Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, head of the U.S. bishops' conference, has been invited to offer the final benediction at the upcoming Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.
The news was announced by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in an exclusive interview with Raymond Arroyo, host of EWTN's news program The World Over.
Cardinal Dolan will give the concluding benediction prayer on Aug. 30, the final night of the GOP convention, where Romney is slated to accept the presidential nomination for his party.
The cardinal has not endorsed either candidate in the 2012 presidential race.
However, he has been an outspoken critic of a mandate issued by the Obama administration to require employers to offer health-insurance plans that covers contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs, even if doing so violates their consciences.
Numerous dioceses, nonprofit organizations and Catholic-owned businesses have sued the administration, arguing that the mandate violates the First Amendment by forcing them to compromise their deeply held religious convictions.
Obama has also voiced support for abortion and is the first U.S. president to openly advocate a redefinition of marriage to include homosexual couples.
Arroyo explained that, during the interview, which will air at 8pm EDT today, Aug. 23, Romney “breaks news about what we can expect at the Republican National Convention and reacts to charges by President Obama that he chose Paul Ryan as his running mate to lower his personal tax burden.
"He also talks about the hot issue of religious liberty, the role of prayer in his life, and how being a bishop in the Mormon church prepared him for the presidency."
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Can’t wait to see the interview tonight and to witness the GOP convention. Hopefully the hurricane changes course and avoids the convention next week!
Cardinal Dolan will give concluding prayer at Republican convention…to apologize.
No Catholic religious leader, specially the president of the USCCB, should participate at a political convention. Even though Cardinal Dolan has said that he is not endorsing the Republican candidate, by his presence and doing the final invocation on the day that Romney is accepting the nomination, he is endorsing Romney and the Republican political platform. This is going to cause more polarization within our holy mother church.
No political party and candidate agrees with our Roman Catholic faith and morals, therefore, no Catholic religious leader should be endorsing any of them, even by doing the final invocation.
If we ever forget that we are one nation under GOD, then we will be a nation gone under. President Ronald Reagon
Who wants to bet that the “prayer” given at the Democratic Convention will be given by the radical, pro abortion “sisters” from the LCWR?
This is great! I love you Cardinal Dolan! God Bless You!
I was hit with 3 thoughts when I read the article.
1) That’s great having Cardinal Dolan do the final benediction. Much better than say Rick Warren or Joel Osteen, for example.
2) Why doesn’t Romney have one of his Mormon high priests do the benediction or closing prayer? What does that say about Romney and his beliefs?
And 3) I wonder if the networks will find a way to not televise it as they are doing with Ann’s speech?
-John
OUR COUNTRY NEEDS A BLESSING…..WE PRAY FOR YOU CARDINAL DOLAN AND OUR COUNTRY….+JMJ+
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