 After Presbyterian withdraws from House chaplaincy consideration, Catholic is chosen ByJohn H. Adams The Layman Online Friday, March 24, 2000
Wright, who has been a leader of the National Prayer Breakfast, was Hastert's first choice. But the Presbyterian minister declined to keep his name in consideration after Democrats attacked Hastert's refusal to appoint a Catholic priest who had been recommended by a bipartisan committee. Chicago vicar appointed Instead, Hastert appointed Father Daniel Coughlin, vicar of the Archdiocese of Chicago, to the chaplaincy. Coughlin thus becomes the first Roman Catholic chaplain to serve in either the U.S. House or U.S. Senate. If Wright had been selected, both chambers would have had chaplains from the Presbyterian Church (USA). Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie, former pastor of Hollywood Presbyterian Church in California, is chaplain of the U.S. Senate. "I believe that Daniel Coughlin will bring to the House a caring and healing heart," Hastert told the House on March 23. "He has been a parish priest and has spent the past several years counseling parish priests within the Archdiocese. He brings 40 years of ministerial experience to this House. Three names submitted Last November, the bipartisan search committee submitted three names to Hastert: Father Tim O'Brien, Rev. Robert Dvorak and Dr. Wright. There was no ranking of the three when their names were forwarded to Hastert. But after Haster announced that Wright was his choice, Democrats on the committee said O'Brien had been the favorite. Later, some Democrats in the House accused the speaker of religious bias against Catholics. That alleged bias became a boiling issue for Democrats after Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush spoke at Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C., a school whose presidents have declared Catholicism non-Christian. In his speech on the House floor, Hastert explained why his first choice had been Wright. "While I found all three candidates to have impressive credentials, I was most impressed with the pastoral experience and warmth of Dr. Charles Wright, who for years has ministered to the needs of the Capitol Hill community," Hastert said. Speaker praises Wright "In addition he had years of experience in the inner city as well as the international community. He spent years trying to break down the walls of apartheid and seek common understanding between blacks and whites. I made my selection based on that experience and on the qualities I found in him. No one, other than the candidates themselves, influenced my decision. Any suggestion to the contrary is simply wrong." But Hastert said that it had become clear that the Democrats would never support Wright. "I have waited more than four months in the hope that voices of reason would prevail. Charles Wright is a good and decent man. He would make an excellent chaplain." Gephardt declines meeting Hastert said he asked Richard Gephardt, Democratic minority leader, to allow Wright to meet with the Democratic Caucus, but that Gephardt would not do so. Some members of the House "were trying to take political advantage out of what was essentially a spiritual decision and charged me with anti-Catholic sentiment," Hastert said. "Is there anti-Catholic sentiment still alive in our country? In fact, is there anti-religious bias alive in our country?" Hastert asked. "Sad as it is to admit I believe the answer to both these questions may be yes." Hastert told House members that he agrees with many Catholic positions: "I agree with the Catholic Church that we should protect the unborn. I agree with the mission of the Catholic schools, who help so many Catholic and non-Catholic students get a values-based education. I wholeheartedly support the Catholic Church's great work to help the poor. I believe that the Vatican should have a seat in the United Nations. And I have the greatest respect and admiration for the pope, who has done so much to bring peace to our troubled world and played such a critical role in ending the scourge of Communism in Eastern Europe." The chaplaincy issue became so heated that some members of the House and many newspaper editorials called for ending the office altogether. That would be "a grave mistake," Haster said. "Ever since the first prayer was offered in the Continental Congress on September 7, 1774, two years before the Declaration of Independence was written, Congress has been blessed by a daily prayer. The daily prayer has served as a peaceful refuge from the partisan wrangling. It has bound disparate factions under the unifying theme of God's love." |
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