CHARLOTTE, NC–Gov. Pat Quinn, who has clashed with Cardinal Francis George over abortion rights and gay adoptions, said Wednesday he thinks “God” should be included in the newly adopted Democratic National Convention platform.
The Christian Broadcasting Network was first to report that the term had been stripped out of the list of party principles, which were approved Tuesday.
In 2008, the party’s platform included a reference to “God-given potential.” But neither that phrase nor any reference to “God” now exists in the newly approved list of party positions, drawing anger and ridicule from Republicans.
On MSNBC’s “Daily Rundown” Wednesday, Quinn told host Chuck Todd that he thinks “God” does belong in the party’s platform.
“I think God matters. I think the president is a God-fearing man,” Quinn said.
Asked if he thought God should have been inserted in the platform, the Democratic governor said, “In God we trust. That’s our slogan for the United States of America. I think we should probably start the platform with that.”
Quinn, a Roman Catholic, has skirmished with his church over his policy positions in support of abortion rights and gay adoptions. Last December, Illinois’ Catholic bishops admonished the governor for those stances.
“A personal conscience that is not consistent with authentic Catholic teaching is not a Catholic conscience,” the bishops wrote at the time. “The Catholic faith cannot be used to justify positions contrary to the faith itself. It is a matter of personal integrity for people who call themselves Catholic to act in a manner that is consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church.”
