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D. Burton: Address to Peace Summit 2023, Session II-A
Written by Hon. Dan Burton, Member, U.S. House of Representatives (1983-2013), USA
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Address to Peace Summit 2023
May 2-5, 2023
Let me just say that Callista Gingrich did a great job. Not only is she a beautiful lady, but she’s an eloquent speaker. And she puts up with Newt Gingrich all the time. I want you to know, he was my leader when I was in Congress, and putting up with Newt sometimes is not easy. He’s a dynamic leader, but he’s tough. I worked with him on the Government Reform and Oversight Committee for about six years, and he really did what needed to be done.
Excellencies, distinguished leaders, guests and dignitaries from around the world. I have the great honor and pleasure to address the Peace Summit 2023 on our session on North America. Many presidents of nations are here. We become friends together in an effort in which we honor God, our Creator, and ask him to hasten the day when the Korean peninsula will be reunified.
It’s also a time when we will celebrate the establishment of Cheong Won Gung, which is a sanctuary and peace center for all faiths and nations to join together for family and peace. This is the work for peace that Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon and her late husband, Reverend Sun Myung Moon, worked so hard and gave their whole lives for. This week, we’re combining the celebration of the establishment of the peace sanctuary and the celebration of Mother Moon’s 80th birthday. Now, I don’t think she’s here, but she doesn’t look 80 to me. She looks younger than that. And you can tell her I said that.
I want to express my heartfelt love and encouragement to Mother Moon because of her leadership and sacrifice to bring the whole world together in peace. I don’t think anybody that knows her and knew her husband, Reverend Sun Myung Moon, can understand how hard this was. I don’t know how many of you have ever been up to the little house on the hill where they first started their ministry. I wish all of you could visit it sometime. From this little bitty house on a hill where they started, it’s turned into this great movement around the world. It’s really a credit to Reverend Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon for what they did. They put up with an awful lot in about a five-room house to build this great organization. I hope all of you will get a chance to walk up there sometime. I went up there and I was out of breath. It’s way up on the top of a hill.
So, Mother Moon, from the bottom of our hearts, we wish you the most wonderful happy birthday to you and your husband. You had the same birthday, so happy birthday to you today. I thank Mother Moon for her tireless work and the profound love she gives to all mankind. I have the deepest respect for her late husband, Reverend Sun Myung Moon, whom I met many, many years ago. He always stood strong for God, freedom, family, and he was tough on communism, and that’s something we really need today. The communist movement in many countries around the world, including the United States, is very active. So we all must remember, if we want freedom and family and love, we’re going to have to be tough like Reverend Sun Myung Moon was. He stood strong for all nations to come together in peace.
Now, Mother Moon, who was with him every step of the way, has rapidly expanded the Universal Peace Federation and the work of The Washington Times. This has resulted in the greatest effort for peace and family values that I’ve ever seen. I don’t think Mother Moon is here right now, but I hope she gets this message. Mother Moon, I want to thank you for the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace, IAPP. I am honored to serve along with Speaker Jose de Venecia from the Philippines as the international co-chairman. Because of your leadership, Mother Moon, IAPP is growing rapidly in North, South and Central America, Africa, Europe and the Middle East, Asia, Japan and Korea.
I would like to add, as Callista just talked about a few minutes ago, how important it is that we have religious freedom in Japan. Right now there’s a threat from some members of the governing body over there to put the hammer on some religious organizations. And if I were talking to the Japanese government right now, the Diet, I would say, “Don’t do that. Freedom is what you fought for all your lives, and we should have religious freedom with everyone, for everyone in Japan.”
Because of her leadership IAPP is growing rapidly around the world. I’ve been inspired through the Rallies of Hope and the Summits, which combined are now in over 150 nations. We have parliamentarians from all of those nations as members. We have about 7,000 or 8,000 of them now, and we’re growing very rapidly thanks to Mother Moon and her leadership. Regarding the reunification of Korea, I believe with Mother Moon’s leadership and the leadership of leaders around this room today, that that will happen. One day we’ll see North and South Korea together in one unified nation.
IAPP is excited to work with the many heads of state, first ladies, congressmen, faith leaders, business and media leaders to form a very powerful interdisciplinary organization. As I said before, there’s over 7,000 parliamentarians around the world who are members, and we expect that to grow rapidly. And they’re standing for religious freedom as well as family and love and everything else.
We’re determined to help Japan stand for religious freedom and not allow communist influences to interfere with their government. That’s something I just don’t understand. I have friends in Japan. I can’t understand how they could let that government start putting pressure on religious freedom.
Finally, I want to share about the impact Mother Moon is making on America and around the world. These conferences—and I’ve talked about this many times—these conferences bring great leaders from all over the world together. For example, President Trump, Vice President Cheney, Vice President Pence, Vice President Quayle have all addressed this organization. Vice presidents, three of them from around our country, are talking to you about how important what we’re doing here is. And of course, Callista Gingrich and her husband, my former leader, Newt Gingrich. They’re great people who are here trying to tell the story as well. And of course, one person I never want to forget is my good friend Charlie Rangel. He’s a Democratic congressman from New York. He spent time here fighting for freedom in Korea at the Chosin reservoir. I want you to know, if you haven’t met Charlie, you are really missing something. He’s a great man.
Mother Moon, you inspire Democrats and Republicans. You inspire all faiths and people to come together as one. They all played significant and important roles in America’s history, all these people, and they’re really grateful that you’ve allowed them to come here and meet with you on a fairly regular basis. Today we have a former Secretary of State as well as a Speaker of the House with us and his lovely wife, Callista. I want you to know that is really something because it’s hard to get leaders from America to go anyplace together. You’ve got them here today and you’ve had them here in the past.
Mother Moon and her husband left communism in North Korea and came down here with virtually nothing and started the church. What a great thing they’ve accomplished. I don’t think people realize how difficult that is. It’s hard to get five people together to agree on anything. But to get millions of people around the world talking about this church and Mother Moon and Reverend Sun Myung Moon is extremely hard to believe. She’s worked her whole life for freedom, not only for Korea, but for the whole world.
Vice President Pence said his father is a Korean War veteran and he’s proud of what Mother Moon is doing and the cause of peace. He saw this firsthand when his father was fighting here in Korea. Recently Vice President Pence’s chief of staff said that he really reveres Mother Moon. The Chief of Staff said that on Vice President Pence’s desk he has three things: a Bible, the Constitution, and the biography of Mother Moon. He cherishes all of those because he realizes what a great leader she is and what she’s done for humanity.
So finally, Mother Moon, I want you to know that you are deeply moving the hearts of men and women around the world, patriotic and godly people from America and every continent in this world. We’re so inspired and grateful for your love and courage. Once again, happy birthday. Congratulations on the dedication of Cheon Won Gung to God. Thank you very much.
To go to the Peace Summit 2023 Schedule page, click here.