Catholic social teachings given a bully pulpit
The psalmist this Sunday stresses our obligations to one another, reminding us that the "one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.” Promoting the church’s social teachings is a central concern of Catholic clergy and religious alike, and in the coming week two church leaders . . .
The psalmist this Sunday stresses our obligations to one another, reminding us that the "one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.” Promoting the church’s social teachings is a central concern of Catholic clergy and religious alike, and in the coming week two prominent church leaders will have a unique chance to convey those concerns to a wider public via the Republican and Democratic national conventions.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York has accepted an invitation to deliver the closing benediction at the Democratic National Convention a week after giving a similar blessing at the Republican convention this Thursday. Sister Simone Campbell, the popular face of the recent “Nuns on the Bus” tour for social justice, will be addressing the Democratic convention the night before Dolan's appearance.
From the start, Dolan, who is also president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, made it clear that he would be willing to offer benedictions at both conventions. "It was made clear to the Democratic convention organizers, as it was to the Republicans, that the cardinal was coming solely as a pastor, only to pray, not to endorse any party, platform, or candidate," Dolan's spokesman, Joseph Zwilling, said in a statement released Tuesday by the Archdiocese of New York.
Still, the Democrats' decision to invite both Dolan and Campbell is, in the words of one commentator, “kind of a Catholic ‘two-fer’ that threatens to upstage GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s Catholic outreach and highlights the importance of this swing vote in a deadlocked race.”
Democratic officials stressed Tuesday that there was no deliberate balancing act in featuring both the cardinal and the nun. "One was not done because of the other," said a campaign aide. "We are delighted to have both of them at the convention."
Campbell heads Network, a Catholic social justice lobby that espouses many progressive causes. The hierarchy and progressive nuns have been at loggerheads in the months since the Vatican announced a takeover of the nun’s chief leadership organization.
“We are really happy that Cardinal Dolan is coming to the Democratic convention as well,” said Stephanie Niedringhaus, spokeswoman for Network. “It’s great to move beyond the ‘Nuns vs. Bishops’ narrative for a moment. . . . We really need to talk about what the mission is, what Catholic social teaching is, and not have this so-called power struggle going on.”
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York has accepted an invitation to deliver the closing benediction at the Democratic National Convention a week after giving a similar blessing at the Republican convention this Thursday. Sister Simone Campbell, the popular face of the recent “Nuns on the Bus” tour for social justice, will be addressing the Democratic convention the night before Dolan's appearance.
From the start, Dolan, who is also president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, made it clear that he would be willing to offer benedictions at both conventions. "It was made clear to the Democratic convention organizers, as it was to the Republicans, that the cardinal was coming solely as a pastor, only to pray, not to endorse any party, platform, or candidate," Dolan's spokesman, Joseph Zwilling, said in a statement released Tuesday by the Archdiocese of New York.
Still, the Democrats' decision to invite both Dolan and Campbell is, in the words of one commentator, “kind of a Catholic ‘two-fer’ that threatens to upstage GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s Catholic outreach and highlights the importance of this swing vote in a deadlocked race.”
Democratic officials stressed Tuesday that there was no deliberate balancing act in featuring both the cardinal and the nun. "One was not done because of the other," said a campaign aide. "We are delighted to have both of them at the convention."
Campbell heads Network, a Catholic social justice lobby that espouses many progressive causes. The hierarchy and progressive nuns have been at loggerheads in the months since the Vatican announced a takeover of the nun’s chief leadership organization.
“We are really happy that Cardinal Dolan is coming to the Democratic convention as well,” said Stephanie Niedringhaus, spokeswoman for Network. “It’s great to move beyond the ‘Nuns vs. Bishops’ narrative for a moment. . . . We really need to talk about what the mission is, what Catholic social teaching is, and not have this so-called power struggle going on.”
Source: An article by David Gibson for Religion News Service