Smith to attend pope's funeral
By KRYSTAL KNAPP,Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Rep. Chris Smith has been invited to join a congressional delegation traveling to the Vatican this week for the funeral of Pope John Paul II.
"It will be an honor to join so many people in Rome, millions, who will celebrate his life and mourn his passing," said the Hamilton Republican. "He has been the most extraordinary pope in modern times, perhaps since St. Peter himself."
Smith, who is Catholic, met the pope on several occasions.
"Like so many other people of faith, I drew such inspiration from him," Smith said. "Everything about him was transparent and honest. He radiated Christ wherever he went.
"When you were around him, you felt you were truly in the presence of holiness and sanctity."
Smith praised John Paul for his tolerance toward other religions and his human rights work, particularly in Europe, where he helped put an end to communism. He also commended the pope's promotion of what he called "a culture of life, from womb to death, regardless of disability."
"He inspired the Solidarity movement, and the dominoes started falling," Smith said. "He became a force of radical change. He spoke truth to power, whether about human rights or the freedom of religion, but he did it out of love, without malice."
Smith's family feels a special affection for the pope because the first daughter in the family, Melissa, was born Oct. 16, 1978, the day John Paul was elected pope.
"The Italian-American doctor who delivered Melissa was very agitated because a Polish pope had been named and not an Italian," Smith recalled. "We joked with him about it."
When the pope celebrated Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, he kissed Smith's youngest daughter, Elyse, on the forehead.
"He was the pope of the children," Smith said. "He had a special place in his heart for kids."
Smith, who was elected to the House of Representatives in 1980, directed the New Jersey Right to Life Committee from 1976 to 1978 and took that advocacy to the House as a leading abortion foe.
As part of his anti-abortion efforts, Smith also opposes embryonic stem-cell research and helped push through a regulation preventing the United States from giving global aid for family planning to groups that advocate abortion rights.
Smith said his faith, which supports the "disenfranchised, downtrodden or left out," has played an important role in shaping his policies, whether it be his views against abortion, in support of the need for immunization and shelter for homeless veterans. "In the disabled, the unborn, battered women, we should see the face of God," he said.
The congressional delegation for the Friday funeral will leave tonight and return Saturday. Congress will be in recess tomorrow and Friday.
Speaker Dennis Hastert and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will lead the 26-member House delegation. The Senate delegation of 14 will be led by Majority Leader Bill Frist.
President Bush and his wife, Laura, will lead a five-member group officially representing the United States at the funeral, said White House press secretary Scott McClellan.
Former Presidents Bush and Clinton will accompany President Bush to the funeral, the White House announced yesterday. The delegation also will include Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Bush left Washington for Rome yesterday and was to have meetings with Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi and Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi tomorrow. The president planned to leave Italy immediately after the funeral to spend the weekend at his ranch in Texas.
Bush said yesterday his attendance at the services would "pay our country's respect to a great world leader."
"He shows that one man can make an enormous difference," Bush said during a Social Security speech in Parkersburg, W. Va. "I look forward to honoring the memory of Pope John Paul II."
Bush will be the first sitting president to attend a pope's funeral. The pontiff died Saturday, ending more than a quarter-century as leader of the Catholic Church.
Bush met with the pope three times during his presidency. The pontiff was quick to tell Bush about his deep disagreement with the war in Iraq, the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. troops and Bush's support for the death penalty.
During their final meeting last June, Bush presented the pope with the Medal of Freedom and the pope responded by reading a statement that said he had "grave concern" about events in Iraq.
By the tens of thousands, Catholics from around the globe are streaming into Rome to pay tribute to Pope John Paul. Up to 4 million pilgrims are expected to descend on the city for the funeral.
Hundreds of dignitaries are expected to attend the funeral in a city that will virtually shut down for all other purposes.
Britain's Prince Charles postponed his wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles by a day so he could represent Queen Elizabeth II at the funeral. Others attending will include the heads of Muslim states and a delegation from communist Cuba.
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