U.S. Catholic Presidential Candidates to Address Role of Faith in Public Policy at Boston College April 23

    CHESTNUT HILL, Mass., April 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Some of the
 most divisive and hotly debated issues in the U.S. will be on the table
 April 23 when Boston College hosts the first forum to focus exclusively and
 in-depth on U.S. presidential candidates' views of the role of religion and
 faith in politics and public policy decision making.
     Several thousand religious, political and business leaders, academics,
 students and members of the general public are expected to gather at BC's
 Conte Forum to hear U.S. Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) and U.S. Senator
 Chris Dodd (D-Connecticut), both announced 2008 presidential candidates,
 represent a spectrum of conservative and liberal views as they address the
 challenge of balancing dual loyalty to the Church and to the American
 people.
     Moderated by NBC "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert, the event is
 expected to address a range of hot-button contemporary issues -- from stem
 cell research, abortion and euthanasia to gay marriage, war, morality,
 social justice and family values -- all cast in light of the relationship
 between political decision-making and Church teaching.
     The forum is presented by Boston College's Church in the 21st Century
 Center, which seeks to be a catalyst and resource for the renewal of the
 Catholic Church in the United States by engaging critical issues facing the
 Catholic community. The Center is an outgrowth of Boston College's Church
 in the 21st Century initiative, which was the first response of any
 Catholic university in the nation to the clergy sexual abuse crisis. The
 event is made possible through the generosity of The Murray Monti Speaker
 Series Fund for the Church in the 21st Century.
     WHAT:    "Catholic Senators and Presidential Candidates: Their Faith and
              Public Policy"
 
     WHEN:    Monday, April 23 at 7:00 p.m.
 
     WHERE:   Conte Forum, on the Boston College main campus in Chestnut Hill.
 
     WHO:     U.S. Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas)
              U.S. Senator Chris Dodd (D-Connecticut)
              NBC "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert, moderator.
 
 

SOURCE Boston College