Mitt Romney will announce that the senior US Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan will give a benediction at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida.
Cardinal Dolan was requested to speak personally by convention organizers, according to a press statement released by the Archdiocese of New York. The press release states that the Cardinal is will only pray at the convention and will not endorse any candidate. The Cardinal is also open to a similar invitation from the Democratic National Convention.
Cardinal Dolan is the senior Catholic Cardinal in the United States and is also President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Earlier this year, documents surfaced showing that Dolan authorized payments of up to $20,000 to priests who sexually abused children as incentive to leave the ministry. He is against the funding of Planned Parenthood by the Susan G. Koman Foundation, and is currently suing President Obama over healthcare reform.
Media Resources: BBC News 8/23/12; Archdiocese of New York 8/23/12; EWTN 8/23/12; Feminist Newswire 6/1/12; Feminist Newswire 3/19/12
