May 27, 2002

Bush meets Hispanic religious leaders
___By Adelle Banks
___Religion News Service
___WASHINGTON (RNS)--President Bush joined about 700 Hispanic religious leaders from across the country for their first national prayer breakfast May 16, telling them he hopes pending faith-based legislation will enhance the kinds of charitable work they've long supported.
___The bilingual event aimed to foster relations among Hispanics of different denominations and geographical backgrounds and help them unite to let political leaders know of their desire to have input on policy decisions.
___The president congratulated the mostly Protestant crowd for its focus on faith, family and charity.
___"For some people, Jesus' admonition to care for the least of these is an admirable moral teaching," the president told attendees at the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast. "For many Hispanic Americans, it's a way of life."
___The breakfast, a combination of politics and prayer, highlighted organizers' support of the proposed Charity Aid, Recovery and Empowerment Act, which could advance aspects of Bush's faith-based initiative.
___"These 700 ministers are your Latino army of compassion," the president was told by Luis Cortes Jr., president of Nueva Esperanza, a Philadelphia-based faith-based community development corporation. "I would be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to say your soldiers are ready for war, but we need resources."
___Bush, who was presented with a bilingual Bible when he came to the podium, laced his speech with comments in Spanish as well as references to prayer and Scripture. Citing Americans' reliance on prayer after Sept. 11, he quoted the book of Psalms saying, "While weeping may endure for a night, joy comes in the morning."
___The president was applauded when he spoke of his initiative that intends to increase access of faith-based organizations to governmental funds.
___"When it comes to the use of federal money, the days of discriminating against religious institutions simply because they are religious must come to an end," he said.
___Interspersed between prayers for political leaders, the Hispanic community and world peace, other speakers from Capitol Hill addressed the breakfast, including Rep. J.C. Watts, R-Okla., Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., and Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., who have been instrumental in legislative efforts related to faith-based organizations.
___The political leaders each took time to refer to the religious aspects of their personal lives. Watts, an ordained Baptist minister, mentioned that he preaches about 14 times a year and is "a big believer in prayer." Lieberman greeted the crowd by speaking a traditional blessing in Hebrew, Spanish and English: "Blessed be those who come in the name of the Lord." When Cortes introduced Santorum, he mentioned that the senator gave up his usually scheduled "personal Bible study" time to attend.

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