Allen L.

if it wasn’t already abundantly clear, for many dem political elites, its only “Big Tent Party” when the tent is expanding to the right

My statement re Prohibiting the Latin Patriarch of entering Church of Holy Sepulcher on Palm Sunday: While all Holy sites in the Old City are closed due to safety concerns for mass gatherings including the Western Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulcher and Al Aqsa Mosque, the action today by the Israel Nat'l Police to deny Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and 3 other priests from entering the Church to offer a blessing on Palm Sunday is an unfortunate overreach already having major repercussions around the world.  Home Front Command Guidelines restrict any gatherings to 50 people or less.  The 4 representatives of the Catholic Church were well below that restriction.  Statements from the Gov't of Israel indicate the action to prohibit Cardinal Pizzaballa entry to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher were for safety reasons, but churches, synagogues, and mosques throughout Jerusalem have met with the restrictions of 50 or less.  For the Patriarch to be barred from entry to the Church on Palm Sunday for a private ceremony is difficult to understand or justify. Israel has indicated it will work with the Patriarch to accommodate a safe means of carrying out Holy Week activities.

I just called the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, to express my great sorrow over this morning's unfortunate incident in the Old City of Jerusalem, in which Cardinal Pizzaballa and the Custos of the Holy Land, the Most Reverend Fr. Francesco Ielpo, were prevented from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for prayers amid the ongoing security situation. I clarified that the incident stemmed from security concerns due to the continuous threat of missile attacks from the Iranian terror regime against the civilian population in Israel, following previous incidents in which Iranian missiles fell in the area of the Old City of Jerusalem in recent days. I reaffirmed the State of Israel's unwavering commitment to freedom of religion for all faiths and to upholding the status quo at the holy sites of Jerusalem.

WAIT. It was VIRTUAL? They couldn’t be bothered to meet up in person? HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Hasan isn’t driving a wedge into the party, the failed, repeatedly discredited yet unfortunately still entrenched corporate wing of the party is. They fear the left’s growing power and see Hasan as a way to make us argue amongst ourselves. We shouldn’t fall for it.

Yes, standing up for human rights is the most basic litmus test. Our party needs a new moral direction.