Corralling the Cardinal

To many onlookers, particularly secular ones, the name “Timothy Cardinal Dolan” seems to evoke the attempt to make the Roman Catholic Church fill the role that once earned the Episcopal Church the nickname “the Republican Party at prayer.” The way conservatives have flocked to his rallying cry of religious liberty in the wake of the HHS mandate, and Dolan’s subsequent acceptance of an invitation to pray at the Republican National Convention, have greatly strengthened this impression.

But criticisms of Dolan have come from more than one side. By inviting President Obama to the Al Smith Dinner—an annual fundraising event for Catholic charitable activities—Dolan has disconcerted many conservative Catholics. Some critics, like First Things’ David Mills, have offered tempered criticisms, while other have accused the Cardinal of betrayal and demanded that he retract the invitation.