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REPRESENTATIVE SCHAKOWSKY CALLS ON SPEAKER HASTERT AND HOUSE LEADERSHIP TO RELEASE DOCUMENTS FROM THE HOUSE CHAPLAIN SELECTION PROCEEDINGS SCHAKOWSKY: LETS ASSURE FAIRNESS OF THE PROCESS IN SELECTING HOUSE CHAPLAIN AND THAT ANTI-CATHOLIC SENTIMENTS DONT E

January 13, 2000
JANUARY 13, 2000

REPRESENTATIVE SCHAKOWSKY CALLS ON SPEAKER HASTERT AND HOUSE LEADERSHIP TO RELEASE DOCUMENTS FROM THE HOUSE CHAPLAIN SELECTION PROCEEDINGSSCHAKOWSKY: "LET'S ASSURE FAIRNESS OF THE PROCESS IN SELECTING HOUSE CHAPLAIN AND THAT ANTI-CATHOLIC SENTIMENTS DON'T EXIST IN CONGRESS"

WASHINGTON, D.C.--U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky urged the House leadership to make available all records relating to the selection process of the House Chaplain. In a letter to all House Members Schakowsky wrote "I believe that our constituents deserve real assurances that religious prejudice was not an issue and will never be an issue in House deliberations."

Earlier this week, the Chicago City Council unanimously adopted a resolution stating the council's concern that the rejection of Reverend Timothy O'Brien as House Chaplain "has raised significant questions about the fairness of the process and whether or not old hard-line anti-Catholic sentiments still reverberate in the halls of the U.S. Congress."

Reverend O'Brien was the preferred choice of most members on the bipartisan selection panel. Still, the House leadership decided against selecting him as the new House Chaplain.