That includes -- especially --
church-sponsored centers. //
Next comes an issue that concerns all children: the quality
and diversity of America's schools. 11 Our pioneering
legislation -- the "Educational Excellence Act of 1989" -- will
spur excellence, demand accountability, and allow our kids to
Road to
learn. Remember Saul on the Damascus Road. We need a conversion
^
in American education. //
Finally, moral values support a belief held by the
overwhelming majority of Americans: The right to voluntary
school prayer. I share that belief. So I endorse a
Constitutional Amendment restoring voluntary prayer. We need the
Faith of our Fathers back in our schools. //
Now, you know me. I'm an optimistic guy. ((After all, last
year I had an experience that renewed my faith. I was running
out of prayers and had given up hope. Then a miracle occurred.
// I caught a fish.)) // So it won't surprise you that I'm
convinced we can -- and will -- uphold these values. And as we
do, we will help do God's work. Yet that work must not be for
America alone. //
What, after all, does religion cherish? The dignity of each
human being. // And what does such dignity require?
Inevitably, the triumph of democracy. // Well, the past year
has been a victory for the freedoms with which God has blessed
4
America. A true season of miracles. // We have seen how moral
values can move mountains or -- as in East Berlin -- even move a
wall. //
It was Christ Himself, of course, who said, "Be a light unto
the world." // So let us carry that light to every corner of the
world -- freedom of expression. And to think, dream, and worship
as we please. The freedom of equal protection under the law.
And to choose our leaders and our destinies. Our Administration
has reaffirmed these freedoms. What's more, we have -- and we
will -- support those individuals, and movements, who proclaim:
Let my people go. //
Think of Central America, where men and women of God --
facing great personal risk -- condemn terrorism whatever the
ideology. Think, especially, of Panama and let me say to the
Vatican: Every American thanks you H Think Think of South Africa
and the Phillipines, where church leaders are fighting against
oppression and tyranny. // And, yes, of that miracle called
Eastern Europe. Where for centuries religion has been a catalyst
for democracy. And where men and women of faith braved
persecution to renew the faith which makes us free. //
More than five centuries ago, the Hungarian patriot Janos
Hunyadi (YAHN-osh HOON-yah-dee) stopped a would-be Turkish
invasion. In his honor, the Pope ordered each church to ring a
bell at the time of day the battle ended. And since then,
Catholic church bells around the world ring precisely at mid-day.
// The Catholic Church has been an apostle of God. // And so
5
have the Protestant, Reformed, and Jewish churches of Eastern
Europe. Few will forget heroes like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and
Raoul Wallenberg, who led the anti-Nazi resistance. They, too,
were apostles of God. //
Recall, more recently, this last miraculous year. And one
of the great soldiers of God of this or any time, the Reverend
Billy Graham. // Four years ago, Reverend Graham went to
Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. And upon returning foretold
a movement there toward more religious freedom. Perhaps he saw
it before many others because it takes a man of God to sense the
early movement of the hand of God. 11 Yet not even Reverend
Graham could predict how in 1989, the walls of bayonets and
barbed wire -- the walls of tyranny -- would come tumbling down.
Look, first, at the miracle of East Germany -- where in 1982
-- long before last November's mass demonstrations -- members of
Leipzig's St. Nicholas Church began weekly prayers for peace. At
Bible Study, students were taught non-violence. And started the
candle-light vigils that would one day rouse a continent. The
police came and threatened them. But the students would not be
moved. They vowed to stay, and did. Becoming, yes, a light unto
the world.
As with the disciples, that light spread to Dresden and
Berlin. And as it shone, a Wittenberg pastor said, "I would
rather see 1,000 drops of candle wax on the market place then one
drop of blood." // And there was no blood -- just as Christ
taught us. // Only the stirring sight last October of 70,000
6
workers -- brave, defiant -- in the streets and squares of
Leipzig. Weapons? They carried candles. Their march rivaled "a
blizzard of fireflies in the night." Ask anyone that evening.
God was moving in miraculous -- not merely mysterious -- ways.
Look, next, at Bulgaria. Where last month the State press
agency conceded: "People [were] wishing Merry Christmas to each
other without fear they would be accused of being 'religious.' "
// And Csechoslovakia. There, too, a miracle. For years,
police chased carolers from Prague's King's Road. This
Christmas, the cold night of Charles Bridge echoed with young
voices. Their carols warmed the heart of the city. There was
wonder in the air. // And in Romania: Still further miracles.
Christmas songs on the radio for the first time since 1946. And
heroes who showed that you can't lock people behind walls forever
-- when they have religious faith locked in their hearts. //
Let me close, then, with the story of two such heroes --
both Romanian. And how their example -- and miracle -- illumined
Christ's special mission to mankind.
The first was a Lutheran minister, Laszlo Tokes, who dared
to speak of freedom. So last November, masked thugs broke into
the small apartment in Timisoara of Tokes and his pregnant wife.
They beat and stabbed him. The government allowed them no food.
// When parishioners brought bread, police arrived to deport the
pastor. But the flock protected him -- forming a human chain
around his apartment. In time, the chain grew across the land.
7
Until -- as the world celebrated Christmas -- Romania's morning
star of freedom summoned "lightness against the dark." //
Today, Laszlo Tokes preaches his faith without fear --
ministering to ever-larger numbers -- truly, an apostle of the
Lord. // As is that second man I spoke about -- a man who's
with us here. His name is Gheorghe Caiciu [CUL-chew] -- a
Romanian Orthodox minister. His story proves you can't slay an
idea -- nor destroy the human will. 11
Reverend Calciu has spent 21 of his 61 years in jail. In
fact, he found God there while imprisoned for opposing the
government. Released, he risked his freedom by preaching a
series of Lenten sermons. And for that he was imprisoned again
-- tortured beyond belief. // Yet Reverend Calciu had faith.
He refused to break -- and was sentenced to death. So he went to
a corner of the prison yard, and began to pray for his wife and
for his son. // It was then that the miracle occurred. //
His two executioners called him over. Surely, thought
Reverend Calciu, this was the end. But instead they said,
"Father" -- that was the first time they called him that -- "we
have decided not to kill you. // A few days later, he asked
permission to celebrate the Mass. And while making preparations,
heard these same two men approach. He turned around, and was
astonished. // His would-be executioners were on their knees on
the cold concrete of the cell. //
In 1985, Father Calciu was exiled to America. But he hopes
to return to his native land. And in this season of miracles,
8
who can doubt he will? // For today, the times are on the side
of peace. Because the world, increasingly, is on the side of
God. //
If you doubt it, think of this past Christmas of miracles.
And of miracles yet to come. // Miracles that will occur in
Eastern Europe, in America, and around the globe. Wherever one
finds the truth that comes on one's knees.
Thank you for this wonderful occasion. God bless America.
And let me leave you with a favorite hymn, "God Be With You Till
We Meet Again."
#
#
#
#
MEMORANDUM
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
January 26, 1990
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
John S. Gardner JSS.
SUBJECT:
NRB Remarks
Jim asked me to forward some comments on the NRB remarks.
and appearate!
The section on Eastern Europe is excellent, and I think this
audience will appreciate the President referring to values and to
"a more decent America."
My comments and suggestions are marked on the text, but I also
wanted to give my rationales for the jokes here:
Page 1, para. 2: I really think this is offensive to Evangelicals.
It's hard for me to imagine this audience laughing at the joke, and
I would recommend deleting it.
Page 2, para. 1: The notion that good works alone lead to salvation
was what Protestants (falsely) accused Catholics of believing for
centuries. And I don't think the President should even joke about
the idea that only people like him will be saved. Anyway, it
interrupts a good paragraph which makes an important point, and I
would delete.
You may also wish to consider working another Scriptural quota-
tion in at some point.
