Cardinal Rigali Not Giving Award to Sen. Bob Casey, Jr.

"It is a relief to know that Casey will not be receiving any sort of honor directly from the hands of Cardinal Rigali."

WASHINGTON, DC (Inside Catholic) - I just received the following e-mail from Donna Farrell, Director of Communications at the Archdiocese of Philadelphia:

"Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. First, Cardinal Rigali is not honoring Senator Casey nor any politician. The Cardinal is celebrating the 57th annual Red Mass in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia which is open to all legal professionals in Philadelphia. The St. Thomas More Society, which traditionally participates in the Red Mass, is independent of the Archdiocese. The selection of any award recipients at the annual St. Thomas More Society dinner is made by the Society's leadership. The St. Thomas More Society Award will be presented at a separate and distinct event that Cardinal Rigali will not be attending. Nothing will be presented at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul."

Thus, the furor over the award to Sen. Casey can be laid at the feet of the Catholic lawyers and jurists in Philadelphia. Whether or not Cardinal Rigali might have intervened directly with their choice is another question.

It is a relief to know that Casey will not be receiving any sort of honor directly from the hands of Cardinal Rigali. It is also significant that Rigali is not attending the Thomas More Society dinner himself.

---

The mission of InsideCatholic.com is to be a voice for authentic Catholicism in the public square.We believe that truth is both attractive and compelling and that in the marketplace of ideas, it will invariably win out.