Remarks Following
Discussions With Pope John Paul II in
For
the second time this year, I have met in private audience with His Holiness
Pope John Paul II. We discussed the practical aspects of ideals we share:
peace, justice, and the expansion of freedom. We agreed that, as the Pope first
remarked when I visited him at the
His
Holiness and I had the opportunity to share our views on the progress that has
been made toward the establishment of a genuine peace in
The
Pope and I also discussed the prospects for improved relations between the
On
arms control, we discussed the nearness of an agreement that would eliminate
all American and Soviet INF missiles for the first time in history, achieving
not just a limitation but an actual reduction in nuclear weapons. Of course,
all of this depends upon Soviet willingness to get down to the hard work of
completing an agreement. We stand ready as well for another historic agreement
-- one that would reduce strategic arms on both sides by half.
With
regard to the economic needs of the world's poor nations, I thank the Pope for
speaking so eloquently about what he terms the moral causes of prosperity,
among them hard work, honesty, thrift, initiative, and daring. Generous aid
from the wealthier nations to the poorer is certainly of great importance, but
in the long term it's even more important to share the conditions -- the moral
causes of prosperity, including respect for the economic rights of the
individual that represents such a powerful force for economic growth and human
betterment.
And
once again, Your Holiness, welcome back to the
Note: The President
spoke at