WASHINGTON (AP) - John Hagee, an influential Texas televangelist who endorsed John McCain, apologized to Catholics Tuesday for his stinging criticism of the Roman Catholic Church and for having “emphasized the darkest chapters in the history of Catholic and Protestant relations with the Jews.”
Hagee’s support for McCain has drawn cries of outrage from some Catholic leaders who have called on McCain to reject Hagee’s endorsement. The likely Republican nominee has said he does not agree with some of Hagee’s past comments, but did not reject his support.
In a letter to William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Civil and Religious Rights, Hagee wrote: “Out of a desire to advance a greater unity among Catholics and evangelicals in promoting the common good, I want to express my deep regret for any comments that Catholics have found hurtful.”
Donohue, one of Hagee’s sharpest critics, said he accepted the apology and planned to meet with Hagee Thursday in New York.
“I got what I wanted,” Donohue said in an interview. “He’s seen the light, as they like to say. So for me it’s over.”
The controversy had threatened to pursue McCain throughout the campaign, potentially hurting his standing with Catholic voters. A majority of Roman Catholics voted for President Bush in the past two presidential elections, critical votes in close elections.
How about that?? Political correctness reigns as the truth gets kicked to the curb again…
I had a bit of respect for Hagee, he had the guts to stand up and say what was on his mind, and he spoke the truth as he, an many others see it, the truth had set him free, right up until the time where he caved to the demands of politics and political correctness…
Hagee has cited the Inquisition and the Crusades as evidence of anti-Semitism within the Catholic church and has suggested that Catholic anti-Semitism shaped Adolf Hitler’s views of Jews.
“In my zeal to oppose anti-Semitism and bigotry in all its ugly forms, I have often emphasized the darkest chapters in the history of Catholics and Protestant relations with the Jews,” Hagee wrote. “In the process, I may have contributed to the mistaken impression that the anti-Jewish violence of the Crusades and the Inquisition defines the Catholic Church. It most certainly does not.”
I guess Hagee is going to be McCain’s version of Jeremiah Wright, but I have yet to hear Wright apologize to anyone for his inflammatory remarks…
I really don’t like flip-floppers, of any ilk, if you can be shown that you are wrong in a belief or statement and you apologize because you’re actually wrong, that’s one thing, but to succumb to the pressure of public opinion, to go back on your beliefs because others don’t like your view, well, to me that’s showing a lack of belief in yourself and your positions…
If I operated my blog off of the guilt that some believe I should feel, I’d have to close the blog down, I get lots of emails telling me how wrong I am to do this or say that, but here’s the deal, if I didn’t believe what I say, or write, then I wouldn’t put it on the blog and out there for all to see, that’s called having the courage to back your convictions, I guess Hagee just didn’t have it…
I am seriously of the belief that if a man can’t stand by his own words, then he just needs to keep his mouth shut…
There is one other possibility in all of this, he may have been running his mouth about the church of idolators and perverts just because he knew it would garner him some attention, and if that were the case, he was dead wrong in that regard…
Full Story Here:
Pastor Hagee apologizes for anti-Catholic remarks
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