Rudy Giuliani – Campaign is a Test of Faith

U.S. Republican presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (C) waves to supporters during a campaign rally at the Three Kings Day Parade in Miami’s Little Havana, January 13, 2008.

Rudy Giuliani is in South Florida today and spoke this morning in front of a Hispanic Evangelical Mega-Church, God at El Rey Jesus, where former Florida (remember the CHADS) Secretary of State, US Representative Katharine Harris attended.

Harris was not the best United States Senate candidate in 2006 (in fact, her campaign was a disaster) but she continues a high GOP profile in Florida.

Key Quotes from the Mayor:

• “I have deep respect for the power of faith,’’ Mr. Giuliani said at the church. “I received a religious education for most of my life, until the time I attended law school. And as you realize, law school is not a religious education.’’

• “But up until then I started every day of class making the sign of the cross, praying to Jesus, praying to Mary and asking for help, asking for assistance, and it built into my very being an understanding that we have to pray for help, that we have to pray for guidance, we have to pray to seek God’s will, and we have to pray to make us better people, to live the life that God wants for us,’’ he said.

• ….“how faith can transform lives, making families stronger, making communities better, giving people of despair, hope, and giving people a much better understanding of what life is really all about: service to God, and service to others.’’

• “I’m running for president of the United States,’’ he said. “It is marathon, not a sprint. And in many ways it’s a test of strength, and it’s a test of faith. The Bible reminds us, Joshua 10:25, fear not, be strong and of good courage. That’s the way to face the future. Whatever is ahead, we don’t know. Anything can be challenging us. Good, bad, difficult. But if we believe in God, fear not, be strong, and of good courage, that is the way to provide real leadership.”

• “That’s what I’ve strived to do all of my life,’’ he said. “I’ve faced odds that were at times seemingly impossible. Situations where people had given up hope. But we didn’t listen to the doubters. We didn’t listen to the naysayers. You know how many of them there are: it can’t be done, it hasn’t been done before, we can’t handle this, we can’t accomplish this, no one’s ever done it before. Oh, there are so many that are naysayers. But don’t listen to them. Don’t pay attention to them. Fear not, be strong, and of good courage.’’

It is an understatement that Rudy’s uncoventional campaign is a test of faith – particularly for the Washington DC and New York pundits who have been writing his obituary for weeks. For many of them it is wishful thinking since many have whored themselves out by shilling for other candidates and those candidates are now in a make or break primary elections before Florida.

Giuliani is an Italian Catholic and I have wondered when he was going to play the Catholic Faith card. Certainly, it was not going to be in Protestant Evangelical land of Iowa or South Carolina and definitley not New Hampshire. But, his comments above reflect his Catholic heritage and education.

Catholic voters WILL be reminded he is one of them – especially in states where there are more Catholic voters.

Florida is one of them.