Since Cardinal Dolan extended an invitation to President Obama to attend the Al Smith Dinner, along with Governor Romney, many Catholics have found themselves somewhere on the spectrum between concerned and outraged.
Many people consider it a scandal for a Catholic foundation and the Cardinal to host the virulently anti-life President when the Church is locked in an existential struggle against that same President.
After enduring so much criticism for this decision, Cardinal Dolan has taken to his Archdiocesan blog to defend and explain his decision. He makes several point in his explanation. First, the invitation is not an award. Second, the point of the Dinner is as an interfaith gathering, the whole point is to open the doors. Third, you gather more flies with honey. He paraphrasically says, Remember I am the same Cardinal leading the charge against the administration’s attacks on the Church. This is a prudential decision, so pray for me and trust me.
For sure, Cardinal Dolan has been the outspoken champion of the Church’s rights and the rights of individuals to practice their religion in public free from coercive immoral mandates. For this and by virtue of his position in the Church, he rightly deserves our praise, respect, and a fair amount of trust.
Cardinal Dolan, We trust you. I trust you. But I also have a warning for you.
You wrote about what the perception would be if you refused to meet with the President saying ..
