Tuesday, February 24, 2009

PRESIDENT CALLS NEW YORK'S NEW ARCHBISHOP TO OFFER PRAYERS AND CONGRATULATIONS

NY's new archbishop recounts call from Obama
Calls President "Extraordinarily Gracious"

By JIM FITZGERALD Associated Press Writer
February 23, 2009

YONKERS, N.Y. - President Barack Obama called New York's new Roman Catholic archbishop Monday to offer his prayers and congratulations, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan said as he visited a suburban seminary.

The former archbishop of Milwaukee described the call as "extraordinarily gracious" and said he invited Obama to his installation on April 15. He said the president had told him, "I assure you of my prayers." There was no official word from the White House on the conversation. The new archbishop and Obama spoke briefly about the country's financial problems, Dolan said. Dolan even managed to inject some humor into their exchange, suggesting the church hold additional collections, he said.

No comments: