The opening of the Republican National Convention took place Monday with an all-inclusive political rooster.

I’ll leave the politics aside for the moment and focus on something more telling.

I want to speak about the opening invocation by His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the Archbishop of New York.

Social media blew up with mentions of Cardinal Dolan betraying New York’s Irish Catholics by speaking at the Republican convention. Here’s the text of his invocation.

Let us pray. And pray we must, as grateful citizens of a country we boldly claim to be one nation under God.

 

Pray we must, praising the Lord for a country where freedom of religion is so cherished.

 

Where both Republicans and Democrats begin their conventions, heads bowed in prayer.

 

Pray we must, conscious of those suffering from Covid, and those wearied front-liners who care for them and all of us.

 

Pray we must that all lives may be protected and respected, in our troubled cities and the police who guard them.

 

In tense world situations where our men and women in uniform keep the peace.

 

For the innocent life of the baby in the womb.

 

For our elders in nursing care and hospice.

 

For our immigrants and refugees.

 

For those lives threatened by religious persecution throughout the world, or by plague, hunger, drugs, human trafficking or war.

 

Pray we must in Thanksgiving, in Thanksgiving, dear God for democracy.

 

As we ask your hand, Almighty Father, upon this convention and the nominees of both parties, and his wisdom upon an electorate so eager to perform its duty of faithful citizenship

 

Pray we do, for we dare claim.

 

In God we Trust.

Now was Cardinal Dolan invited to the DNC convention last week? Not sure. But he did speak at both conventions in 2012.

No this year the DNC chose a Christian leader Reverend Gabriel Salguero, President of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition and co-lead pastor of The Lamb’s Church in New York to speak.

Let’s look at the text of Cardinal Dolan’s speech, which many practicing Catholics — like myself — should have no problem with his points.

Let us pray. And pray we must, as grateful citizens of a country we boldly claim to be one nation under God.

Yes we are one nation UNDER GOD, which the DNC omitted from their Pledge of Allegiance.

Pray we must, conscious of those suffering from Covid, and those wearied front-liners who care for them and all of us.

 

Pray we must that all lives may be protected and respected, in our troubled cities and the police who guard them.

Think of all the Catholic police, firefighters, nurses and other city workers, who put their lives on the line only to treated harshly by Democratic leaders with “defund them” policies now.

For the innocent life of the baby in the womb.

Democrats advocating ninth-month abortions has brought this “settled law” to the forefront for many Catholics with the exception of Joe Biden who professes to be Catholic.

For our elders in nursing care and hospice.

Should not the leader of the Catholic church in New York mention the horrific death toll of seniors in nursing homes brought about by the policies of Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo?

Lastly, Cardinal Dolan offer prayers to both parties twice in his speech.

So let’s not forget that it was under Democratic leadership that Cardinal Dolan’s home — Saint Patrick’s Cathedral — was desecrated and forced to become a fortress over rioting in the streets of New York.

I’ll conclude with Cardinal Dolan’s words: Pray we do, for we dare claim. In God we trust.