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Click here for the floor statementWASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) made the following statement Saturday regarding the death of Pope John Paul II:"America joins the world today in mourning the passing of Pope John Paul II."Pope John Paul II was one of the greatest voices of conscience in the modern era. In a world that frequently rejects the idea of moral absolutes, John Paul politely but firmly offered truth, love and justice. Even those who are not Catholic, who hold different theological views, came to respect Pope John Paul II as a leader of strong will and moral conviction."He personally knew the kind of horrors men will perpetrate upon their brothers. Along with his fellow Poles, he suffered under Nazi and then Communist tyranny. And so it was no accident that, having seen the inevitable ends of the culture of death, he was an eloquent and stalwart champion of the culture of life."He was a man who took the message of peace and hope throughout the world, even to Cuba and other nations that opposed his very existence. He fought against the culture of death as an eloquent spokesman for the value and dignity of every human life. He was a suffering servant in the darkest places of the earth. And when the definitive history of the latter 20th Century is written, John Paul will take his place alongside Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher as one of those who did the most to end the threat of communism and tyranny and to spread peace. "The life’s work of Pope John Paul II stands as a witness for the ages. Now, that life on this earth is complete, and he has left us behind. Let us mourn his passing, yet never forget the example he set for us all."