[Cuomo:] Well, you don't need me to tell you, there's some troubling questions out there. What will be the state of peace in the Middle East just a few hours from now after the Israeli prime minister reveals information about Iran to Congress? And looking at Christians, are they being targeted for genocide by ISIS? Is the Pope? Scary questions but real ones. And one leader who must consider all of this is Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York. Your Eminence, thank you for being on
[New Day. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop Of New York:] Chris, appreciate the invitation. It's good to be with you.
[Cuomo:] As always. Politics aside, the instability that brings Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu here to speak about Iran and what that could mean for the implications what do you see as the greatest value here?
[Dolan:] Well, anything that we can do to bring some stability and some sense of justice and peace to the Mideast, hallelujah. I'm not supposed to say hallelujah, it's Lent, but I just did. Because who there's so much suffering there, Chris, there's so much turmoil and there's so much lack of stability. For us within the Christian family, they take it out on the Christians. The Christians are a distinct singular minority who are being systematically targeted.
[Cuomo:] People don't see it that way here. When you think about Christians, you think of the dominant mass. You know, 80 percent of the country.
[Dolan:] Yes, we know that. There's a couple things we have to remember. Christianity is ancient in that part of the world. You think of the Coptic orthodox Egyptians. Remember the 21 of them
[Cuomo:] Yes.
[Dolan:] beheaded about 10 days ago? They've been in Egypt since the time of Saint Mark the apostle. You're talking about the time of Jesus Christ.
[Cuomo:] And I know you went with them, to give conciliation. What happened?
[Dolan:] I was honored to be with them at their little church on Staten Island. So, look, they've been there, Chris. The Christians have been there seven centuries prior to Islam. So, they're part of the culture. They speak the language of the pharaohs, all right? But yet, they're looked upon as these outsiders. So, that's point number one. They're so venerable. They've been there forever. Secondly, they're a distinct minority. All right? And thirdly, they're sometimes they're caricatured and stereotyped especially by Islamic fanatics as part of Western civilization because Christianity has this reputation sometimes, it's not right, but sometimes in the Arab mind, of being part of Western culture. Christianity is universal. Christianity is all over the world. But we do know in the history of the church one of the ways it was described was through the Roman Empire. It's often thought of as a Western Latin Roman European construct, and that's another element that adds to the sense of antipathy that the extremists have against this poor vulnerable Christian minority and throughout the Mideast.
[Cuomo:] Now, obviously, ISIS is going after everybody, right, who doesn't agree with them, but do you believe that this is targeted genocide, that this is holy war by these ISIS extremists on Christians?
[Dolan:] I do. I think it's time to talk turkey and I think it's systematic well-choreographed, very well-focused attempt to eradicate the ancient Christian population in the Mideast. Now, I'm quick to add, Chris, and I mean this I believe with all my heart and soul that these extremists do not represent genuine Islamic thought.
[Cuomo:] But you believe they are Muslims?
[Dolan:] They are for sure. I would say a particularly perverted form of Islam.
[Cuomo:] But, you know, that's been a real problem for the White House in terms of defining who the enemy is. The president doesn't want to give credibility to them as Muslims because they're not really good Muslims. Many believe it's more confusing than clarifying.
[Dolan:] They claim to be Muslims, even the majority of temperate peace-loving Muslims would say I am afraid they have a particular strand, erroneous Islam. But I do think they are. You know the parallel I've drawn, Chris. And I enough people have been kind enough to tell me that they think the analogy is accurate. Remember 30, 35 years ago with the IRA in Ireland?
[Cuomo:] Sure.
[Dolan:] The IRA claimed to be Catholic.
[Cuomo:] Right.
[Dolan:] OK. They were baptized. They had a Catholic identity. What they were doing was a perversion of everything the church stood for, and to their immense credit, the bishops of Ireland, every time the IRA blew up a car or a house or barracks in the British army, the Irish bishops say they are not Catholic.
[Cuomo:] You're calling for the same thing now?
[Dolan:] The analogy is somewhat accurate. These are not pure, these are not real Muslims. Now what we need and what Pope Francis has led the world in saying, is we need the temperate moderate genuine forces of Islam to rise up and say this they do not represent us. Now, that's beginning to happen. God can bring good out of evil.
[Cuomo:] Right.
[Dolan:] You saw a leading scholar in Egypt now.
[Cuomo:] Sure.
[Dolan:] Has visited the Coptic pope and said we have to start working.
