What did you expect when you invited a cardinal?

For some inexplicable reason, the Democratic National Convention invited Cardinal Timothy Dolan of all people to lead the closing prayers (a pointless exercise to begin with). Dolan, who previously compared the passage of marriage equality in New York to living in North Korea, unsurprisingly used this as an opportunity to attack the pro-choice, pro-LGBT platform of the Democratic Party:

Thus do we praise you for the gift of life. Grant us the courage to defend it, life, without which no other rights are secure. We ask your benediction on those waiting to be born, that they may be welcomed and protected. …

May this land of the free never lack those brave enough to defend our basic freedoms. Renew in all our people a profound respect for religious liberty: the first, most cherished freedom bequeathed upon us at our Founding. …

Show us anew that happiness is found only in respecting the laws of nature and of nature’s God. Empower us with your grace so that we might resist the temptation to replace the moral law with idols of our own making, or to remake those institutions you have given us for the nurturing of life and community.

Whatever political calculations were behind this decision, the result was certainly off-key.

 

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What did you expect when you invited a cardinal?
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10 thoughts on “What did you expect when you invited a cardinal?

  1. 1

    Trite & pompous. Was there no one better they could invite? How about a Humanist? This not-so-subtle issue pushing is underhanded & has no place at the Democratic Nat’l Convention.

  2. 2

    Is there some reason that the Dems can’t or won’t reach out to the (mostly quiet) Christian left? I mean, this is Rick Warren at the Inauguration all over again. Totally tone deaf.

  3. 4

    Having a closing prayer, ok, fine. Lots of people consider that important, whatever.

    How the hell did they come up with Dolan? Could they not find someone sane? Someone not tainted by the war on women and gays and the coverup of pedophile priests? Seriously… if they couldn’t find someone better, whoever was in charge of recruiting a priest for that prayer should be fired for incompetence. Reach across the political divide, fine, but Dolan? Seriously, what the hell is wrong with the people who made that decision?

  4. 6

    Sr Simone Campbell gave a solid take-down of the Ryan budget from her Progressive christian perspective. Dems should’ve left it at that. The decision to “invite” Dolan was silly–a response to Dolan defending the news he was going to the GOP convention by saying he’d go to Dem convention if only they’d ask him…

  5. 8

    For some inexplicable reason, the Democratic National Convention invited Cardinal Timothy Dolan of all people to lead the closing prayers

    It’s America. The political parties wouldn’t dare say or do anything without the Christian stamp of approval. The Democrats will be praying and “god blessing” each other all the way to polling day.

  6. 9

    Idiots. They should know better. When my nephew was christened, the blowhard priest used the christening as an opportunity to torture us with a “pro-life” speech a few minutes long. Wrong place, wrong time, jackoff.

  7. 10

    Wild songbirds, like cardinals, would undoubtedly be scared nearly to death by all those people at any convention. Please, leave them be (as they are) and observe them as proper bird watchers do!

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