(The AFL-CIO issued the following news release on April 4.)
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, representing a million working people of Pennsylvania, joins in honoring the memory and legacy of Pope John Paul II, one of the greatest humanitarians of our time who was a man of peace and a voice for dignity and justice for working people throughout the world.
Pope John Paul’s moral and spiritual leadership gave millions of workers the inspiration and courage to continue their struggles against great odds to bring freedom and justice to their nations. Pope John Paul II was a man of courage who spoke out passionately and effectively for human rights and the rights of working people.
Pope John Paul II was the key ally in the struggles of the working people to free themselves from tyranny and dictatorship and to establish democracy and collective bargaining in Poland and other nations of Eastern Europe. He was a key ally of Solidarity, Poland’s trade union movement and its leader Lech Walesa.
Pope John Paul II’s commitment to justice and dignity serves as an inspiration to all of us as we journey through life and continue to work to bring justice, dignity and peace to the world.