Curt called me this morning to ask my impressions of the draft,
and I gave him most of the attached comments at that time, but I
also wanted to forward them to you, so the process works as it should.
Thanks.
SI DECLE 68
Document No. 107760
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
01/25/90
11:00 AM Friday 01/26
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS
SUBJECT:
(01/25 7:00 p.m. draft)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
A
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
R
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
WINSTON
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 11:00 a.m. on Friday, 01/26, with a copy to my office.
Thanks.
RESPONSE:
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Blessey)
1990 JAN 25 PM 8: 40
7:00 P.M.
January 25, 1990
CAST
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS
SHERATON WASHINGTON HOTEL
MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 1990
2:00 P.M.
President Rose, Director Cook -- and I want to salute your
leadership of the NRB. Ladies and gentlemen. ( (It is often said
of a group or individual that "He hasn't got a prayer." Today, I
am pleased to be with an audience about whom that will never be
said.)) //
Plunse
( (Two years ago, I had the honor of addressing this annual
and meno.
convention of the National Religious Broadcasters And now, I'm
back again. Even though I know this isn't what you had in mind
when you talk about the Second Coming.))
//
Still, I'm delighted to be with you. And in the spirit of
the occasion, I intend to keep two vows. First, I'll be brief.
( ( I know there's a mention in the Bible about the Burning Bush,
but I also know I'm not that hot a speaker. )) //
The second promise is for those of you in the back of the
room. I'll try to speak up. // ( (Jerry Rose warned me that the
agnostics in this room are very bad.) )) // religiously
Let me begin with some good news for modern man. According
to the Gallup Poll, no society is more religious than the United
States of America. // Seven in ten Americans believe in life
after death. Eight in ten in a final Judgment Day and that God
& Don't want the President to be and of praising religiousity, rith than religion.
2
works miracles. Nine in ten Americans pray. And 94 per cent
believe in God. // To which I say: Thank God. //
Yes
Sure, differences exist over sect and theology. ( (Some, for
instance, claim the stairway to heaven is climbed through good
works. // Some, that faith ensures that when the roll is called
Uni ad
with
up yonder, I'll be there. // Others think the Pearly Gates
welcome only those who like horse shoes and country music. //
These beliefs aren't mutually exclusive. ) // Yet we know what
unites us eclipses what divides us. // For we believe that
political values without moral values cannot sustain a people. //
This afternoon, I'd like to talk to you about those moral
values. Values which reflect the eternal teachings of the Sermon
on the Mount. I speak of the qualities of freedom and
responsibility, generosity and faith. Values which remind us
that while God can live without man, man cannot live without God.
Today, amid political and economic change, these values
haven't changed. Nor have they been more crucial than in 1990.
They can help build a more decent America -- and help America
build a more ennobling world. But only if while endorsing the
separation of church and state, we also endorse the union of
conscience and government. //
At home, this means -- I believe -- that we must support
that most basic value -- sanctity of life. // We need policies
that encourage adoption, not abortion. //
Conscience and government also dictate that we must help
parents obtain the best child-care for their kids. // So we
d just don't know how this would be veried, but t
admit d can't think of anything else.
3
have sent legislation to Congress to make good this pledge: I
want to protect the right of every parent to send their kids to
the care center of their choice. That includes -- especially --
church-sponsored centers. //
Next comes an issue that concerns all children: the quality
and diversity of America's schools. 11 Our pioneering
legislation -- the "Educational Excellence Act of 1989" -- will
spur excellence, demand accountability, and allow our kids to
learn. Remember Saul on the Damascus Road. We need a conversion
4.
in American education. //
Finally, moral values support a belief held by the
overwhelming majority of Americans: The right to voluntary
school prayer. I share that belief. So I endorse a
Constitutional Amendment restoring voluntary prayer. We need the
Faith of our Fathers back in our schools. / /
Now, you know me. I'm an optimistic guy. ((After all, last
year I had an experience that renewed my faith. I was running
out of prayers and had given up hope. Then a miracle occurred.
// I caught a fish.) // So it won't surprise you that I'm
convinced we can -- and will -- uphold these values. And as we
do, we will help do God's work. Yet that work must not be for
America alone. //
What, after all, does religion cherish? The dignity of each
human being. // And what does such dignity require?
Inevitably, the triumph of democracy. // Well, the past year
has been a victory for the freedoms with which God has blessed
4
America. A true season of miracles. // We have seen how moral
values can move mountains or -- as in East Berlin -- even move a
wall. //
It was Christ Himself, of course, who said, "Be a light unto
the world. // So let us carry that light to every corner of the
world -- freedom of expression. And to think, dream, and worship
as we please. The freedom of equal protection under the law.
And to choose our leaders and our destinies. Our Administration
has reaffirmed these freedoms. What's more, we have -- and we
will -- support those individuals, and movements, who proclaim:
Let my people go. //
Think of Central America, where men and women of God --
facing great personal risk -- condemn terrorism whatever the
ideology. Think, especially, of Panama -- and let me say to the
Vatican: Every American thanks you. // Think of South Africa
and the Phillipines, where church leaders are fighting against
oppression and tyranny. // And, yes, of that miracle called
Eastern Europe. Where for centuries religion has been a catalyst
for democracy. And where men and women of faith braved
persecution to renew the faith which makes us free. //
More than five centuries ago, the Hungarian patriot Janos
Hunyadi (YAHN-osh HOON-yah-dee) stopped a would-be Turkish
invasion. In his honor, the Pope ordered each church to ring a
bell at the time of day the battle ended. And since then,
Catholic church bells around the world ring precisely at mid-day.
// The Catholic Church has been an apostle of God. // And so
used by
The reference to apcable is confusing.
and other Protestant churches
Eastern Ortheter! the Luther
5
Indaism
have the Protestant, Reformed, and Jewish churches of Eastern
Europe. Few will forget heroes like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and
Raoul Wallenberg, who led the anti-Nazi resistance. They, too,
were apostles of God. //
Recall, more recently, this last miraculous year. And one
of the great soldiers of God of this or any time, the Reverend
Billy Graham. // Four years ago, Reverend Graham went to
Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. And upon returning foretold
a movement there toward more religious freedom. Perhaps he saw
it before many others because it takes a man of God to sense the
early movement of the hand of God. // Yet not even Reverend
Graham could predict how in 1989, the walls of bayonets and
barbed wire -- the walls of tyranny -- would come tumbling down.
Look, first, at the miracle of East Germany -- where in 1982
This is all eally good
-- long before last November's mass demonstrations -- members of
Leipzig's St. Nicholas Church began weekly prayers for peace. At
Bible Study, students were taught non-violence. And started the
candle-light vigils that would one day rouse a continent. The
police came and threatened them. But the students would not be
moved. They vowed to stay, and did. Becoming, yes, a light unto
the world.
As with the disciples, that light spread to Dresden and
Berlin. And as it shone, a Wittenberg pastor said, "I would
rather see 1,000 drops of candle wax on the market place then one
drop of blood." // And there was no blood -- just as Christ
taught us. // Only the stirring sight last October of 70,000
6
workers -- brave, defiant -- in the streets and squares of
Leipzig. Weapons? They carried candles. Their march rivaled "a
blizzard of fireflies in the night." Ask anyone that evening.
God was moving in miraculous -- not merely mysterious -- ways.
Look, next, at Bulgaria. Where last month the State press
agency conceded: "People [were] wishing Merry Christmas to each
other without fear they would be accused of being 'religious. "
// And Czechoslovakia. There, too, a miracle. For years,
police chased carolers from Prague's King's Road. This
Christmas, the cold night of Charles Bridge echoed with young
voices. Their carols warmed the heart of the city. There was
wonder in the air. // And in Romania: Still further miracles.
