Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s GOP convention blessing prompts debate
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The news that New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the nation’s most prominent Catholic prelate, will deliver the closing blessing to the Republican National Convention in Florida next week was seen as a huge coup for Mitt Romney, the party’s presumptive nominee. But the move has also prompted a sharp debate within the church over the increasingly close ties between leading bishops and the GOP.
“The cozy relationship between a sizable portion of U.S. bishops and the Republican Party should be cause for concern, and not just among progressive Catholics,” Michael O’Loughlin wrote in a post on the website of America magazine, a leading Catholic weekly published by the Jesuits.
“Cardinal Dolan’s appearance in Tampa will damage the church’s ability to be a moral and legitimate voice for voiceless, as those who view the Catholic Church as being a shill for the GOP have just a bit more evidence to prove their case,” O’Loughlin concluded.
Similarly, David Cruz-Uribe, a member of the Secular Franciscan Order and a professor of mathematics at Trinity College, wrote on the Vox Nova blog that Dolan’s decision “will only drag the Church further into a partisan divide and fuel the perception (true or not) that the Catholic Church wants to replace the Episcopalians as the Republican party on its knees.”
Conservative Catholics have, not surprisingly, welcomed Dolan’s appearance and hope it augurs well for Romney.
“I now predict that if Mitt Romney wins the White House in 2012 there will be a very healthy relationship between a Romney administration and the U.S. Bishops, led by a close working relationship between Cardinal Dolan and President Romney,” said Thomas Peters, who writes for CatholicVote.org, which has endorsed Romney and his Catholic running mate, Paul Ryan.
Romney disclosed the news of Dolan’s planned blessing on Wednesday (Aug. 22) during an interview on the conservative Catholic cable channel EWTN. He did so in the context of a discussion about his shared opposition with the bishops to the Obama administration’s controversial birth control mandate.
By tradition, the local bishop often delivers a prayer at the party convention meeting in his city, but it is highly unusual for another bishop – and the leader of the hierarchy – to fly in to deliver a benediction, as Dolan will do on Aug. 30, right after Romney is formally nominated. [More]
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31 Comments
Is Cardinal Dolan the brother of Tony La Bianca or what actor?
I think we can pray that each knows their purpose. These conventions are a stage show, and I don’t believe God cares about politics, but God does care about our souls, and trusting Him.
An American coins says “In God We Trust”. Now tell me about separating the Church from the State.
That was added in the early 1900′s (and “under God” was added to the US Pledge of Allegiance in the 1950′s) to ward off presumably godless communists from using US currency. But yes, it is probably time to remove it, as it does constitute the US government taking a religious position against legitimate religions (according to the SCOTUS) like Secular Humanism.
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By inviting a priest, minister, rabbi or other clergy man the government may be seen as enforcing that particular religion.
Tony, Michael is wright on with his remarks to you. As Michael so appropreiatly stated, “The goverment will not establish a National State religion.” Thats what seperation of chuirch and state means. The Catholic church has ever wright to speak out in the public form. That’s why Obama wants to destroy the Catholic church as an institution in America. Thank you Michael!
Tony, there have been several members of the Catholic clergy who have offered prayers at the Democratic Conventions. What is the difference?
Romney states he supports abortion.
Ryan states he wants to starve the poor.
In total, Obama is better choice for all.
Tom — Romney does NOT support abortion, although he is willing to give the case of rape a pass. Obama is in favor of abortion for ANY reason — he favors the “right” of a woman to kill her baby over one million times every year in the USA. Romney might be in favor of 200 abortions. There is a big difference between 200 and over one million. Also, “Ryan states he wants to starve the poor.” You know, as despicable and disgusting as MSNBC is, even THEY wouldn’t say that. Ryan’s plan is a plan that works — Obama’s plan will not work and will hurt rich and poor alike. Quit living in la-la land, Tom. BTW, Tom, the first three-digit lottery drawing in IL (Obama’s home state) after he was elected was 666 — just a coincidence? Get your head in the game, Tom.
I would like a citation for that million number you threw out, Jim. Where has Obama said he supports a single woman having 1 million abortions/year?
Do you not realize tom, that Obama supports abortion under any circumstances, late term as well as infanticide if the human being/child survives the procedure? Do people who support this president really know what they are supporting? How many laws of the land has he already disregarded. Perhaps with this president’s thinking we should simply get rid of all the poor before they arrive on earth…..that would do it…wouldn’t it?
madmarvelgirl Posted on I totally agree about Jean. They were only stnaitrg to get at the potential of that character when she died. Both times. (Both times she stayed dead; not talking about other times).I can’t think that I’ve ever drifted away from a story immediately following a character death, but I know that lineups definitely have an affect on my interest in following stories. I say I’m an X-men’ fan, but there are a lot of classic’ stories I haven’t bothered with because they don’t have Scott or Jean in them.
Baloney!!!!Tony!!!! Separation of Church and State means that the Government will not establish a National (State) Religion. You’re making it to say that the Church has no right to speak out in the public forum. That’s Communism! Though the Church cannot publically endorse a candidate, she can speak out on moral issues. If Rev. Wright were to give the prayer at the Republican Convention I quess he would be lauded. I’m tired of hearing that the church should keep her mouth shut, hide in a building, and speak only pious platitudes which tickle peoples ears. We, as Catholics, have our rights here too. By the way, Dolan is only offering a prayer and not an endorsement speech. If he did it at the Democratic Convention, he would be a hero to the Liberal Catholics who think their view of the church is the only one. Give me a BREAK!!!!!
