President Obama named Denis McDonough to be his Chief of Staff, appointing his former National Security Advisor to the post. McDonough was appointed last week; watch a video here.
The Atlantic offers some quick facts on the new appointment, including that he is a practicing Catholic and one of 11 children, one of whom is a Catholic priest. The left-leaning advocacy group Catholics United released a statement praising Obama’s selection:
And more recently, in 2012, Denis did his best to iron out the tenuous relationship between the Catholic bishops and the Obama Administration over the HHS contraceptive mandate. When the White House realized that the original rule did not provide as much sensitivity as possible for religious organizations that were being compelled to offer medical services contrary to their religious beliefs, Denis helped make sure a third party fix, otherwise known as the accommodation, was the official White House policy. To help matters even further, Denis went out of his way to give a key policy address on the administration's commitment to religious liberty both at home and abroad at Catholic University this past Summer. The speech was widely praised by Catholic bishops and policy experts.
Michael J. O’Loughlin
