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April 16, 2008

Pope visit: Rep. Kennedy stirred by call for service

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-Rhode Island, said he was inspired by Pope Benedict XVI's call to serve the less fortunate and to be politically engaged.

"It was really interesting to hear him speak so powerfully for politics," Kennedy said. "He spoke so eloquently for the need for people to be politically involved as the means to be a good, moral being."

Kennedy said that listening to the pope reminded him of the call to service that his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, sounded in his 1961 inaugural speech. "He said, 'Here on earth, God's work must truly be our own,' " said Kennedy.

Kennedy said it was a good reminder "that we have an obligation to fight for social justice" and to help the less fortunate.

Rep. James Langevin, D-Rhode Island, who attended the White House welcome for Benedict with his mother, June, said, "We were both very moved."

Langevin said it is always "an awesome experience" to visit the White House but that to attend this ceremony has "special significance for me as a Catholic and as someone who is very proud" that the pontiff is visiting the Untied States.

Langevin said he took special note of the pope's references to the principle upon which this nation was founded, particularly the "inalienable rights" of individuals. And Langevin said he also appreciated Benedict's emphasis on the idea that freedom "is not only a gift but also a summons to personal responsibility."

-- projo.com staff writer Michael P. McKinney, with reports from John Mulligan of the Journal Washington Bureau

Posted by Mike McKinney  at 3:10 PM | Permalink

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