Christmas songs on the radio for the first time since 1946. And
heroes who showed that you can't lock people behind walls forever
-- when they have religious faith locked in their hearts. //
Let me close, then, with the story of two such heroes --
both Romanian. And how their example -- and miracle -- illumined
Christ's special mission to mankind.
The first was a Lutheran minister, Laszlo Tokes, who dared
to speak of freedom. So last November, masked thugs broke into
the small apartment in Timisoara of Tokes and his pregnant wife.
They beat and stabbed him. The government allowed them no food.
// When parishioners brought bread, police arrived to deport the
pastor. But the flock protected him -- forming a human chain
around his apartment. In time, the chain grew across the land.
Fa this audience, it's Dod's misacle, not their!
7 need provanciation
Until -- as the world celebrated Christmas -- Romania's morning
star of freedom summoned "lightness against the dark." //
Today, Laszlo Tokes preaches his faith without fear --
ministering to ever-larger numbers -- truly, an apostle of the
Lord. // As is that second man I spoke about -- a man who's
with us here. His name is Gheorghe Calciu [CUL-chew] -- a
Romanian Orthodox minister. His story proves you can't slay an
idea -- nor destroy the human will. //
Reverend Calciu has spent 21 of his 61 years in jail. In
fact, he found God there while imprisoned for opposing the
government. Released, he risked his freedom by preaching a
series of Lenten sermons. And for that he was imprisoned again
-- tortured beyond belief. // Yet Reverend Calciu had faith.
He refused to break -- and was sentenced to death. So he went to
a corner of the prison yard, and began to pray for his wife and
for his son. // It was then that the miracle occurred. //
His two executioners called him over. Surely, thought
Reverend Calciu, this was the end. But instead they said,
"Father" -- that was the first time they called him that -- "we
have decided not to kill you. // A few days later, he asked
Durine Littury
permission to celebrate the Mass. And while making preparations,
heard these same two men approach. He turned around, and was
astonished. // His would-be executioners were on their knees on
the cold concrete of the cell. //
In 1985, Father Calciu was exiled to America. But he hopes
to return to his native land. And in this season of miracles,
Inthodex call it this.
Jo.
we prayare are
8
who can doubt he will? // For today, the times are on the side
of peace. Because the world, increasingly, is on the side of
God. //
If you doubt it, think of this past Christmas of miracles.
And of miracles yet to come. // Miracles that will occur in
Eastern Europe, in America, and around the globe. Wherever one
finds the truth that comes on one's knees.
Thank you for this wonderful occasion. God bless America.
And let me leave you with a favorite hymn, "God Be With You Till
We Meet Again."
#
#
#
#
For these falks, there's m guarantee that further
miracles will come.
Document No. 107760
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
01/25/90
11:00 AM Friday 01/26
DATE:
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS
SUBJECT:
(01/25 7:00 p.m. draft)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
R
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
R
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
WINSTON
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 11:00 a.m. on Friday, 01/26, with a copy to my office.
Thanks.
RESPONSE:
See comments
LO : 11v 8203068
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Blessey)
7:00 P.M.
1990 JAN 25 PM 8: 40
January 25, 1990
CAST
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS
SHERATON WASHINGTON HOTEL
MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 1990
2:00 P.M.
President Rose, Director Cook -- and I want to salute your
leadership of the NRB. Ladies and gentlemen. ( (It is often said
of a group or individual that "He hasn't got a prayer." Today, I
am pleased to be with an audience about whom that will never be
said. )) //
((Two years ago, I had the honor of addressing this annual
convention of the National Religious Broadcasters. And now, I'm
back again. Even though I know this isn't what you had in mind
when you talk about the Second Coming.) ) //
still, I'm delighted to be with you. And in the spirit of
the occasion, I intend to keep two VOWS. First, I'll be brief.
((I know there's a mention in the Bible about the Burning Bush,
but I also know I'm not that hot a speaker.) )) //
The second promise is for those of you in the back of the
room. I'll try to speak up. // ((Jerry Rose warned me that the
agnostics in this room are very bad. )) //
Let me begin with some good news for modern man. According
to the Gallup Poll, no society is more religious than the United
States of America. // Seven in ten Americans believe in life
after death. Eight in ten in a final Judgment Day and that God
2
works miracles. Nine in ten Americans pray. And 94 per cent
believe in God. // To which I say: Thank God. //
Sure, differences exist over sect and theology. ( (Some, for
instance, claim the stairway to heaven is climbed through good
works. // Some, that faith ensures that when the roll is called
up yonder, I'll be there. // Others think the Pearly Gates
welcome only those who like horse shoes and country music. //
These beliefs aren't mutually exclusive.) ) // Yet we know what
unites us eclipses what divides us. // For we believe that
political values without moral values cannot sustain a people. //
This afternoon, I'd like to talk to you about those moral
values. Values which reflect the eternal teachings of the Sermon
on the Mount. I speak of the qualities of freedom and
responsibility, generosity and faith. Values which remind us
that while God can live without man, man cannot live without God.
Today, amid political and economic change, these values
haven't changed. Nor have they been more crucial than in 1990.
They can help build a more decent America -- and help America
build a more ennobling world. But only if while endorsing the
separation of church and state, we also endorse the union of
conscience and government. //
At home, this means -- I believe -- that we must support
that most basic value -- sanctity of life. // We need policies
that encourage adoption, not abortion. //
Conscience and government also dictate that we must help
parents obtain the best child-care for their kids. // So we
3
have sent legislation to Congress to make good this pledge: I
ace
secure for
want to protect the right of every parent to send their kids to
the care center of their choice. That includes -- especially --
child arrangement
care
church-sponsored centers. //
Next comes an issue that concerns all children: the quality
and diversity of America's schools. 11 Our pioneering
legislation -- the "Educational Excellence Act of 1989" -- will
spur excellence, demand accountability, and allow our kids to
learn. Remember Saul on the Damascus Road. We need a conversion
in American education. //
Finally, moral values support a belief held by the
overwhelming majority of Americans: The right to voluntary
school prayer. I share that belief. So I endorse a
Constitutional Amendment restoring voluntary prayer. We need the
Faith of our Fathers back in our schools. //
Now, you know me. I'm an optimistic guy. (After all, last
year I had an experience that renewed my faith. I was running
out of prayers and had given up hope. Then a miracle occurred.
// I caught a fish.) // So it won't surprise you that I'm
convinced we can -- and will -- uphold these values. And as we
do, we will help do God's work. Yet that work must not be for
America alone. //
What, after all, does religion cherish? The dignity of each
human being. // And what does such dignity require?
Inevitably, the triumph of democracy. // Well, the past year
has been a victory for the freedoms with which God has blessed
4
America. A true season of miracles. // We have seen how moral
values can move mountains or -- as in East Berlin -- even move a
wall. //
It was Christ Himself, of course, who said, "Be a light unto
the world.' // So let us carry that light to every corner of the
world -- freedom of expression. And to think, dream, and worship
as we please. The freedom of equal protection under the law.
And to choose our leaders and our destinies. Our Administration
has reaffirmed these freedoms. What's more, we have -- and we
will -- support those individuals, and movements, who proclaim:
Let my people go. //
Think of Central America, where men and women of God --
facing great personal risk -- condemn terrorism whatever the
ideology. Think, especially, of Panama -- and let me say to the
Vatican: Every American thanks you. // Think of South Africa
and the Phillipines, where church leaders are fighting against
oppression and tyranny. // And, yes, of that miracle called
Eastern Europe. Where for centuries religion has been a catalyst
for democracy. And where men and women of faith braved
persecution to renew the faith which makes us free. //
More than five centuries ago, the Hungarian patriot Janos
Hunyadi (YAHN-osh HOON-yah-dee) stopped a would-be Turkish
invasion. In his honor, the Pope ordered each church to ring a
bell at the time of day the battle ended. And since then,
Catholic church bells around the world ring precisely at mid-day.