[Cuomo:] You have the Grand Muftis and other big Muslim leaders come out and say it, but it's a tremendous community, it crosses lots of different culture, and there is more of a call for one voice.
[Dolan:] Yes, now, my Muslim friends here in New York will tell me one problem we have that you Catholics don't, we don't have one leader that speaks to us. Like you have Pope Francis. We don't have that because there are different splinters of Islamic thought, Islamic practice, but I think if something good's coming from this, Chris, is we see the voice of measured, temperate, fair, just Islam that's beginning to speak up and say these fanatics do not represent us.
[Cuomo:] Let's look at home quickly here.
[Dolan:] OK.
[Cuomo:] When you talk about trends, you're seeing what's happening in the courts with same-sex marriage. The church's position is clear about what marriage under your rules. The pope said something interesting, that he would evaluate or consider evaluating civil unions. This has been something that you have taken a lead on very often. Where does it stand with the church as you see the trend here under the law?
[Dolan:] Well, we're not going to give up. Obviously, we don't take our cues from what's happening politically and legally. We take our cues from divine revelation, from the Bible, and from what we believe is planted within the human heart. So, we're going to continue
[Cuomo:] Even with the young Catholics saying that
[Dolan:] Nor do we take our cues from the opinion polls because we know that a good number of a good chunk of the United States and even a good number of our own people don't agree with us. But we keep we feel we have got to be courageous in proclaiming the truth about marriage and we will do that. I'm not familiar with what the Holy Father said. I know all of us wonder if there is a type of relationship where certain civil rights could be respected that would not rise to a redefinition of marriage. And that's, of course, what you call the civil partnerships. Thoughtful people would disagree with that. I, though, I wonder if we as a church could ever though even give a nod to something that we feel and believe with all our heart and soul is not consonant with what God has taught us. That would be a tough thing for us as Catholics to do. But they are two questions, two different questions, and I think thoughtful people are pondering them.
[Cuomo:] As you referenced the pope, you know, he has been big very expansive in terms about Catholicism. I know you love it that he's like let's not focus so much on what's wrong and the rules, let's focus on the love. He is coming to the United States.
[Dolan:] You bet he is.
[Cuomo:] It's going to be tremendous. It's going to be a big responsibility for you, one that you take very joyously I assume. September he'll be here probably before he goes to Philadelphia.
[Dolan:] You're right, Chris. We are told, and, again, this is broad outlines. The Holy See will announce it three months before he would come. We're told that probably he'll get here the evening of Thursday, September 24th. Please, God, he'll visit the cathedral. We know he wants to go to the United Nations. He's told me he would love to visit with an interreligious community somewhere and he's talking about everywhere to tap into the rich diversity that we've got here in the United States religions in a uniquely exemplary way show the amity and harmony that religions should have. So, he wants to do that. I know he wants to visit one of our inner city Catholic schools, he wants to visit one of our Catholic charity sites. Somewhere during the day, he's going to offer mass somewhere. So, it's going to be good. Then he'll go to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Family on Saturday and Sunday.
[Cuomo:] Word on the street is, big fan of CNN, knows that CNN during the conclave was the only media outlet to really focus on then Bergoglio as the pope. That's the word on the street. You know, he's very big into CNN. Really wants to take on issues here for the Catholic Church, would love to do it in the media setting. That's what I hear
[Dolan:] I haven't heard that. I appreciate it. Could you give me a memo on that?
[Cuomo:] I heard he wants it to be with a Catholic, an ethnic Catholic would be preferred.
[Dolan:] Rich ethnic diversity.
[Cuomo:] That's it. Over six feet tall.
[Dolan:] Don't we have an Irish journalist?
[Cuomo:] I don't know, six feet tall may be tough. Cardinal Dolan, thank you so much.
[Dolan:] Way to go. Always a joy to be with you.
[Cuomo:] A pleasure to have you here, talking about what matters.
[Dolan:] Thanks for asking.
[Cuomo:] Alisyn, I tried.
[Camerota:] The cardinal seems strangely skeptical of your version.
[Cuomo:] Longer time for me in confession this week.
[Camerota:] I suggest that. Excellent. Also coming up, we're going to be taking a closer look at that controversy around Hillary Clinton's e-mails. Did she violate federal law? How could this impact her plans for 2016?
[Pereira:] Also, it kind of is hard to believe it's been almost one year since Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared. A search is still underway to find that aircraft. What are the chances the plane will ever be found? New details ahead.