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_Abyssinia
Guest
Come on, they are just reporting American Life League’s press release
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Prodigal_Son1
Guest
Not to the point of questioning, or ranting against the Cardinal; at least in my opinion.
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Rich_Olszewski
Guest
So what? So, they’re priests. Does their authority override the Cardinal’s authority in the Church in the Diocese of New York?
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_Abyssinia
Guest
I do not see anybody ranting who is against the invitation against the Cardinal. I wish the Cardinal no bad will, he has done a fantastic job standing up for religious freedom. It is exactly the job he has done why I think inviting Obama is bad idea, it makes a mockery of the work that has been done to stand up for religious liberty
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_Abyssinia
Guest
Since when are Priests not entitled to an opinion? There were some people on here who questioned Bishops such as Bishop Daniel Jenky for his comments on Obama. Why is it fine for people to question a Bishop then but not now?So what? So, they’re priests. Does their authority override the Cardinal’s authority in the Church in the Diocese of New York?
meltzerboy
New member
If you support Cardinal Dolan’s decision (as I do and you seem to, judging by your posts on this thread), I would think twice with regard to what you are saying about Romney (whom I do not support, by the way). This is because Cardinal Dolan himself has said that Romney’s being a Mormon is NOT a valid reason for not voting for him although there are possibly other good reasons. I assume the Cardinal meant that if you are Catholic, you should not use Romney’s faith as a reason for being opposed to him. I think that, according to your logic, you would not be able to vote for people of many other faiths as well.
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Rich_Olszewski
Guest
They are, but you sounded as though you thought their opinions were somehow controlling by virtue of their being priests. I apologize if I misread you. My point was that for all their opinion, it doesn’t outweigh the Cardinal’s in his own diocese.
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Prodigal_Son1
Guest
Look, this discussion is about Cardinal Dolan’s inviting both candidates to a dinner that has become an election tradition over the years. It’s hard to understand how the invitation is wrong, but it’s not connected to the one who made the invitation.
I don’t see how we get people to accept us, or our values, as Christians if we choose to separate ourselves from them and not expose them to the Christian love within us.
I’ve tried to explain my views to the best of my ability, but I’m not going to argue it anymore. I don’t believe the Cardinal’s decision is political.
I don’t see how we get people to accept us, or our values, as Christians if we choose to separate ourselves from them and not expose them to the Christian love within us.
I’ve tried to explain my views to the best of my ability, but I’m not going to argue it anymore. I don’t believe the Cardinal’s decision is political.
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_Abyssinia
Guest
Thanks you, but I think everybody is still entitled to an opinion about this, this is not infallible teaching, this is an invitation to a dinner
A
_Abyssinia
Guest
I do not believe the Cardinal’s decision is political either. Neither Kerry or Bush were as extreme on positions such as gay marriage and religious freedom as Obama is and they were not invited by Cardinal Egan because he said it would be divisive
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Prodigal_Son1
Guest
I support Cardinal’s decision. I do not view this as political and have no stakes in it either way as I have no intentions of voting for either candidate. I only offered food for thought when I saw some of the things said about the Cardinal.
…and you’re right; there are many people of many other faiths that I would not support either; including those that share my own faith, based on how politicians persist on twisting the truth for the sake of being elected. I don’t buy into my liar is more honest than your liar.
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Rich_Olszewski
Guest
Just so. It’s an invitation to a dinner. The Cardinal isn’t making any more of it than that. Why some posters are trying to blow it out of proportion is unnecessary. Trust his Eminence!
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_Abyssinia
Guest
The Al Smith dinner: the cardinal and the tax collector
When Jesus sat with tax collectors, the dinners were private. They were not “photo ops” for political candidates. The Lord could speak directly to the hearts of his dining companions, and convert them. Remember, St. Matthew left the tax-collecting business to follow Christ. Does anyone believe that after the Al Smith dinner, Obama will decide to rescind the contraceptive mandate?
The annual fundraiser for Catholic Charities in New York is a non-partisan event, the organizers assure us; politics will play no part in the night’s events. Non-partisan it may be, but not apolitical. There are no apolitical public events on the schedule of a presidential candidate during the last few weeks of a campaign. Both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama will attend because they expect to gain some political advantage. They know exactly what they’re doing. Can the same be said for the host, Cardinal Dolan?
During the dinner, the Cardinal and Obama and Romney will laugh and joke together. (The cardinal will be the star of the show, because unlike the other two men, he has a detectible sense of humor.) All good fun. But is it really harmless?
On the morning after the dinner, millions of Americans will see, prominently displayed on the front pages of their hometown newspapers, pictures of President Obama and Cardinal Dolan smiling together. What message will they receive? Can these be the same men who are fighting a bitter political battle on a matter of conscience? The same two men who are the principal forces behind opposite sides of a landmark lawsuit? If they’re laughing and back-slapping together, the disagreement can’t be all that serious, can it? So maybe that “matter of conscience” isn’t so important after all? Apparently it wasn’t important enough to interfere with a night of fun.
In attendance at the dinner, appropriately clad in white ties, will be corporate executives who have donated large sums to the Obama campaign. The Catholic bishops of the US—Cardinal Dolan prominently among them—have repeatedly told the faithful that it is gravely wrong to support political candidates who promote unrestricted legal abortion, euthanasia, and same-sex marriage. Yet Catholics continue to support Obama, disregarding the bishops’ warnings. When they see Cardinal Dolan arm-in-arm with a President whose administration has done so much to advance the culture of death, will they be more or less likely to take the bishops seriously?
