According to Romereports.com President Obama is scheduled to attend the annual Al Smith charity dinner this October in New York. He accepted after being invited by the Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
The dinner is an yearly event and usually invites incumbent presidents as well as the nominee of the other party. In 2008, it was attended by both Barack Obama and John McCain with Cardinal Edward Egan sitting between them. However, for this year it’s still not clear if Mitt Romney will be attending.
The invitation to President Obama was a surprising move after Cardinal Dolan has been one of the leading voices against the White House health care mandate that requires Catholic colleges and hospitals to cover birth control.
Tags: Dolan, health care
Saying that “it’s still not clear if Mitt Romney will be attending” makes it sound as though Romney is mulling over whether to come or not. If Cardinal Dolan is as astute as I think/hope he is, Mitt Romney has not even been invited!! He is the presumptive, but not yet the official, Republican nominee.
It might be helpful to keep in mind RomeReports is based in Rome and sometimes editors/translators miss nuances.
inviting obamareally really no no no i just can not believe it
It’s being reported that this is true, but I can only pray it’s a mistake. If Obama comes, Catholics who’ve worked so hard to support the bishops will throw in the towel, Obama will be re-elected, and he will go on to persecute the church on an even grander scale. Say it isn’t so, Your Eminence!
This event Al Smith dinner is a long standing dinner in which the two presidential candidates are invited to speak. It is not exactly a campaign speech, often light, funny etc.
Romney probably not invited YET as he is the “official” candidate of the Republican party until after the Republican convention. Pres. Obama is official as he is the current elected president.
“The annual fundraiser has traditionally featured the presidential candidates from each party during an election year. No word yet on whether Mitt Romney will attend.”
PJB
I don’t understand this invitation by Cardinal Dolan to Obama to speak at this dinner .Given Obama stand on HealthCarr@Gay Marriage it appears to be a mixed message at best It didnt appear to me that he Obrama was going to get the Catholic Vore in the upcoming Ellection .Perhaps I was reading this wrong
To all the above anti-Obama people, I say: President Obama is the President. The Cardinal has the freedom to invite him to speak–how else can a dialogue begin? If all the people are just ‘supporting the bishops’ then they are missing the point. Support the Faith. It is more inclusive. It is more important. Faith is something lived. Faith is a gift, enriched by study, activated by conscience.
And, as to the whole issue of the Health Care Act, remember this: it gives the Poor the right to be cared for. Life is something that must be maintained from sperm meets egg to the very last breath of a human throughout life. ALL life is sacred, not just the beginning. Health Care takes care of life, once born and growing.
By the way, there is no such thing as a ‘Catholic vote’ unless you imply that Catholics operate as a dumb driven flock of sheep who follow where led. Sorry. It doesn’t operate that way. Catholics think, and they should as they must operate on conscience, the final guide they must go by.