at a young age, i started a search for answers. i read everything i could get my hands on. freud, hagel, aristotle and aquinas, and everything you can imagine in between. in fact, you may have heard i enjoyed the work of a certain female author whose books are monuments to the idea that men and women should be true to their passions even in the face of social pressure to conform. it is true. i was. and i remain a huge fan of the "twilight" saga. [laughter] that actually is a joke. after i was elected to congress, i was young. i had to wrestle with many issues, as a representative and as a catholic. as i wrestled with my views, i kept noticing two things in my beliefs.

solidarity and subsidiary. that sounds intimidating. it is really simple. solidarity is this belief that we are all in this together. we must be good to one another. we must be generous with our love and we must withhold it from no one. and when we write the laws of our nation we ust never lose sight of the common good. subsidiary, it is like federalism. the belief that every part of our country adds to the whole. but every part must be free to do its work on its own terms. yes, government must to do some things. but it can't do everything. it should not assume other people's roles and it should not tell them how to do their work. the people closest to the problem are the most likely to solve it. they know the community the best.

we see this principle in the first amendment. religious communities do great things in our country. they care for the poor, the hungry and the sick. they do this in their own way, guided by their conscience and their beliefs. that is why i strongly supports, and we must support, measures to protect religious liberty. [applause] catholic institutions, like colleges and hospitals should be free to do their work according to their moral standards. it is essential to our society and to subsidiary. over the years we have been blessed to hear from three popes that make the case for these principles. it is an amazing time to be a catholic.

take john paul ii, he rallied the polish people against the soviet union. he said communism was wrong. there was some and be on this. there was a god and we were his children. by speaking the truth, he electrified the polish nation, 36 million strong. not with a promise of wealth but a simple call, do not be afraid. he showed solidarity with the polish people and he freed them from fear. pope benedict the 16th warned us about another danger. i remember this, he called the dictatorship of relativism. the belief that there is no right or wrong. and the truth is self-confident and self-sustaining. it snuffs it out. it burns books and censors the press. as saint thomas aquinas wrote,

all men are forced to give to reason. just as his predecessor freed poland from fear, benedict taught us how to protect the world from falsehood. these popes showed solidarity with the oppressed and now, today, pope francis is showing solidarity with the poor, as the church has done for 2000 years. he is breathing new life into the fight into poverty. he has a chance to lift this dialog to a higher level. and i hope he will ring the divisions between the so-called catholic left in the so-called catholic right so that all may be one in christ. it is a spiritually impoverished that need the most help. pope francis calls the tierney of relativism the spiritual

poverty of our time and it affects rich countries worst of all, including our own. to truly help the poor we have to help the whole person, not just the material merits but the spiritual ones, too. the fact is, the government can't give this help. the law is blind. it treats everyone the same. even though we are all equal, we are not all the same. we have different needs. only people can meet these needs. the people in government are hard-working but they can only do so much. they can't give us the personal attention we need. so we need to look for people outside of government and we will find them in our communities. the students here at benedictine, in our churches,

our schools, our neighborhoods, our friends and families. academics call this mediating institutions. in the end, it is just people. people working together to help other people. and government must not push them out. it must not crowd out society. it must support them. it must show these groups that we are going to allow them to address our needs. they must expand this a space, the middle ground between the person and their government. on of the best examples of a partnership like this is the free enterprise system. free enterprise is an example of that second principle, allowing each person to contribute. it allows them to discover their talents and pursue their dreams is when they do, they add to the common good. they create jobs. they save lives.

they feed people. they add to the store of knowledge. and free enterprise gives us the resources to care for ourselves and others. it helps to ease human suffering. we know the power of free people working together. we see it when it is absent. i want to borrow an example from a father. go onto google earth and look at the satellite photo of the world at night. you will see light across the globe except in one part, the northern half of the korean peninsula. in north korea there is only one point of light, pyongyang. there is no free enterprise in that country. people are not allowed to build or create and they suffer immensely because of it. they are trapped in darkness.

