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Republican National Convention Features Diverse Clergy Lineup [UPDATED] |
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Written by Don Byrd
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Wednesday, 29 August 2012 |
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Howard Friedman at Religion Clause has the lineup of clergy providing invocations and benedictions at the Republican National Convention this week. It is an impressively diverse bunch.
Tuesday invocation-- Rabbi Meir Soloveichik (Director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University)
Tuesday benediction-- Sammy Rodriguez (President of The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference)
Wednesday invocation-- Ishwar Singh (head of the Sikh Society of Central Florida)
Wednesday benediction-- Archbishop Demetrios (Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America)
Thursday invocation-- Ken and Priscilla Hutchins (President of the Boston Mormon temple and his wife)
Thursday benediction-- Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan (President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops)
Of course, party conventions are not government events. Still, a party seeking to lead the country should be respectful and mindful of America's great religious diversity and religious freedom guarantees. If nightly prayers are going to be a part of the program, they should reflect a commitment to diversity.
[UPDATE: I see that Cardinal Dolan is also on the schedule to pray at the Democratic National Convention next month. This helps alleviate concerns about his appearance at the RNC, given his strong criticism of the Obama Administration recently. Taken together, the appearance may have given the impression of an endorsement, despite his insistence to the contrary. Appearing at both Conventions goes a long way to removing that impression.]
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