Dolan hits the ground running (and talking)
-
- April
- 14
As I head out for St. Patrick’s…
If you read Archbishop Dolan’s interview with the AP’s Rachel Zoll or watch his impromptu press conference yesterday outside the cathedral, you almost have to like the guy.
That doesn’t mean that you have to agree with him or even like everything about him.
But he’s direct, open, talks about his faith in a clear way, is a good communicator and has a sense of humor. How many religious leaders can you say that about?
Walking into St. Patrick’s “brought a tear to my eye.” He can’t wait to visit Ground Zero “like the Holy Father did.” He’s going to a food pantry in the South Bronx on Friday and a Holocaust memorial service on Monday. He wants to fight skepticism about his church, especially bad feelings from the sex-abuse crisis. He’s going to explain the church’s opposition to gay marriage and abortion over and over and talk to those who believe differently.
And he’ll keep talking about hot dogs and baseball and “wanting to be a parish priest.”
If you care at all about the role of religion in the public square, Tim Dolan promises to be a compelling fellow.
I’ll try to post some thoughts when I get home tonight, but it will be kind of late.
And then there’s a press conference tomorrow morning. But it sounds like Dolan’s tenure will be something like one, long press conference, doesn’t it?
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, April 14th, 2009 at 12:25 pm by Gary Stern.
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The world of religion, we don't have to tell you, is vast. The purpose of this blog is for Stern to note, flag and comment on some of the more interesting religious developments on the scene – weighty and quirky, somber and laughable, far away and just down the road. He won't interpret Scripture, take sides in conflicts or judge anyone. But he will take advantage of the journalist's license to observe.