why is there such resistance to free enterprise? it is the old problem of greed. critics say nothing good comes from commerce. it is all pinstripes. free enterprise makes more stuff but it relies on greed and people pursuing self-interest. isn't the love of money the root of all evil? look, many people want a chance to get ahead. to get ahead in a free economy they must serve the needs of society. at some level we ask ourselves, how can i make ends meet? be successful ask a better question, what is something people need? voluntary exchange is an act of good faith. it gives the buyer in exchange for something of equal value. it creates a culture of personal responsibility and goodwill. to attract customers you you have to be trustworthy.

to attract workers you have to treat them with dignity. free enterprise helps the workers because work gives people a sense of pride. a sense of purpose. it makes them part of their communities. when we share our gifts with other people, we show solidarity with one another. if farmers do not harvest, people would go hungry. if doctors and nurses did not practice, the sick would go and treated. we do not think of ourselves as greedy even though we are taking part in the economy. he shouldn't because we are working to help our families. we are putting food on the table and pay for our education, save for retirement. we must guard against greed but you know what, greed is always going to be with us. our job is to limit its power. free enterprise does not reward

greed, it re-wards value. because competition checks read. there is no greater opportunity in greed than government cronyism. greed knows how to exploit the pages of regulation. it knows how to navigate the halls of power. we should not give it more opportunities to grow. money is not everything. wealth is a means to an end. and the and is not a full bank account. the end is a good life. one lived in accordance with god. to live a truly good life, we must look beyond ourselves. we must minister to the poor and the sick. we can't outsource that job. concern for the poor does not demand faith in the government. if we continue to believe that the war on poverty is a government responsibility, we will continue to weaken our

communities. we will drift further apart as a people. as catholics, we know that happiness cannot be bought or sold. it can't be legislated. earning your just rewards from achievement and hard work promotes human happiness. it brings fulfillment to yourself and others. we find happiness only in the thrill of accomplishment. in the comfort of community and in communion with god. this is how solidarity works together. they create a society that serves the poor. they build healthy relationships and on this philosophy, from this beachhead, we can fight back the growth of relativism. that is what good catholics must to do in this time. this is our charge. well, that is my take, this individual, that is my take on this aspect of catholic social teaching. as you can see, if it is not a step-by-step guide. it is a philosophy in certain principles. in a culture that stresses the

"i," the church stretches the "we." discipline gets you freedom. in a world where relativism threatens the week, the church works to protect the poor and the powerless. these are the truths that anchor catholic social teaching. they offer you guidance as you discover god's plan for you. your task is to consider that guidance as you continue your search for wisdom. this is the advice i plan and giving my own kids. naturally, i hope they take my own point of view. that is how most parents feel. that you can't be secure in your beliefs until you know how they stack up against others. so my advice is keep searching

and questioning and make it stronger. and when you need a port of call, when you come full circle, when you really know it, i hope you take comfort in the church just as i have. and when you do, you will know for certain you are there to stay. the reason i say it this way, our catholic faith has endured thousands of years for a reason. the world offers many challenges. you are entering into that. our legacy will endure if you can handle those challenges. if you're ready for it. here at benedictine, you're off to a great start. i wish you continued success in your path. and whether you walk on the left side of the street or on the right side, or whether you walk the straight and narrow or if you take the scenic route, i hope you will always walk with god.

thank you very much. [applause] >> the university of baltimore law school awarded nancy pelosi an honorary law degree on may 20 before to deliver the commencement progress. she is a baltimore native rated her father and brother both served as the city's mayor.

minutes. st over 20 [applause] >> good afternoon. what an honor, baltimore, my baltimore to be back here and see this magnificent class of graduates, to become a member of your class with this degree. thank you mr. president, thank you dean. i thank the entire leadership of the university of baltimore faculty and staff and thank you class of 2013 for adding me to your rank. for the graduates i offer you congratulations by what you have achieved by graduating and your opportunity to serve the public with a degree from this respected university.

that was wonderful. jessica, congratulations. how wonderful. we can applaud. [applause] what i would like to do now is have all of the students recognize, the parents, grandparents, the sacrifices that helped make today possible for so many of the graduates. let us all stand up, turn around and acknowledge all of those who made this possibly. thank you, families. [applause] what a proud day.

