6 Easter messages from US presidents

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Wednesday, April 05, 2023

George W. Bush – 2003

Former U.S. President George W. Bush speaks at the dedication of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, U.S., September 24, 2016. | Reuters/Joshua Roberts

President George W. Bush issued an Easter message that called the observance “the most important event of the Christian faith.”

“For Christians, the life and death of Jesus are the ultimate expressions of love, and the supreme demonstrations of God's mercy, faithfulness and redemption,” stated Bush.

“Since Christ's miraculous Resurrection on Easter, more than 2,000 years ago, Christians have expressed joy and gratitude for this wondrous sacrifice and for God's promise of freedom for the oppressed, healing for the brokenhearted, and salvation.”

Issued about a month after the United States led a coalition of nations to invade Iraq and topple the Saddam Hussein regime, Bush noted that while “this year's observance comes at a time when our world faces many challenges, the message of Easter remains unchanged.”