Cardinal Dolan prayer at DNC gets picked apart and praised

After Dolan was asked to pray at the RNC, he said he would do the same for the Democrats if they offered the invitation. The party initially rebuffed Dolan then later asked him to offer the closing prayer of the convention. The invitations ignited some debate on the appropriateness of having a prominent religious leader participate in such partisan events.

Michael O'Loughlin, wrote in AmericaMagazine.com, a Catholic Jesuit publication, that despite his "concerns about Dolan’s appearance at the conventions, I hoped he would challenge both parties, making both Democrats and Republicans alike a bit uncomfortable. To some extent, he did."

Rabbi David Wolpe wrote in the Washington Post that people shouldn't automatically jump to the conclusion that offering a prayer at a political convention is a tacit endorsement of that party's policies.

"If prayer means endorsement then God is made small. The clergy who give their allegiance entirely to one side of the political spectrum or the other do not, I believe, appreciate the richness of traditions nor the reality that different sides of the national argument have powerful truths embedded in their outlooks."