// The Catholic Church has been an apostle of God. // And so
5
have the Protestant, Reformed, and Jewish churches of Eastern
Europe. Few will forget heroes like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and
Raoul Wallenberg, who led the anti-Nazi resistance. They, too,
were apostles of God. //
Recall, more recently, this last miraculous year. And one
of the great soldiers of God of this or any time, the Reverend
Billy Graham. // Four years ago, Reverend Graham went to
Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. And upon returning foretold
a movement there toward more religious freedom. Perhaps he saw
it before many others because it takes a man of God to sense the
early movement of the hand of God. // Yet not even Reverend
Graham could predict how in 1989, the walls of bayonets and
barbed wire -- the walls of tyranny -- would come tumbling down.
Look, first, at the miracle of East Germany -- where in 1982
-- long before last November's mass demonstrations -- members of
Leipzig's St. Nicholas Church began weekly prayers for peace. At
Bible Study, students were taught non-violence. And started the
candle-light vigils that would one day rouse a continent. The
police came and threatened them. But the students would not be
moved. They vowed to stay, and did. Becoming, yes, a light unto
the world.
As with the disciples, that light spread to Dresden and
Berlin. And as it shone, a Wittenberg pastor said, "I would
rather see 1,000 drops of candle wax on the market place then one
drop of blood." // And there was no blood -- just as Christ
taught us. // Only the stirring sight last October of 70,000
6
workers -- brave, defiant -- in the streets and squares of
Leipzig. Weapons? They carried candles. Their march rivaled "a
blizzard of fireflies in the night." Ask anyone that evening.
God was moving in miraculous -- not merely mysterious -- ways.
Look, next, at Bulgaria. Where last month the State press
agency conceded: "People [were] wishing Merry Christmas to each
other without fear they would be accused of being 'religious.'
// And Czechoslovakia. There, too, a miracle. For years,
police chased carolers from Prague's King's Road. This
Christmas, the cold night of Charles Bridge echoed with young
voices. Their carols warmed the heart of the city. There was
wonder in the air. // And in Romania: Still further miracles.
Christmas songs on the radio for the first time since 1946. And
heroes who showed that you can't lock people behind walls forever
-- when they have religious faith locked in their hearts. //
Let me close, then, with the story of two such heroes --
both Romanian. And how their example -- and miracle -- illumined
Christ's special mission to mankind.
The first was a Lutheran minister, Laszlo Tokes, who dared
to speak of freedom. So last November, masked thugs broke into
the small apartment in Timisoara of Tokes and his pregnant wife.
They beat and stabbed him. The government allowed them no food.
// When parishioners brought bread, police arrived to deport the
pastor. But the flock protected him -- forming a human chain
around his apartment. In time, the chain grew across the land.
7
Until -- as the world celebrated Christmas -- Romania's morning
star of freedom summoned "lightness against the dark." //
Today, Laszlo Tokes preaches his faith without fear --
ministering to ever-larger numbers -- truly, an apostle of the
Lord. // As is that second man I spoke about -- a man who's
with us here. His name is Gheorghe Caiciu [CUL-chew] -- a
Romanian Orthodox minister. His story proves you can't slay an
idea -- nor destroy the human will. 11
Reverend Calciu has spent 21 of his 61 years in jail. In
fact, he found God there while imprisoned for opposing the
government. Released, he risked his freedom by preaching a
series of Lenten sermons. And for that he was imprisoned again
-- tortured beyond belief. // Yet Reverend Calciu had faith.
He refused to break -- and was sentenced to death. So he went to
a corner of the prison yard, and began to pray for his wife and
for his son. // It was then that the miracle occurred. //
His two executioners called him over. Surely, thought
Reverend Calciu, this was the end. But instead they said,
"Father" -- that was the first time they called him that -- "we
have decided not to kill you. // A few days later, he asked
permission to celebrate the Mass. And while making preparations,
heard these same two men approach. He turned around, and was
astonished. // His would-be executioners were on their knees on
the cold concrete of the cell. //
In 1985, Father Calciu was exiled to America. But he hopes
to return to his native land. And in this season of miracles,
8
who can doubt he will? 11 For today, the times are on the side
of peace. Because the world, increasingly, is on the side of
God. //
If you doubt it, think of this past Christmas of miracles.
And of miracles yet to come. // Miracles that will occur in
Eastern Europe, in America, and around the globe. Wherever one
finds the truth that comes on one's knees.
Thank you for this wonderful occasion. God bless America.
And let me leave you with a favorite hymn, "God Be With You Till
We Meet Again."
# # # #
Document No. 107760
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
01/25/90
DATE:
11:00 AM Friday 01/26
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS
SUBJECT:
(01/25 7:00 p.m. draft)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
DARMAN
ROGICH
BATES
UNTERMEYER
CARD
ROGERS
CICCONI
PINKERTON
DEMAREST
WINSTON
FITZWATER
GRAY
HAGIN
REMARKS:
Please provide any comments/recommendations directly to Chriss
Winston by 11:00 a.m. on Friday, 01/26, with a copy to my office.
Thanks.
RESPONSE:
NO comments
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Blessey)
7:30 P.M.
January 26, 1990
CAST
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS
SHERATON WASHINGTON HOTEL
MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 1990
2:00 P.M.
President Rose, Director Cook -- and I want to salute your
leadership of the NRB. Dr. Robertson. Ladies and gentlemen.
((It is often said of a group or individual that "He hasn't got a
prayer. " Today, I am pleased to be with an audience about whom
that will never be said.) //
This marks the fourth time I have had the honor of
addressing the annual convention of the National Religious
Broadcasters. And once again, it is a delight to be back.
In the spirit of the occasion, I want to make two VOWS.
First, I'll be brief. ((I know there's a mention in the Bible
about the Burning Bush, but I also know I'm not that hot a
speaker. )) //
The second promise is for those of you in the back of the
room. I'll try to speak up. // ( (Pat Robertson warned me that
the agnostics in this room are very bad. )) //
Let me begin with some good news for modern man. According
to the Gallup Poll, no society is more religious than the United
States of America. // Seven in ten Americans believe in life
after death. Eight in ten in a final Judgment Day and that God
2
works miracles. Nine in ten Americans pray. And 94 per cent
believe in God. // To which I say: Thank God. //
Sure, differences exist over sect and theology. ((I'm
reminded of what the French statesman Talleyrand once said of
America: "I found there a country with thirty-two religions and
only one sauce.")) // Yet we know what unites us eclipses what
divides us. For we believe that political values without moral
values cannot sustain a people. //
This afternoon, I'd like to talk to you about those moral
values. Values which reflect the eternal teachings of the Sermon
on the Mount. I speak of the qualities of freedom and
responsibility, generosity and faith. Values which remind us
that while God can live without man, man cannot live without God.
Today, amid political and economic change, these values
haven't changed. Nor have they been more crucial than in 1990.
They can help build a more decent America -- and help America
build a more decent world. But only if while endorsing the
separation of church and state, we also endorse the union of
conscience and government. //
At home, this means -- I believe -- that we must support
that most basic value -- the sanctity of life. // We need
policies that encourage adoption, not abortion. //
Conscience and government also dictate that we must help
parents obtain the best child-care for their kids. // So we
have sent legislation to Congress to make good that goal. I want
to ensure that parents, not bureaucrats, are the ones who decide
3
how to care for their children. And I will not see the option of
religious-based child care restricted or eliminated. //
Next comes an issue that concerns all children: the quality
and diversity of America's schools. // Our pioneering
legislation -- the "Educational Excellence Act of 1989" -- will
spur excellence, demand accountability, and allow our kids to
learn. Remember Saul on the Road to Damascus. We need a
conversion in American education. //
Finally, moral values support a belief held by the
overwhelming majority of Americans: The right to voluntary
school prayer. I share that belief. So I endorse a
Constitutional Amendment restoring voluntary prayer. We need the
Faith of our Fathers back in our schools. //
Now, you know me. I'm an optimistic guy. ( (After all, last
year I had an experience that renewed my faith. I was running
out of prayers and had given up hope. Then a miracle occurred.
