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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release October 1, 1996

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

Today I am delighted to sign a resolution conferring Honorary United States Citizenship on Mother Teresa.

In 1950, Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity. Since then, she has brought hope and love into the lives of millions of orphaned and abandoned children the world over. She has nursed the sick, cared for the poor, and shown us, through concrete actions, how we can make real our dreams for a just and good society.

To be an American citizen, is to share certain fundamental values: That we have a duty to help others live up to their God-given promise, that we have a responsibility to build up and reinforce the bonds of community, that we have an obligation to extend our hands to those who cannot always help themselves.

By this measure, Mother Teresa is already an American citizen. I am proud to make it official.

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