This schmooze, of course, was nothing new. The New York cardinal said he was 'honored to be the lead-off batter, and the feelings are mutual sir,' noting that the two had been on the phone often in recent months and joking that the cardinal's 90-year-old mom in Missouri says 'I call you more than I call her.' According to Crux:ĭolan was the first to speak, whom the president hailed as a 'great gentleman' and a 'great friend of mine,' adding that he respects what the cardinal 'asks for.' It was clear that Trump was begging for some sort of backing from church leaders as he repeated warnings of dire consequences for the Catholic Church should he fail to be reelected.Īfter his opening comments, Trump then took questions from a pre-selected group, beginning with New York's Cardinal Timothy Dolan. In addition to his anti-choice record, Trump also hailed his own support for school choice and, specifically, for Catholic schools.Īs White reported, Trump also recited a litany of accomplishments meant to appease Catholic bishops: reinstating the global gag rule, which prevents federal funding for organizations that provide abortion related counseling or services, and opposing the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits tax exempt institutions like churches from endorsing or opposing political candidates. In the call, Trump repeatedly emphasized his support for the 'pro-life movement' - by which he means the 'anti-abortion' crusade - claiming that it has 'been at a level that no other president has seen before, according to everybody.' Leading the pack was New York's Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who seems to like to boast about his relationship with Trump almost as much as Trump likes to boast about himself.

Or at least we have to pray it did.Ĭrux's Christopher White obtained a recording of a phone call that took place on Saturday between Trump and an estimated 600 Catholics, among whom were bishops and Catholic school superintendents. bishops and President Donald Trump hit its nadir point this weekend. In the end, all agreed to work together on behalf of the suffering people of the Middle East.The ongoing collusion between certain U.S. Other hierarchs also spoke and thanked Sayidna Joseph for his hospitality. Metropolitan Joseph then presented Cardinal Dolan with a jeweled icon of Our Lady of Kazan Cardinal Dolan also presented the Metropolitan with a pictorial book of the newly renovated St.

He challenged all present to work as a united body before the government, witnessing to the world of our care and deep concern for peace in the region, so that our voices do not go unheard. In his speech, Metropolitan Joseph offered a warm welcome to Cardinal Dolan, thanking him for his work and concern for the suffering people of the Middle East, especially those who've endured the ongoing war in Syria. (View more photos.)ĭuring the reception and the lunch, a beautiful dialogue took place on ways those present can cooperate to address both the moral issues confronting our country as well as the plight of Christians in the Middle East. in Brooklyn, NY, were also present along with greater New York area members of the Archdiocese Board of Trustees. Adib Kassis, Managing Director of Middle East Airlines, and Mr. Fawaz El Khoury, Vice-Chairman of the Archdiocese Board of Trustees, Mr. Orthodox and Catholic hierarchs, clergymen, and laymen from the greater New York area were present, including: Metropolitan Tikhon of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), Maronite Catholic Bishop Gregory Mansour, Syriac Orthodox Bishop Mor Dionysius Jean Kawak, Syriac Catholic Bishop Yousif Habash, Archbishop Mor Titus Yeldo Pathickal of the Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in the USA, and Bishop Nicholas of the Antiochian Archdiocese. On Monday, January 23, 2017, His Eminence Metropolitan Joseph hosted a lunch for thirty people honoring His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York, at the Archdiocese headquarters in Englewood, NJ.

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