To the editor:
I was deeply disappointed to read Bishop Tobin’s “interview” with President Obama in the Feb. 12 issue of Rhode Island Catholic.
Bishop Tobin has the responsibility to uphold church teaching. To chastise the President for his policies on abortion is certainly fair game. But the bishop does not advance the pro-life cause by fabricating dialogue that maligns the President’s character and grossly mischaracterizes his views. To have the President blithely “say” that he favors people overseas killing their children so that the U.S. can save on foreign aid is more than simply patently offensive. It cheapens the importance of genuine dialogue between leaders of good faith who have fundamental differences in public policy.
I expect this kind of slanted monologue-dressed-as-dialogue from the Rush Limbaughs of the world. However, it is beneath the dignity of a Roman Catholic bishop. As leader of Rhode Island’s Catholic community and role model for its Catholic youth, Bishop Tobin should know better.
Patrick Connallon
Cranston
