New outreach to Catholics as Biden meets with Cardinal Timothy Dolan in New York
Vice president attends mass and receives communion at St. Patrick’s Cathedral
JAMES O'SHEA, - IrishCentral Staff Writer
Vice President Joe Biden attended mass and received communion on Sunday at St.
Patrick’s Cathedral in New
York where the mass was celebrated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
At a time when the
administration is being sued by Dolan and the Catholic Bishop’s Conference over
the Obama health care provision on birth control, the meeting was seen as an
attempt to create a new dialogue.
An Irish American Catholic, Biden receiving communion was also seen as
significant. Dolan’s predecessor Cardinal Edward Egan refused to give
communion to those who differed with the church on the abortion
issue.
Biden says he is
pro-life but will not seek to impose his views on
others.
Biden met with
Cardinal Dolan after the mass for coffee but what they discussed was not made
public.
Biden’s latest move
comes at a time when the Obama administration appears to be using the VP in a
new outreach to American Catholics.
Biden represented
the administration at the swearing in of Pope Francis in Rome where he again
received communion. He was also inaugurated into the Irish America Hall of Fame
last week, also in New
York, attended by many leading Irish American
Catholics.
Meanwhile, Dolan
revealed that he had many stories to tell about the papal
conclave.
"You know I just got
back from three historic weeks in Rome, and you better get used to hearing a lot
of stories about those three weeks," Dolan said.
"It was quite an
experience, to hear the first-hand stories of how they chose the pope and
special inside information we got, it was truly a delight," said a woman who
attended the Mass.
Palm Sunday is among
the most significant of the Catholic holy days and begins Holy Week which ends
with Easter Sunday.
Comment:
The Vice President
languishes in his reputation as “lunch pail Joe”, an Irish Catholic from working
class roots in Scranton,
PA. The truth of the matter is that
his heritage is very minimally Irish and he has not lived in Scranton, PA for 40+ years
since he first took his place at the public trough as a U.S. Senator from
Delaware.
Although it is extremely difficult to challenge anyone’s personal feelings
regarding their religious affiliation, Mr. Biden’s public positions regarding
abortion and same sex marriage are in direct opposition to those of the Catholic
Church. Whether or not he can continue to publically advocate his support for
these issues and still consider himself a “devout Catholic” as some have
described him is a matter for his own conscience to
decide.
Jack Meehan, Past
National President
Ancient Order of
Hibernians in America
Knights of Columbus – 4th
Degree