The full purpose of Christmas is to recenter Christians in their faith, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York, said on Newsmax Saturday.
"I was just over in Paris a couple of weeks ago for the rededication of Notre Dame after the devastating fire," Dolan told Newsmax's "Saturday Agenda." "It was almost as if France was recentered, refocused on God and faith and religion and tradition and virtue and right living.
"It's almost like like that rededication of Notre Dame called them back to what we're supposed to be. That's what Christmas is."
Some of God's first words in the Bible were "Let there be light," Dolan added. "And in the meantime, there was also a lot of darkness with that light ... so he said, let's try again.
"So Christmas is his hope to recreate, to call us back. That's for the invitation of Christmas."
He noted that people ask why it can't be Christmas every day.
"Well it can," said Dolan. "If you put God first, if you've got that crib scene in your living room where everybody's focused on the revelation of God through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, whose birthday we're celebrating, you've got things in order ... you'll be renewed like Notre Dame was in Paris."
Dolan also on Saturday discussed the recent election. President Joe Biden and now-President-elect Donald Trump split the Catholic vote four years ago, but Trump won it this year by 18 points.
"I do think it was two things. I think some Catholics liked some of the policies, some of the proposals, some of the promises that Donald Trump had had were, was making," said Dolan. "I [also] think a good number of Catholics were bristled a little and were a bit chagrined at some of the policies that his opponent, Kamala Harris, was proposing."
Dolan acknowledged that he was surprised to hear the news that Trump took a "good chunk of the Catholic vote."
He noted that there were a few times that he and Trump spoke.
"He said, 'You've got to tell Catholics to vote for me,' which can't do as a bishop," said Dolan. "I think a good number of Catholics believed him, and I hope he follows through."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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