Trump, Biden appeal to Catholics at virtual charity dinner

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden appealed to the nation’s Roman Catholic voters on Thursday during a charity dinner that traditionally has been used to promote collegiality and good humor. “But I got it for them.” For his part, Biden, who is Catholic, said his time in politics has been guided by the tenets of Catholic social doctrine: “What you do to the least among us, you do unto me.” “We have a responsibility to future generations, and that’s the charge before us today,” Biden said. They have seized on comments from California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, who said during Barrett’s confirmation hearing for appellate judge three years ago that “when you read your speeches, the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly within you.” Biden spoke of his personal losses over the years, with his first wife and daughter dying in a car crash just as his political career was beginning and his son Beau dying of brain cancer while he was serving as vice president in the Obama administration. This year, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said he was grateful for the two men speaking at the virtual dinner, and, with a nod to the coming election, said, “I also dare remind them that Al Smith was a happy warrior, that he was never a sore loser.” ___ Barrow reported from Atlanta.