U2 France

By LIZ SMITH

U2’S Bono is a brilliant talker and an inspiration. At a fabulous symposium put together by Time/Warner last week, he was asked what motivates him to do all that he does. He answered simply: "It’s not charity; it’s justice." Among Bono’s pearls of wisdom was this one — that America is an idea. "Ireland, where I come from, is a country, not an idea. But America is an idea." Bono made excellent arguments for his dealings in trying to convince the president of the United States and the leaders of other nations, some of them dictators, to help in his various crusades. He refuses to be an ideologue and he works with those with whom he disagrees, trying always "to find the one thing I have in common with them." ... He cited Desmond Tutu as his greatest inspiration, saying he asked him how he had time to accomplish all he does and still maintain time for prayer and meditation? Tutu rebuked Bono, pointing out, "If we did not take time for prayer and meditation we could not accomplish anything." ... Asked about his own religious convictions, Bono noted that a Catholic father and a Protestant mother had raised him. He cited his admiration for and the appeal of the Christian ideal — "you know, someone born in a manger, laid on the straw." But he didn’t claim any special devotion, merely noting that Pope John Paul II had given him several rosaries, "which I wear." ...

Time/Warner’s Dick Parsons introduced the seminar, and the audience was stellar —Sydney Pollack, Robert Duvall, Kevin Bacon, Timothy Hutton, Christine Baranski, Roberta Flack, Jane Seymour, Russell Simmons, Steve Buscemi, Sarah Jones, Jonathan Alter, Richard Cohen, Ron Delsener, Kenneth Cole, Maria Cuomo, Campbell Brown, Terry George, Chris Blackwell, Jeff Greenfield, Agnes Gund, Charlie Rose, Jeff Koons, Ray Kelly, David Lauren, Sheila Nevins, Lou Reed, Jeff Bewkes, Rick Stengel, Moby, Billy Norwich, Marshall Rose, Faye Wattleton, Elie Wiesel, Roger Waters, Brian Williams, Sherrie and David Westin.