Cardinal Dolan may be the most gregarious man I have ever met. He seems quite genuinely to take delight in the presence of everyone he meets. That’s a quality that I admire: an enormous strength of his character. However, a man who habitually thinks the best of everyone can fail to pick up on the telltale signs of enmity. Cardinal Dolan seemed genuinely surprised that after promising to accommodate the consciences of Catholics regarding the HHS mandate, Obama did nothing of the sort. Call me a cynic if you want, but I wasn’t surprised.
During the past several months Cardinal Dolan has proven remarkably tough in his statements regarding the mandate and feisty in his willingness to do political battle with the White House. Yet now, in the thick of that battle—and, not coincidentally, of the presidential campaign—he has offered a temporary truce. Is he making a calculated gesture, as part of some Machiavellian plan? I’d like to think so. But the cynic in me fears that the cardinal has slipped back into the naïve belief that political disagreements can be put aside for an evening of joking and backslapping without any adverse consequences. And on political affairs, sad to say, the cynic in me is almost always right.
catholicculture.org/commentary/otn.cfm?id=931
Article has convinced me mixing charity fundraising with politics is an error
. But there’s a difference.
When Jesus sat with tax collectors, the dinners were private. They were not “photo ops” for political candidates. The Lord could speak directly to the hearts of his dining companions, and convert them. Remember, St. Matthew left the tax-collecting business to follow Christ. Does anyone believe that after the Al Smith dinner, Obama will decide to rescind the contraceptive mandate?
The annual fundraiser for Catholic Charities in New York is a non-partisan event, the organizers assure us; politics will play no part in the night’s events. Non-partisan it may be, but not apolitical. There are no apolitical public events on the schedule of a presidential candidate during the last few weeks of a campaign. Both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama will attend because they expect to gain some political advantage. They know exactly what they’re doing. Can the same be said for the host, Cardinal Dolan?
During the dinner, the Cardinal and Obama and Romney will laugh and joke together. (The cardinal will be the star of the show, because unlike the other two men, he has a detectible sense of humor.) All good fun. But is it really harmless?
On the morning after the dinner, millions of Americans will see, prominently displayed on the front pages of their hometown newspapers, pictures of President Obama and Cardinal Dolan smiling together. What message will they receive? Can these be the same men who are fighting a bitter political battle on a matter of conscience? The same two men who are the principal forces behind opposite sides of a landmark lawsuit? If they’re laughing and back-slapping together, the disagreement can’t be all that serious, can it? So maybe that “matter of conscience” isn’t so important after all? Apparently it wasn’t important enough to interfere with a night of fun.
In attendance at the dinner, appropriately clad in white ties, will be corporate executives who have donated large sums to the Obama campaign. The Catholic bishops of the US—Cardinal Dolan prominently among them—have repeatedly told the faithful that it is gravely wrong to support political candidates who promote unrestricted legal abortion, euthanasia, and same-sex marriage. Yet Catholics continue to support Obama, disregarding the bishops’ warnings. When they see Cardinal Dolan arm-in-arm with a President whose administration has done so much to advance the culture of death, will they be more or less likely to take the bishops seriously?
Cardinal Dolan may be the most gregarious man I have ever met. He seems quite genuinely to take delight in the presence of everyone he meets. That’s a quality that I admire: an enormous strength of his character. However, a man who habitually thinks the best of everyone can fail to pick up on the telltale signs of enmity. Cardinal Dolan seemed genuinely surprised that after promising to accommodate the consciences of Catholics regarding the HHS mandate, Obama did nothing of the sort. Call me a cynic if you want, but I wasn’t surprised.
During the past several months Cardinal Dolan has proven remarkably tough in his statements regarding the mandate and feisty in his willingness to do political battle with the White House. Yet now, in the thick of that battle—and, not coincidentally, of the presidential campaign—he has offered a temporary truce. Is he making a calculated gesture, as part of some Machiavellian plan? I’d like to think so. But the cynic in me fears that the cardinal has slipped back into the naïve belief that political disagreements can be put aside for an evening of joking and backslapping without any adverse consequences. And on political affairs, sad to say, the cynic in me is almost always right.
catholicculture.org/commentary/otn.cfm?id=931
Article has convinced me mixing charity fundraising with politics is an error
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Rich_Olszewski
Guest
It goes to personality, I think. Cardinal Dolan has a more expansive personality and truly enjoys other people. He and Cdl Egan were just different and neither was wrong.
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Rich_Olszewski
Guest
But, it’s not a political event. Neither candidate is going to give a campaign speech - for once, anyway.
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PJD1987
Guest
Yes to everything in this article. It makes the case very clearly, how one can deny the fact that this sends a mixed message is puzzling to me.
God bless.
-Paul
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JimR-OCDS
Guest
So if Obama comes away from this dinner, and changes the HHS mandate, will you all still be disgusted with the Cardinal?
Jim
Jim
E
epan
Guest
How did you come by this information? How do you know what influence on either men, any communication between them may have had?
E
epan
Guest
I see nothing wrong with that. I have observed parties engaged in legal differences remaining cordial. It seemed to me that the outcome was more reasonable for all parties in that way. I know of one case of a man who sued his own company. By that, I mean he held the large controlling interest. So, in a sense, he was suing himself.
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