// I caught a fish.) ) // So it won't surprise you that I'm
convinced we can -- and will -- uphold these values. And as we
do, we will help do God's work. Yet that work must not be for
America alone. //
What, after all, does religion cherish? The dignity of each
human being. // And what does such dignity require?
Inevitably, the triumph of the individual. // Well, the past
year has been a victory for the freedoms with which God has
blessed America. A true season of miracles. // We have seen
4
how moral values can move mountains or -- as in East Berlin --
even move a wall. //
It was Christ Himself, of course, who asked us to be a light
unto the world. // So let us carry that light to every corner
of the world -- freedom of expression. And to think, dream, and
worship as we please. The freedom of equal protection under the
law. And to choose our leaders and our destinies. Our
Administration has reaffirmed these freedoms -- the freedoms for
which patriots have given of themselves and of their lives.
Think of Central America, where men and women of God --
facing great personal risk -- work for human rights and against
tyranny of any ideology. // Think of South Africa and the
Philippines, where church leaders have been a force for
democratic change. // And, yes, of that miracle called Eastern
Europe. Where for centuries religion has sustained those
striving for freedom amid adversity. And where men and women of
faith braved persecution to renew the faith which makes us free.
More than five centuries ago, the Hungarian patriot
Janos Hunyadi (YAHN-osh HOON-yah-dee) stopped a would-be
invasion. In his honor, the Pope ordered each Catholic church to
ring a bell at the time of day the battle ended. Since then,
Catholic church bells around the world ring precisely at mid-day.
// And Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Reformed, and other
Protestant churches and Judaism -- they, too, have renewed our
faith. Few will forget heroes like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Raoul
5
Wallenberg, who stood against Nazi evil. All were ambassadors of
God. //
Recall, more recently, this last miraculous year. And one
of the Lord's great ambassadors of this or any time, the Reverend
Billy Graham. // Eight years ago, Reverend Graham went to
Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. And upon returning spoke of
a movement there toward more religious freedom. Perhaps he saw
it before many others because it takes a man of God to sense the
early movement of the hand of God. // Yet not even Reverend
Graham could predict how in 1989, the walls of bayonets and
barbed wire -- the walls of tyranny -- would come tumbling down.
Alongside Eastern Europe democratic revolution was a
religious awakening -- testimony to the indomitable spirit
sustained by faith.
Look, first, at the miracle of East Germany -- where in
1982 -- long before last November's mass demonstrations --
members of Leipzig's St. Nicholas Church began a weekly "prayer
for peace.' At the services, students were taught non-violence.
And started the candle-light vigils that would one day rouse a
continent. The police came and threatened them. But the
students would not be moved. They vowed to stay, and did.
Becoming a light unto the world.
As with the disciples, that light spread to Dresden and East
Berlin. And as it shone, a Wittenberg pastor said, "I would
rather see 1,000 drops of candle wax on the market place then one
drop of blood." // And there was no violence -- just as Christ
6
taught us. // Only the stirring sight last October of 70,000
workers -- brave, defiant -- in the streets and squares of
Leipzig. Weapons? They carried candles. Their march rivaled "a
blizzard of fireflies in the night." Ask anyone that evening.
God was moving in miraculous -- not merely mysterious -- ways.
Look, next, at Bulgaria. Where last month the State Press
Agency conceded: "People [were] wishing Merry Christmas to each
other maybe for the first time without fear they would be accused
of being 'religious. " // And Czechoslovakia. There, too, a
miracle. For years, police chased carolers from Prague's King's
Road. This Christmas, the cold night of Charles Bridge echoed
with young voices. Their carols warmed the heart of the city.
There was wonder in the air. // And in Romania: Still further
miracles. Christmas songs on the radio for the first time since
1946. And heroes who showed that you can't lock people behind
walls forever -- when they have religious faith locked in their
hearts. //
Let me close, then, with the story of two such heroes --
both Romanian. And how their example -- and God's miracle --
illumined Christ's special mission to mankind.
The first was a Lutheran minister, Laszlo [LAZ-low] Tokes
[TO-kesh], who dared to speak of freedom. So last November in
Timisoara [Timmy SHORE ah], masked thugs broke into the small
apartment of Tokes and his pregnant wife. They beat and stabbed
him. The government allowed them no food. // When parishioners
brought bread, police arrived to deport the pastor. But the
7
flock protected him -- forming a human chain around his
apartment. In time, the chain grew across the land. Until -- as
we celebrated Christmas -- Romania's morning star of freedom
summoned "lightness against the dark." //
Today, Laszlo Tokes preaches his faith without fear --
ministering to ever-larger numbers -- truly, an ambassador of the
Lord. // As is Gheorghe [George] Calciu [CAL-chew] -- a
Romanian Orthodox minister. His story proves you can't slay an
idea -- nor destroy the human will. //
Father Calciu has spent 21 of his 64 years in jail. In
fact, he found God there while imprisoned for opposing the
government. Released, he risked his freedom by preaching a
series of Lenten sermons. And for that he was imprisoned again
-- tortured beyond belief. // Yet Father Calciu had faith. He
refused to break -- and was sentenced to death. So he went to a
corner of the prison yard, and began to pray for his wife and for
his son. // It was then that the miracle occurred. //
His two executioners called him over. Surely, he thought,
this was the end. But instead they said, "Father" -- that was
the first time they called him that -- "we have decided not to
kill you. " // Three weeks later, he asked permission to
celebrate the Divine Liturgy. And while making preparations,
heard these same two men approach. He turned around, and was
astonished. // His would-be executioners were on their knees on
the cold concrete of the cell. //
8
Father Calciu is with us today. Father, it's an honor to
salute you. 11 I know you're glad to be here. But I know, too,
you hope to return to your native land. And in this season of
miracles, who can doubt you will? // For today, the times are
on the side of peace. Because the world, increasingly, is on the
side of God. //
If you doubt it, think of this past holy season of miracles.
And of miracles we pray are yet to come. // Miracles that will
occur in Eastern Europe, in America, and around the globe.
Wherever one finds the truth that comes on one's knees.
For my own part, I know that this is true. For although I've
been President for barely a year, I believe -- with all my heart
-- that one can not be America's President without a belief in
God and in prayer. I, too, believe in miracles.
Thank you for your work that spreads the Word -- and thank
you for your kindness. God bless America. And let me leave you
with a favorite hymn, "God Be With You Till We Meet Again."
#
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
89 DEC 26 P12: 40
January 26, 1990
MEMORANDUM FOR CHRISS WINSTON
FROM:
JIM PINKERTON
&
SUBJECT:
Religious Broadcasters Draft Speech
The manner in which this speech plays with some matters of
religious doctrine makes us nervous. Many of the references to
doctrinal concepts may or may not prove controversial. These
either need to be omitted, double-checked as innocuous, or given
a much more sophisticated examination than we are able to
provide: e.g.:
"We need a conversion in education." (pg. 3, para. 3, line 5)
This is offensive to any group that finds the whole concept of
conversion upsetting. We don't need to equate reform with
Christian evangelism.
"
while God can live without man, man cannot live without
God." (2,3,6) Do all sects believe this?
"The Catholic Church has been an apostle of God." (4,5,1)
Can an institution be an apostle? Even if it can we will be
unwittingly and unwisely granting recognition to this belief?
"And there was no blood -- just as Christ taught us.
