Cardinal Stafford Stands by Criticism of Obama
Posted By Ryan J. Reilly On November 21, 2008 @ 10:40 am In News, Web Extra | 5 Comments
Cardinal J. Francis Stafford, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary of the Holy See, is standing by controversial comments he made about President-elect Barack Obama during an on-campus lecture last Thursday. In an address hosted by the John Paul II Institute on Marriage and Family, Stafford called President-elect Barack Obama’s policies “aggressive, disruptive and apocalyptic,” said that his election was “a cultural earthquake” and that Obama campaigned on an “extremist anti-life platform.” (YouTube Video)
Photo by Ryan J. Reilly / Tower Staff
The story about the Cardinal’s comments was posted on CUATOWER.com on Friday and audio of his remarks was added on Monday. Since its posting, the story went viral online and has been picked up by CNN, CBS, ABC, Catholic News Service, National Catholic Reporter and the Drudge Report.
When CNN reached Stafford in Rome, he stood by his remarks and said he has no regrets. He said he does believe his remarks can be misunderstood because his take on the word apocalyptic is different from common western references to the end of the world.
“Apocalyptic,” in Stafford’s understanding, means resistance to the divine and natural laws on reproduction and the preservation of human life, he said. Stafford said he does not speak for the Vatican.
Stafford told CNN he does believe Obama’s stance on abortion rights condones violence towards unborn children, and he does not understand how a Catholic voter could look favorably at the president-elect when “he is hostile to the life of an unborn child.“
During a preview of the CNN segment on Tuesday, “Situation Room” host Wolf Blitzer, who delivered the main commencement address at the University in 2006, categorized Stafford’s comments as a “diatribe,” and as both a “scathing” and a “blistering rant.”
Stafford “wants to make sure we understand that this is not a political thing with him,” CNN’s Brian Todd reported. “He said he himself has come out critical against President Bush for the war in Iraq, for interrogation programs, etc. So he says this is not any kind of a political message,” said Todd. “He just firmly believes in the anti-abortion message that he always espouses and he thinks Barack Obama goes directly against it.”
CNN also contacted the Vatican and the Obama transition team. Both choose not to comment on the story.
University President Rev. David M. O’Connell was not on campus when the lecture took place and cannot comment on something he did not hear, according to Victor Nakas, Catholic University spokesman. Nakas also clarified that the John Paul II Institute on Marriage and Family, which resides in McGivney Hall, is a “separate institution and organization with its own board, institutional authorities, budget, staff, curriculum and operations” which is “assessed by CUA monthly for operating costs, utilities, etc.”
The JPII Institute is a graduate school of theology affiliated with both the University and the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome. It is a pontifical institute and, like CUA, is directly accountable to the Vatican, said Nakas. Degrees issued by the Institute are granted through the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, not through the University.
Carl Anderson and the Knights of Columbus gave $8 million to Catholic University to restore Keane Hall and rename it after Rev. Michael J. McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus. The building boasts four classrooms, the 120-seat Keane Auditorium and office space for the JPII Institute.
Doug Kmiec, the former dean of the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University who endorsed Obama, called Stafford “a great churchmen and defender of the Faith,” but believes he was reacting to the false portrayal of Obama as anti-life.
“Sometimes all of us — even the wisest among us – are given to speak not from personal knowledge, but from that which has been portrayed as true, but is really a caricature,” said Kmiec in an interview with The Tower.
“When Stafford gets to know Obama better, said Kmiec, he will readily see that Obama “has far more in common with our great faith tradition than any political administration in recent memory.” [FULL KMIEC COMMENTS].
Stafford’s remarks were prepared and he offered a copy of them, according to a CNN producer. His prepared remarks were obtained by Catholic News Agency last night.
The entire lecture was video taped using three video cameras by CUA Digital Media Services for the JPII Institute. According to those who now have the files, they have not yet decided what to do with the video. David L. Schindler, provost and dean of the Institute, was out of town and not available for comment.
Word Cloud of Cardinal Stafford's Prepared Remarks by Ryan J. Reilly
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