DID JOHN McCAIN'S NEWEST RELIGIOUS PAL ONCE PRESIDE OVER A KORAN-BURNING?

From Right Wing Watch:

McCain's Next Controversial Priest

Deal Hudson reports that John McCain "met privately" with Rev. Frank Pavone, the Priests for Life head most famous for calling Michael Schiavo a murderer, before a Catholic-outreach meeting in Philadelphia....

Yes, Pavone, who advised the members of Terri Schiavo's family who wanted to keep her alive, did call her husband a murderer.

...after Terri died, I called her death a killing, and I called you a murderer because you knew -- as we all did -- that ceasing to feed Terri would kill her.... Some have demanded that I apologize to you for calling you a murderer. Not only will I not apologize, I will repeat it again....

Just after her death, he spread misinformation about her condition -- for instance, at the Priests for Life Web site:

I went down to see [Terri Schiavo] in September 2004....

When her mom first introduced her to me, she stared at me intently. She focused her eyes. She would focus her eyes on whoever was talking to her. If somebody spoke to her from the other part of the room she would turn her head and her eyes towards the person who was talking to her....

And also on Fox News:

...She was very responsive--closing her eyes when I said, "Let’s pray together, Terri," opening them up after the prayer. Smiling, returning the kiss of her father. Turning her eyes to me when I spoke to her. In many other ways, as well, responsive.

Even today, although, of course, with the effects of the dehydration, her response was much less. Nevertheless, her eyes were open, her eyes were moving, and as I prayed with her, her eyes were shifting over toward my direction--even until the last moments that I was with her....

(Terri Schiavo, of course, was blind as a result of brain damage.)

And did he preside over a Koran-burning? Well, it's not clear. We do know about a 2004 event in Ohio that was reported at the Web site of Operation Save America, a sister group to Operation Rescue:

... at Columbus City Hall, Thursday July 22, 2004, ... Operation Save America (OSA) burned a "gay" flag, a copy of Roe vs. Wade and a Muslim "holy" book, the Koran....



Whether or not he was present for the Koran-burning, we know that Pavone spoke at the event:

Thursday, July 22, 2004

OSA Formally, Publicly Transitions to Hate Group; Burns Koran, Rainbow Flag and Copy Of Supreme Court "Roe v. Wade" Decision At City Hall

...Frank Pavone, a priest who is an official of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for the Family, spoke this afternoon at OSA's City Hall event.

There's McCain's new pal.