It helps to know that Hochul’s appearance took place in a setting frequently visited by Democrats and Republicans alike: Brooklyn’s massive Christian Cultural Center. A New York Times profile of its pastor, the Rev. A.R. Bernard, once noted that this “church, the largest in New York City, has long been considered a required stop on the way to City Hall and beyond.”
In other words, it wasn’t that surprising that the governor said what she said in the sacred setting in which she said it. However, her remarks were also connected — by timing — with the state’s decision to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for all health care workers, including those attempting to claim exemptions based on their religious beliefs.
Hochul didn’t address that issue at the Christian Cultural Center, but said, “I feel God has tapped me on the shoulder … because everything I have done in life has been because of the Grace of God leading me to that place.” She added that the coronavirus pandemic has only strengthened that conviction.
“Jesus taught us to love one another,” Hochul said. “How do you show that love but to care about each other enough to say, ‘Please get the vaccine because I love you and I want you to live?’
Asked about @NYCMayor running for Governor next year, @GovKathyHochul quips, “I thought everyone in Brooklyn was running.”😉 pic.twitter.com/q5SLflIyfB
— Zack Fink (@ZackFinkNews) October 6, 2021