(5,4,4) Did Christ teach this? The reference seems obscure -- or
is this a reference?
Other comments:
1,2,3
"And now I'm back again. Even though I know this isn't
what you had in mind when you talk about the Second Coming."
This will offend. We recommend omitting.
1,4,2
In an abundance of caution we suggest omitting the
reference to agnostics lest this too, be found offensive.
1,5,1
There is something distasteful about he President
should citing polls about religion.
(more)
2
2,5,6
"Union of conscience and government. " While the
draft upholds separation of church and state, it simultaneously
gives it a kind of wink with this phrase -- we suggest omitting.
2,2,1
"Sure, differences exist over sect and theology. some
for instance, claim the stairway to heaven is climbed through
good works. Some, that faith
"
This seems a little unsophisticated -- kidstuff about the
Reformation -- that the audience will find not offensive but
jejune. We suggest omitting.
3,1,1
"I want to protect the right of every parent to send
their kids to the care center of their choice. That includes --
especially -- church-sponsored centers."
We do not want to emphasize "care centers" and thereby seem
to exclude the other options, notably care at home and with
relatives. The President's position is allow the broadest
possible choice of how to care for children.
Therefore, we suggest "I want to ensure that parents, not
bureaucrats, are the ones who decide how to care for their
children. And I will not see the option of religious-based child
care restricted or eliminated."
3,3,5
We fear that "Faith of Our Fathers" will be found
sexist, and suggest using some a less controversial alternative.
4,3,1
The reference to Central America and "men and women of
God" may also suggest the Jennifer Casolos.
5,1,1
"
Jewish churches "
Synagogues.
5,2,3
"Four years ago, Reverend Graham went to Eastern Europe
and the Soviet Union."
This was the trip that earned Billy Graham substantial
criticism, including from evangelicals, for a perceived
indifference to religious persecution in the Soviet Union.
As a suggestion for a topical Eastern Europe reference, we
append an article noting that the closing refrain of the
traditional Polish hymn has changed from "Bring us back, O God,
our free fatherland," to "Our free fatherland protect, O God.
###
was somber. Everybody's thoughts
more hardship: inflation is predicted
ing more. and it is impolite to say no.
to continue at 40 per cent per month,
By now. topics of conversation are
were with Rumania where the securi-
tate gangs were still running amuck.
living standards to decline by a quar-
changing with dizzying speed, but all
ter; millions might lose their jobs.
have to do with the latest develop-
Memories of previous tragic Decem-
Yet, looking over the past decade, my
ments in Eastern Europe. Thoughts
bers lingered: of 1970, when workers
were shot in front of Lenin Shipyard
family and friends were proud of
again turn toward Rumania, and how
in Gdansk; of 1981, when General Ja-
what has been achieved. At midnight
Kast Germany's "quiet revolution"
Mass for the first time in half a cen-
barely escuped the same kind of
ruzelski crushed the Solidarity revo-
tury the faithful sang a different ver-
erackdown. The theory is that it
lution; of 1979, when Soviet tanks in-
sion of the ancient hymn: "Our free
should have come on October 9, as
vaded Afghanistan.
The coming year promises Poles
fatherland protect, O God."
some seventy thousand people demon-
strated in Leipzig. Rumors were ram-
pant think night that the army was on
alert, but, the protestors' rallying cry
Speaking Up at Last
WHR: "Int them shoot, we still march."
The upcoming elections are a sore
BENNETT OWEN
point. "Democracy sounds fine," says
Grandpa. "But wait for some inflation
and unemployment and the protestors
will birt, the streets of Leipzig with a
different slogan."
"Maybe it is better if we vote the
Communists back in," someone rea-
sons. "At, least they're experienced."
The reply is angry. "Yeah, and
what then, another thirty-year social
experiment?" That exchange brings up a joke
about " lady who walked into the
local Party headquarters and asked,
Jemuter Lawsen
"Who created socialism, the scientists
or the workers?"
The Party boss answered, "The
AST BERLIN-It first appears as
dom is sadly overshadowed by events
workers, of course."
E
in Rumania," he laments. Almost as
"Oh, that makes sense," said the
a pulsating blob of blue light,
somewhere far down the dark,
an afterthought he adds, "Jesus' birth
woman. "If it were scientists they
deserted road we are traveling on in
brought holiness to an unholy world."
would have tried it out on rats first."
the south side of town. As we get
The mood is somber, indeed.
"The Beast is feeding on its own
closer, the drone of sirens reaches us,
But the true spirit of the season
offspring," someone says, noting that
and we finally realize that what we
awaits us back at the apartment, and
the former minister of security, Erich
are seeing is a literal caravan of am-
the clinking of glasses in the first
Mielke, in now in a cell inside a jail
bulances. We count twenty of them as
toast of the evening signals the start
be personally had built to house po-
they speed past us. Our taxi driver
of an old-fashioned Christmas cele-
litical prisoners. He has been charged
soon gets the story from his two-way
bration. The tree is simply and beau-
with crimes against the state.
radio-victims of the power struggle
tifully bedecked with red ribbons and
And Grandpa provides yet another
in Rumania have been flown into
candles, and the scent of pine and
Dues of political humor-the six mira-
East Berlin and are being rushed to
burning wax mixes with the smell of
der of socialism:
hospitals here. "Blutbad," he whis-
roasting duck. Underneath the tree
There is no unemployment, but
pers. East Berlin on Christmas Eve.
lies the most important thing of all,
00 one works.
It is unseasonably warm, and a
So one works, but everyone gets
"the package." It's a big box of goodies
great grey ceiling of clouds drops a
sent every year by relatives in Ham-
paid
silent mist as the family and its
burg. On past Christmases, "the pack-
Everyone gets paid, but there's
American guest follow the quiet side
age" seemed like a treasure chest
nothing to buy with the money.
streets from the apartment to a
filled with unimaginable delights
No one can buy anything, but
nearby church. It is supposed to be a
from the West. This year, the parents
everyone owns everything.
children's service, but the pastor
have already been toy shopping in
Everyone owns everything, but no
speaks of urgent matters. He pleads
West Berlin, but, still, opening "the
one 12 satisfied.
for donations of blood and money to
package" remains the event of the
-Ko one is satisfied, but 99 per
help the victims of the Rumanian
evening.
cent in the people vote for the system.
massacre. "The joy of our new free-
Soon, it is coffee time, with
11, in Christmas Eve, after all, and
schnaps, sherry, beer, cognac, and,
our heats seem to savor what may be
Mr. Owen is an editor at RIAS-TV in West
yes, even coffee, consumed in stagger-
the most important gift of all: the
Berlin.
ing quantities. The hosts keep offer-
freedom to speak their minds.
