Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 114 Part 1.djvu/658

 114 STAT. 622 PUBLIC LAW 106-250-^ULY 27, 2000 Public Law 106-250 106th Congress An Act T1 97 9nnn "^^ authorize a gold medal to be presented on behalf of the Congress to Pope Z—; John Paul II in recognition of his many and enduring contributions to peace [H.R. 3544] and religious understanding, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of Pope John Paul the United States of America in Congress assembled, II Congressional Gold Medal Act. SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 31 USC 5111 note. This Act may be cited as the "Pope John Paul II Congressional Gold Medal Act". SEC. 2. FINDINGS. The Congress finds that Pope John Paul II— (1) is the spiritual leader of more than one billion Catholic Christians around the world and millions of Catholic Christians in America and has led the Catholic Church into its third millennium; (2) is recognized in the United States and abroad as a preeminent moral authority; (3) has dedicated his Pontificate to the freedom and dignity of every individual human being and tirelessly traveled to the far reaches of the globe as an exemplar of faith; (4) has brought hope to millions of people all over the world oppressed by poverty, hunger, illness, and despair; (5) transcending temporal politics, has used his moral authority to hasten the fall of godless totalitarian regimes, symbolized in the collapse of the Berlin wall; (6) has promoted the inner peace of man as well as peace among mankind through his faith-inspired defense of justice; and (7) has thrown open the doors of the Catholic Church, reconciling differences within Christendom as well as reaching out to the world's other great religions. SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. (a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.— The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on behalf of the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to Pope John Paul II in recognition of his many and enduring contributions to peace and religious understanding. (b) DESIGN AND STRIKING. —For the purpose of the presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the "Secretary") shall strike a gold medal

