VATICAN - The Pope grants private audience to the President of the United States of America: “May God grant strength and success to all those who do not cease to hope and work for understanding between peoples, in respect for the security and rights of every man and woman”

Vatican City (Fides Service) - At midday on June 4, Pope John Paul II received in a private audience President George W. Bush of the United States of America, with Mrs Bush and the president’s entourage. After welcoming President Bush, and sending affectionate greetings to the people of America he represents, the Holy Father recalled the reason for the President’s visit to Rome: “to commemorate the 60° anniversary of the liberation of Rome and to honour the memory of the many American soldiers who gave their lives for the freedom of the peoples of Europe”. John Paul II continued: “I join you in recalling the sacrifice of those valiant dead and in asking the Lord that the mistakes of the past which gave rise to appalling tragedies, may never again be repeated. I too think back with great emotion on the many Polish soldiers who died for the freedom of Europe”. The audience took place 25 years after the United States and the Holy See established diplomatic relations under the presidency of Ronald Reagan, to whom the Pope sent warm regards.
The Pope mentioned that the President was visiting “at a moment of great concern for the continuing situation of grave unrest in the Middle East, both in Iraq and in the Holy Land”. The unequivocal position of the Holy See in this regard expressed in numerous documents through direct and indirect contacts and in the many diplomatic efforts is well known to President Bush, since his first visit to the Pope in 2001 at Castelgandolfo and again at the Vatican in 2002, the Pope recalled. “It is the evident desire of everyone that this situation be normalised as quickly as possible with the active participation of the international community and, in particular, the United Nations Organisation, in order to ensure a speedy return of Iraq’s sovereignty in conditions of security for all its people. The recent appointment of a Head of State in Iraq and the formation of an interim Iraqi government are an encouraging step towards the attainment of this goal.” The Pope said he hoped a similar hope for peace might also be rekindled in the Holy Land and lead to new negotiations, “dictated by a sincere and determined commitment to dialogue, between the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority”.
The Pope did not fail to mention the threat of international terrorism which “remains a source of constant concern” recalling the tragic events of 11 September 2001 and other deplorable events in the past few weeks. “May God grant strength and success to all those who do not cease to hope and work for understanding between peoples, in respect for the security and rights of every man and woman” he said.
Lastly the Pope acknowledged the great commitment of the American government and numerous humanitarian agencies, particularly those of Catholic inspiration, to overcoming the increasingly intolerable conditions in various African countries, where “sufferings caused by fratricidal conflicts, pandemic illnesses and a degrading poverty can no longer be overlooked”.
Thanking Mr Bush for presenting him with the "Presidential Medal of Freedom" the Pope said: “May the desire for freedom, peace and a more human world symbolised by this medal, inspire men and women of good will in every time and place God bless America!» (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 4/6/2004 - Righe 38; Parole 556)