Why the uproar concerning Cardinal Dolan giving a blessing at the GOP convention??? Cardinal Cushing of Boston was a good friend of the Kennedys and NOONE was upset when he gave the benediction at JFK’s inaugural! Liberal hypocrisy and whining makes me ill!!!
Ithe more separation our government has from heads of religions the safer it is for all religions to be assures of their rights. A political convention is a public event and is not the place for denominational prAyer.
If that’s true, Tony, then I have a question for you: do you think it was wrong for Cardinal Cushing to give a benediction at JFK’s inaugural?
Oh Oh, trick question to see how much of a liberal I am. NO I don’t think it was wrong for Cushing, the times were different, the mood of the country was different, It was the PRESIDENTS inorgation not the Party’s convention. If, as I hope, Romney becomes president then it would be fitting for a Mormon clergyman to offer a prayer.
Thats just my opinion.
Okay, Tony, I think you defended your position well.
Jim; I may not be correct but I think that JFK was the first Roman Catholic to become the President of the United States of America – therefore it was would be expected that Cardinal Cushing would give a benediction at the inaugural ceremonies.
You are right about that, Catholic Lady — JFK was indeed the first Catholic president of the USA.
If Dolan were doing the blessing at the Democrat convention, somehow liberals would think that it was a mandate from God…..
Where the jobs? / or How to invest and help no one but yourself:
1. Collateralized Loan Obligations, Banks aggressively offer loans and then sell the debts to others. These others in turn sell the debts to still others.
2. Stock market and currency opportunities for speculation are moving large amounts of money from one set of holdings to another. It is no longer families indentified with certain industries or the people who worked their way up from the bottom to the top and finally become owners. Now it is pure gambling in which because the size of the operations the government cannot allow failure.
3. Derivatives. An informal agreement between two or more parties under which payments, or payoffs, are to be made between the parties often on future investments that have not yet been secured. Many investors will set up a derivative contract with another investor on debts outstanding to speculate on the value of the underlying asset, betting that the party seeking insurance will be wrong about the future value of the underlying asset. Speculators look to buy an asset in the future at a low price hoping to sell an asset in the future at a higher price. Credit derivatives are privately held negotiable bilateral contracts that are used in managing exposures to credit risks by transferring a credit risk to some one else. This is a bet that one can make money before the investment fails.
Hedge Funds
Hedge Funds are the use of advanced investment strategies in derivatives or leveraged investments. This is unregulated and unprotected selling securities from a third party, buying the assets and selling them back or sill another party. In order to borrow heavily then to buy still more shares to sell them at a profit. A firm with more debt than equity is leveraged. Buying up bad mortgages, in the hopes some one will buy you out, or the government will bail you out.
Collateral Debt Obligation (CDO) this credit protection allows selling of bad credit. Failure leads to super profits if you buy debts at a fraction of their original worth and then sell them still below their original value but at profit. The last guy standing hopefully will be bailed out buy the government. Either giving you loans at such low interest rates that when things turn around you own assets now worth more than what you paid or government insures your losses.
Think about this next time you talk to a fiscal conservative talking about paying down our debts by cutting social programs, only to give more to the financial investors, i.e. the criminals who got us into this mess into the first place.
As I stated yesterday, this is more than an election for the President. It is the final fight for the Catholic church in America. Dolan cannot tell anyone HOW to vote. That being said, Of cource Dolan supports vews that are in line with Catholic teaching. There will be Greek Orthodx Bishops praying there also. If Obama gets in again the catholic church will suffer terribly. I wouldn’t care if Dolan also sang “Hello Dolly.”
And what shall we say about the separation of church and state, or are you suggesting we throw out the Constitution?
There will always be a tension between church and state. One is concerned with NOW and other with the hereafter, but they aren’t separate. Thus, the state wants to regulate the church and the church resists. Problem is that there has been increased efforts by the state to regulate religion, especially in the last four years with an increasing amount of push-back by the church. Settle down — there will not be a Pope running for President of the USA in this milenium.
What don’t the conservative Catholic understand about separation of Church and state. It was good for our Founding Fathers it is good for us today!!!!!
Tony, the Constitution forbids the government from endorsing a particular denomination (Baptist, Lutheran, Catholic, etc.). It did not and does not prevent private citizens from expressing their religious views in the public square! There was no pure “separation” of church and state from the foundation of the Republic up to the time when the Warren Court began imposing its interpretation of the First Amendment. I grew up in the 40s and 50s and religion was very much a part of the national fabric at that time!
On top of that, William & Tony, the consitution NEVER talks about the separation of church and state. That phrase came from a 1948 or 1949 Supreme Court decision that used that phrase, but again, it does not appear in the Constitution.
Yes, because the SCOTUS was trying to interpret what the US Constitution meant with the First Amendment, and using Jefferson’s writings on the matter helped them understand the intent of the amendment. So, why does it matter that the Constitution “NEVER talks about the separation between church and state”? It is still a matter of US law either way.
Thank you William for the clarification.