Source: Beliefnet
Wire Service: RNS
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/184/story_18477_1.html
On February 2, 2006 Religion News Service reported, "President Bush and rock star Bono, speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday (Feb. 2), preached messages promoting faith-based activism on behalf of the world's poor. Bono, a musician with the Irish band U2, has drawn attention in recent years to those afflicted by AIDS and poverty in Africa. He said focus on the world's poor is biblically based... Bush reiterated his often-stated belief that this is a nation of prayer and said the response to Hurricane Katrina illustrates how Americans act out their faith by helping the needy, at home and abroad... The 54th National Prayer Breakfast brought together U.S. politicians and heads of state from other countries. The bipartisan event, which receives no government funding, is an annual rite in the nation's capital when, for a few hours, political rhetoric takes a back seat to prayer and the reading of scripture. The prayer breakfast is organized by the Fellowship Foundation, a low-profile group that promotes Christian evangelism. But this year's breakfast had more of an interfaith flavor than years past. It was co-chaired by a Jewish member of the [US] Senate, Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn. [marking] a departure from past breakfasts that have had Christian co-chairs. In addition, King Abdullah II of Jordan, a Muslim head of state, said a prayer. More than 3,000 people [attended]."