Washington D.C., Apr 28, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Catholics in the United States must live and promote a positive approach to liberty, conceived more as “freedom for” something constructive rather than as a mere “freedom from” real or imaginary restraints, said Avery Cardinal Dulles in his keynote address at the first National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.
The event yesterday gathered more than 1,000 attendees at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., including many Catholic personalities such as Judge Robert Bork, Senator Rick Santorum, Congressman Walter Jones, the Honorable Tommy Thompson, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Theodore Cardinal McCarick, archbishop of Washington, D.C., who is in Rome for an Ad Limina visit, sent a personal greeting that was read by Fr. Robert Pranke, the archdiocese’s director of vocations.
“Your presence has completely surpassed our expectations,” said Austin Ruse, vice-president of the organizing committee during the breakfast, which followed the prayer of the rosary and a celebration of the Eucharist.