NATIONAL
REVIEW
25
JANUARY
22
securitate man. Called Dominic Par-
soara became the flashpoint. But why
have dared to challenge him from that
aschiv, he was a hairy, powerful man
did all of Rumania follow Timisoara's
square, in front of that fortress. In
in his fifties, a chemical engineer who
lead? "Look," said my Rumanian
what was no doubt the intended ef-
was known as a quiet, nice fellow.
guide, a shabby, friendly, talkative
fect, standing before Ceausescu's pal-
Only he spent many weekends away
man of 42. "This was my plan for
ace one feels powerless as if before
from home, supposedly on business
escaping to Hungary"-he unfolded a
the temple of an evil god.
trips. He was captured red-handed on
tiny, easily digestible piece of paper
Christmas Eve after he had shot sev-
with a sketch of a border region. "My
salary is 3,200 lei per month, but we
R
UMANIANS paid dearly for their
eral people and only after he himself
courage. In Timisoara alone I
got hit in the leg and liver. When he
were taxed 250 lei per month for not
saw a graveyard with twenty
came to, the nurse on duty told me,
having childrens. My wife and I no
corpses, some tortured, their hands
he said he was sorry-sorry he didn't
like making childrens for Ceausescu.
and legs bound with wire. The local
kill more people. Now, pale and un-
This coat is 2,000 lei-you can only
citizens' committee published a list of
shaven, mumbling incoherently, he
buy them on the black market. A kilo
one hundred dead. This tallies with
was tied to the bed, looking like a
of coffee is 1,500 lei. I haven't seen a
estimates by doctors I interviewed at
trapped wolf. What training does it
banana for ten years." In a country
Timisoara's main hospital. When a
take to turn a man into such a beast?
where television, heating, and elec-
proper count is made, perhaps the
The shooting from the factory was
tricity were rationed to two hours a
casualty figure will have to be dou-
one of the last acts of resistance by
day, reasons for discontent are easy to
bled or even trebled. A few hundred
the securitate. A few hours later a TV
point out.
died in Bucharest. I would estimate,
announcer, his face beaming, said,
But you have to go to Bucharest to
therefore, that it took the lives of
"Good news this Christmas Day. The
appreciate the depths of Ceausescu's
about one thousand people to topple
Antichrist is dead." The staff of the
depravity. The Avenue of the Victory
Ceausescu. That is a lot of innocent
Bucharest TV station apologized for
of Socialism has been built on the
blood but a far cry from the Western
not being able to show the tape of
ruins of Bucharest's medieval quar-
estimates of 12,000 dead in Timisoara
Ceausescu's execution, but there were
ter. At the apex of the avenue rises
and seventy thousand in all of Ruma-
some pockets of resistance on the way
one of this century's prime monu-
nia. As usual in revolutions rumor
and the historic recording could not
ments to megalomania and cruelty.
had a field day.
be risked. It transpired that when
What was to become Ceausescu's
How will Ceausescu's 24-year rule
Ceausescu was tried and condemned
presidential palace is set off from the
be remembered a few decades hence?
to death an entire army unit volun-
public space by a stern fence which
Will some academic Marxist argue
teered for the firing squad; only three
takes over half an hour to walk
that, with all his faults, he neverthe-
men drew the lucky lots. The man
around. The palace itself expresses
less left Rumania non-aligned and
who had called himself "the fairest fir
perfectly the character of its sponsor.
debtless, with plenty of low-income
tree of the Carpathians," and who
It is as if someone had read 1984,
housing (to match the low incomes)
had declared only a few weeks previ-
liked it, and had a fantasy of repro-
and a brand-new subway in Bucha-
ously that sooner would apple trees
ducing the Ministry of Love. One
rest? It seems unlikely. But Ceaus-
bear pears than socialism be endan-
thing is certain. If, in another few
escu does have two paradoxical
gered in Rumania, was now dead.
months, Ceausescu had moved in, he
achievements: a Communist Party SO
I made my pilgrimage to the place
would never have been dislodged by
discredited that it will probably dis-
where it had all begun 11 days before,
people power. He would never have
appear altogether, and a people who
the house of a Protestant pastor
had to flee ignominiously by heli-
are proud of having regained their
whose parishioners were willing to
copter from the roof. No crowd would
freedom by their own efforts.
die rather than let him be arrested by
the securitate. "Laszlo Tokesz, we are
waiting for you," someone scrawled in
white paint on the brick wall. The
Christmas Eve in Poland
name of the priest, a Hungarian
name, gives part of the reason why
RADEK SIKORSKI
the trouble began here in Timisoara.
Besides Hungarians there are Ger-
W
ARSAW-When I was a child,
the disappearance of my grandfather.
man, Yugoslav, and Jewish minori-
Christmas Eve had an eter-
He would say he was going to fetch a
ties in this town. Very few Rumani-
nal, unchanging quality. My
paper, even though newsstands were
ans have been allowed out of the
mother cooked carp for the traditional
closed at that time of night. When I
country since World War II, but Ti-
meatless supper. One was supposed
grew older I joined everybody at mid-
misoarans have watched Yugoslav
to eat 12 other courses, but by the
night Mass, and it was solemnly ex-
and Hungarian television for years.
time of my childhood-the Sixties-
plained to me why in such times the
Keeping in touch with families
this was only a memory. I did, how-
last words of the traditional hymn
abroad, the remaining ones knew only
ever, always set an extra place at
were changed to "Bring us back, O
too well how much the official propa-
the table, for a guest who always
God, our free fatherland."
ganda lied. This plus the tradition of
came late: only at the age of ten or 11
This year, at five thousand zloties
civilized Habsburg rule in this part of
did I begin to wonder why the appear-
per kilo, many families could hardly
Rumania helps to explain why Timi-
ance of St. Nicholas was preceded by
afford the traditional fish. The mood
24 NATIONAL REVIEW / JANUARY 22. 1990
strotted
(Smith/Blessey)
7:00 P.M.
January 25, 1990
CAST
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS
SHERATON WASHINGTON HOTEL
MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 1990
2:00 P.M.
Dr. Robertson
President Rose, Director Cook -- and I want to salute your
leadership of the NRB. Ladies and gentlemen. ( (It is often said
of a group or individual that "He hasn't got a prayer." Today, I
am pleased to be with an audience about whom that will never be
said.)) //
This makes the SOURTH TIME I have had the
( (Two years ago, I had the honor of addressing this annual
and once again,
convention of the National Religious Broadcasters. And now, I'm
it is a delight to be back.
back again. Even though I know this isn't what you had in mind
when you talk about the Second Coming. )) -//
Still, I'm delighted to be with you And in the spirit of
want
the occasion, I intend to keep two vows. First, I'll be brief.
( (I know there's a mention in the Bible about the Burning Bush,
but I also know I'm not that hot a speaker.) )) //
The second promise is for those of you in the back of the
room. I'll try to speak up. // ((Jerry Rose warned me that the
agnostics in this room are very bad. )) //
Let me begin with some good news for modern man. According
minded
to the Gallup Poll, no society is more religious than the United
States of America. // Seven in ten Americans believe in life
after death. Eight in ten in a final Judgment Day and that God
thereis no denying America is a religious
nation
2
works miracles. Nine in ten Americans pray. And 94 per cent
believe in God. // To which I say: Thank God. //
Sure, differences exist over sect and theology. ( (Some, for
instance, claim the stairway to heaven is climbed through good
?
works. // Some, that faith ensures that when the roll is called
up yonder, I'll be there. // Others think the Pearly Gates
welcome only those who like horse shoes and country music. // Naturally,
These beliefs aren't mutually exclusive.) ) // Yet we know what
unites us eclipses what divides us. // For we believe that
political values without moral values cannot sustain a people. //
This afternoon, I'd like to talk to you about those moral
values. Values which reflect the eternal teachings of the Sermon
on the Mount. I speak of the qualities of freedom and
responsibility, generosity and faith. Values which remind us
that while God can live without man, man cannot live without God.
upheaval
Today, amid political and economic change, these values
haven't changed. Nor have they been more crucial than in 1990.
They can help build a more decent America -- and help America
decent
build a more ennobling world. But only if while endorsing the
separation of church and state, we also endorse the union of
conscience and government. //
At home, this means -- I believe -- that we must support
the
that most basic value Asanctity of life. // We need policies
that encourage adoption, not abortion. //
Conscience and government also dictate that we must help
parents obtain the best child-care for their kids. // So we
3
have sent legislation to Congress to make good this pledge: I
want to exsure that parents mut belveaucrats are the ones
want to protect the right of every parent to send their kids to
who decide how to care for their children. and I will not see
the care center of their choice. That includes -- especially --
the option of religious- based child care motucted or eliminated.
church-sponsored centers. //
Next comes an issue that concerns all children: the quality
and diversity of America's schools. 11 Our pioneering
legislation -- the "Educational Excellence Act of 1989" -- will
spur excellence, demand accountability, and allow our kids to
Road to
learn. Remember Saul on the Damascus Road. We need a conversion
in American education. //
Finally, moral values support a belief held by the
overwhelming majority of Americans: The right to voluntary
school prayer. I share that belief. So I endorse a
Constitutional Amendment restoring voluntary prayer. We need the
Faith of our Fathers back in our schools. //
Now, you know me. I'm an optimistic guy. (After all, last
year I had an experience that renewed my faith. I was running
out of prayers and had given up hope. Then a miracle occurred.