it's a personal pleasure for me to be here. as a young girl, i came here on every wednesday night with my mother to hear the baltimore symphony. then on saturdays, i would come with my classmates, we had music appreciation. how proud we are that same musical institution is now led by a woman. the first woman to head a major american orchestra. it is made by the generosity by making the arts center such a magnificent venue. when it was mentioned i am from baltimore and rented san francisco and when she spoke about the super bowl. i thought i should share with you what it was like to be there with the whole family dressed in purple and my family was in red

for the game. everyone was thrilled for the ravens. i thank him for giving us the ravens. everyone was thrilled and happy for baltimore when the ravens won. only one thing would have made me happier but you couldn't have both all season. i was rooting if are the ravens all season to go to the super bowl, and i was rooting if san francisco to go to the super bowl, little i did i know they would both end up there. this has so many fond memories. outside looks different but the inside looks very much the same honoring the tradition as a symbol of baltimore and our commitment to the arts. because this is filled with so many fond memories for me and my family, it's a true honor to be here with you as a member of your class. it is a personal one to be with

the class of 2013. this honor rare degree means a great teague to me -- honorary degree means a great deal to me. on behalf of the people who made that possibly in the congress of the united states. it is a thrill to be here because my niece she graduated last year in the class of 2012. her father graduated from the university of baltimore, much earlier. my nephew graduated, his wife graduated from here. my brother received an honorary degree and gave the address a number of years ago in 1997. the one thing that was really thrilling to me because when i was a little girl my mother used to say she wanted to be a lawyer. she started law school and she had seven children.

four were sick at one time and she could never go back. she went to the university of baltimore. when my daughter became an attorney many years later in california my mother wrote to her you're living the dream. you're living the dream that so many women of us had at that time but it -- she went here in the 1930's. now you young women and young men are in a completely different world be you have the beauty of the mix of everyone of the decision making. that's a great thing. it is, you know, an emotional thing for me. a member of my political family is a proud graduate of university of baltimore as well. in any case, i too want to join in acknowledging peter with the

wonderful support he has given to the university. this is what this is about, honoring the opportunity that parents have given to us. as annie said what your calling is and what the president had said now much is expected to you to inspire others. others in the future. pick up the banner of honoring our constitution. it's the oath we all take. protect and defend the constitution, that beautiful document. thank god they made it amendmentable, that is really important. standing before you today, i want to reference that this weekend on may 17, actually on friday, we observed the anniversary of the brown versus the bored of education decision. may 17, 1954.

i remember that day very well. i was in eighth grade. most of your parents weren't born yet. i remember it -- eighth grade. it was so transformative. my dad went on tv. he went on tv that night and he said this is the law of the land. it will be enforced and honored in baltimore, maryland. that was really an important -- it was such a landmark and it meant so much to baltimore. it because baltimore lawyer, thurgood marshal who practiced law and graduated from this institution. think about what your possibilities are. thurgood marshal graduated right here. other lawyers participanted as well and he went on to be a justice of the supreme court as you know.

it was the city of baltimore headed by eli frank who had the courage and this is the word that makes all the difference in the world. they had the courage to make the city's school district the first south of the mason-dixon line to peacefully integrate its schools. it was baltimore where we saw one of the most successful schools integration in the country. that includes the courageous young woman at southern high school. her son now is the president, the national president of the naacp. i'm so proud of our maryland's connection to freements in america. in -- freedom in america. i was taught with a noble

calling and citizenship has its responsibilities. i think my mother wanted to be a lawyer because she thoughts it wauns enhanced way to -- was an enhanced role to exercise citizenship. when our common values of fairness and equality must not only be restated but strengthened. we need your courage to face, confront, and outcome some of the challenges of our time, the challenges to our democracy. today, these challenges are being reflected over the meaning of our constitution. now i'm not going to go into every challenge we face. some that are currently on the front burner, a few before the court. in march, many of us gathered with civil rights leaders and fellow members of congress on

the steps of the supreme court to call on the justices to uphold the voting rights act. to protect and preserve the rights of every citizen to vote and ensure that every vote was counted as cast. joining us in that fight were the leaders of the campaign for women's rights, for lbgt rights, all of us gathered together in coalition for voting rights. one week later, the same coalition was gathered on the steps of the supreme court to advocate and some of us to go in and hear the oral arguments to overturn the defense of marriage act. again, it was the coalition together we stood to end discrimination and expand freedom. a recognition for the fight or marriage equality, a fight for women's rights, voting rights are each chapters of the same struggle for civil rights, liberty, and justice for all.