Pope healing wounds of church sex abuse scandal?
(PHOTO CREDIT: AP)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The buzz began before the papal plane had even touched down. There were rumors beginning to circulate that Benedict XVI might actually meet with victims of the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. The Holy Father said he would speak forcefully and directly about the shame the scandal has brought upon the church.
But talking to the victims was something that had never happened, not at that level. And yet for true healing to actually begin this is what was necessary.
And it did. Without fanfare Benedict XVI this afternoon met with a small group of people who were sexually abused by priests. No reporters, no cameras, private, personal, and profound. We are told the Pope listened to their stories and prayed with them.
There is a very long way to go if in fact it is even possible for the Catholic Church to ever overcome the effects of this, but it's a start.
Here’s my question to you: How far has Pope Benedict XVI gone toward healing the wounds of the church's sex abuse scandal?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Clinton & McCain find common enemy
Click the Play Button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say. (PHOTO CREDIT: AP)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
It looks like Hillary Clinton and John McCain have found a common enemy in Barack Obama.
As the Financial Times puts it: "The 2008 presidential race has boiled down to a fight of two against one”... meaning McCain and Clinton versus Obama.
Perhaps this shouldn't come as much of a surprise being that Obama is now the Democratic front-runner. Clinton needs to knock him out and win big in Pennsylvania on Tuesday in order to have a shot at the nomination. And McCain – unlike the Democratic candidates – already has the luxury of focusing on the general election.
Aides to the presumptive Republican nominee say they'd prefer Clinton as an opponent because of her high negative ratings. Yesterday in the Cafferty File we told you about a poll that shows 58% of Americans say Clinton is not honest and trustworthy.
So what we're seeing now is both Clinton and McCain going after Obama with almost identical criticisms. For example, both have portrayed Obama as an "elitist" during the fallout of his "bitter" remarks. Clinton often targets McCain in her attacks. But for his part, McCain sticks almost entirely to criticizing Obama, sometimes even as a response to a shot he's taken from Clinton.
The Republican National Committee also overwhelmingly targets Obama instead of Clinton in its attacks. When Clinton was in the lead last year, she was all the RNC could talk about.
Former Democratic presidential candidate and Obama backer Gary Hart says Clinton has broken "an unwritten rule of politics" by handing the Republicans ammunition to be used against Obama later on.
Meanwhile, another Democratic adviser, who's not backing either candidate yet, says that Clinton might be hurting herself among Democratic voters by her willingness to team up with McCain. He says, "One plus one equals zero if your ally is a Republican."
Here’s my question to you: Why do both Hillary Clinton and John McCain target Barack Obama with virtually the same criticisms?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
How can so many Democrats still be undecided?
(PHOTO CREDIT: AP)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Coming up on the three primaries that could end this thing, the polls are not trending in Hillary Clinton's favor.
In Pennsylvania, which votes Tuesday, Clinton's double-digit lead has been shrinking for weeks. An average of polls shows her only ahead by 5 points in a state the experts agree she must win convincingly if she hopes to reignite her campaign.
In Indiana, Obama has actually taken the lead. He's ahead by 5 points in a Los Angeles Times-Bloomberg poll. And in North Carolina, the same poll shows Obama even farther ahead, leading by 13.
Almost everyone, except Hillary Clinton, agrees that if this is the way these three states vote, the fat lady will be positively deafening. But there's a fly in the ointment: Despite 15 months of campaigning, dozens of primaries and caucuses already held, 21 debates, and news stories too numerous to mention, a lot of Democrats in North Carolina and Indiana say they still don't know who they're going to vote for. How's this possible?
In North Carolina, the undecided voters number 19%. And in Indiana, the number is even higher: 25%. Those two states hold primaries May 6th. I wonder what it will take for them to make up their minds.
Here’s my question to you: How can so many Democrats in Indiana and North Carolina still be undecided about whether they'll support Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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