// I caught a fish.) ) // So it won't surprise you that I'm
convinced we can -- and will -- uphold these values. And as we
do, we will help do God's work. Yet that work must not be for
America alone. //
What, after all, does religion cherish? The dignity of each
human being. // And what does such dignity require?
the individual.
Inevitably, the triumph of democracy. // Well, the past year
has been a victory for the freedoms with which God has blessed
4
America. A true season of miracles. // We have seen how moral
Same pam ish
values can move mountains or -- as in East Berlin -- even
move
a
wall. //
askedus to
It was Christ Himself, of course, who said "Be a light unto
fund
the world. // So let us carry that light to every corner of the
world -- freedom of expression. And to think, dream, and worship
of
as we please. The freedom of equal protection under the law.
And to choose our leaders and our destinies. Our Administration
use buten he washin Heapaner
has reaffirmed these freedoms. What's more, we have -- and we
will -- support those individuals, and movements, who proclaim:
Let my people go. //
Think of Central America, where men and women of God --
facing great personal risk -- condemn terrorism whatever the
WORK for numan rights and against + yrany
of any ideology. Think, especially, of Panama and let me say to the
Vatican: Every American thanks you. // Think of South Africa
have been a force for
and the Phillipines, where church leaders are fighting against
democratic change
oppression and tyranny. // And, yes, of that miracle called
sustained the
Eastern Europe. Where for centuries religion has been a catalyst
these striug for freedom were amid adversity.
for democracy. And where men and women of faith braved
persecution to renew the faith which makes us free. //
More than five centuries ago, the Hungarian patriot Janos
Hunyadi (YAHN-osh HOON-yah-dee) stopped a would-be Turkish
invasion. In his honor, the Pope ordered each church to ring a
bell at the time of day the battle ended. And since then,
Catholic church bells around the world ring precisely at mid-day.
>
// The Catholic Church has been an apostle of God. // And so
rewrite
The Catholic Church like
ga
but
9 Rm
5
and
have the Protestant, Reformed, and Jewish
churches of Eastern
Europe. Few will forget heroes like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and
stood against NAZi wil.
Raoul Wallenberg, who led the anti Nazi resistance. They, too,
were apostles of God. //
Recall, more recently, this last miraculous year. And one
Lord's ambassadors
of the great soldiers of God of this or any time, the Reverend
Eight
Billy Graham. // Four years ago, Reverend Graham went to
Togods
Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. And upon returning foretold
a movement there toward more religious freedom. Perhaps he saw
?
it before many others because it takes a man of God to sense the
early movement of the hand of God. // Yet not even Reverend
Graham could predict how in 1989, the walls of bayonets and
barbed wire -- the walls of tyranny -- would come tumbling down.
resert
Look, first, at the miracle of East Germany -- where in 1982
-- long before last November's mass demonstrations -- members of
a
4
Leipzig's St. Nicholas Church began weekly prayers for peace. At
Gweeks the services
Bible Study, students were taught non-violence. And started the
candle-light vigils that would one day rouse a continent. The
police came and threatened them. But the students would not be
moved. They vowed to stay, and did. Becoming, yes, a light unto
the world.
As with the disciples, that light spread to Dresden and East
Berlin. And as it shone, a Wittenberg pastor said, "I would
rather see 1,000 drops of candle wax on the market place then one
drop of blood." // And there was no blood -- just as Christ
?
taught us. // Only the stirring sight last October of 70,000
alongside Eastern Europes democratic revolution was a
religious reawakining - testimony to the inclometable
spirit sustained by Faith
6
workers -- brave, defiant -- in the streets and squares of
Leipzig. Weapons? They carried candles. Their march rivaled "a
blizzard of fireflies in the night." Ask anyone that evening.
God was moving in miraculous -- not merely mysterious -- ways.
Look, next, at Bulgaria. Where last month the State press
agency conceded: "People [were] wishing Merry Christmas to each
other without fear they would be accused of being 'religious.'"
// And Czechoslovakia. There, too, a miracle. For years,
police chased carolers from Prague's King's Road. This
Christmas, the cold night of Charles Bridge echoed with young
voices. Their carols warmed the heart of the city. There was
wonder in the air. // And in Romania: Still further miracles.
Christmas songs on the radio for the first time since 1946. And
heroes who showed that you can't lock people behind walls forever
-- when they have religious faith locked in their hearts. //
Let me close, then, with the story of two such heroes --
Godlo
both Romanian. And how their example -- and miracle -- illumined
TER-KISH
?
Christ's special mission to mankind.
[LAZ-low To-KESH
The first was a Lutheran minister, Laszlo Tokes who dared
in Timisoaral [
to speak of freedom. So last November, masked thugs broke into
the small apartment in Timisoara of Tokes and his pregnant wife.
They beat and stabbed him. The government allowed them no food.
// When parishioners brought bread, police arrived to deport the
pastor. But the flock protected him -- forming a human chain
around his apartment. In time, the chain grew across the land.
7
Until -- as the world we celebrated Christmas -- Romania's morning
star of freedom summoned "lightness against the dark." //
Today, Laszlo Tokes preaches his faith without fear --
aubassador
ministering to ever-larger numbers -- truly, an apostle of the
Lord. // As is that second man I spoke about a man who's
[George]
CAL
with us here. His name is Gheorghe Calciu [CUL-chew] -- a
Romanian Orthodox minister. His story proves you can't slay an
idea -- nor destroy the human will. //
Father
Reverend Calciu has spent 21 of his 61 years in jail. In
fact, he found God there while imprisoned for opposing the
government. Released, he risked his freedom by preaching a
series of Lenten sermons. And for that he was imprisoned again
Father
-- tortured beyond belief. // Yet Reverend Calciu had faith.
He refused to break -- and was sentenced to death. So he went to
a corner of the prison yard, and began to pray for his wife and
for his son. // It was then that the miracle occurred. // /
he
His two executioners called him over. Surely, thought
FATHER
Reverend Calciu, this was the end. But instead they said,
"Father" -- that was the first time they called him that -- "we
Three weeks
have decided not to kill you. // A few days later, he asked
Divine Liturgy
permission to celebrate the Mass. And while making preparations,
heard these same two men approach. He turned around, and was
astonished. // His would-be executioners were on their knees on
the cold concrete of the cell. //
F know to you
In 1985, Father Calciu was exiled to America. But he hopes
to return to his your native land. And in this season of miracles,
Fusher CAlciuls with
and his WITH us today. father, it's an honor to Su lute
you. I know you're to be here. Be
8
you
who can doubt he will? // For today, the times are on the side
of peace. Because the world, increasingly, is on the side of
God. //
(holy
scason
never
If you doubt it, think of this past Christmas of miracles.
And of miracles /weprayne yet to come. // Miracles that will occur in
Eastern Europe, in America, and around the globe. Wherever one
finds the truth that comes on one's knees.
Thank you for this wonderful occasion. God bless America.
And let me leave you with a favorite hymn, "God Be With You Till
We Meet Again."
#
#
#
#
for my own part, I know this is true. for
although I 've been Presedent bouly a
year, I believe - with all my heart- - that
one cannot be americas Present without
a belief in God and in prayer. I too believe
m merocles, Thank you for your work that
Spreads the word x and theme ban for your kindness