Senior Cardinal Timothy Dolan will give the benediction at the Democratic National Convention a week after leading prayer at the Republican 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, as then Archbishop of Milwaukee, authorized payments of up to $20,000 to priests who sexually abused children as incentive to leave the ministry. Catholic authorities did not warn the community or notify the police of the potential dangers these individuals posed. He is against the funding of Planned Parenthood by the Susan G. Koman Foundation, and is currently suing President Obama over healthcare reform.
Many LGBT advocacy groups have criticized the invitation of Cardinal Dolan to speak at the convention. A spokesperson for the Human Right Campaign told BuzzFeed ‘While Cardinal Dolan has a respected track record in the ministry, his work to undercut the dignity of LGBT people cannot be overlooked. There are many faith leaders who would be an ideal fit to close out the Democratic National Convention … but Cardinal Timothy Dolan is not that leader.’ Cardinal Dolan actively fought against the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York and has confronted the current administration about not supporting the Defense of Marriage Act.
Media Resources: Sources: Buzzfeed 8/29/12, Archdiocese of New York 8/28/12, Feminist Newswire 8/23/12, Feminist Newswire 6/1/12, Feminist Newswire 3/19/12
