Cardinal should focus on church's iss

This is regarding Cardinal Francis George maintaining pressure of Notre Dame University for inviting President Obama to be their commencement speaker this year.

His disapproval is based on the President's pro-stance on stem-cell research. He expressed disapproval saying it brought him "extreme embarrassment" and added the university "didn't understand what it means to be Catholic" when it issued the invitation. As a practicing Catholic all my life, I am embarrassed the Cardinal doesn't understand what it really means to be an American. He says a great number of Catholics are upset with the invitation. He didn't mention that a great number of Catholics also support the President on this issue.

The majority of Americans - and that's true for Catholics - support stem-cell research. I believe it is a wonderful thing the President is doing. But is this really what his complaint is all about. Cardinal George was quiet as a mouse when Bush was in office. We heard little from him on the stem-cell issue or on immigration, for that matter, during Bush's eight years. Last week we had the Cardinal condemning Obama because federal authorities are still arresting and deporting illegal aliens. He blatantly asked the President to stop the arrest and deportations and ignore the law of the land.

What's going on with Cardinal? Are we getting a little "smoke and mirrors" here? He still refuses to address the pedophile issue with any real teeth. Perhaps it's time he stopped wondering far-a-field by attacking the President and cleaned up the mess in his own backyard.

R.P. Harrison

Elk Grove Village