Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani arrives at a fundraiser at Waterplace Restaurant in Providence yesterday and spoke with reporters about Bishop Thomas J. Tobin’s criticism of his stance on abortion.

The Providence Journal / John Freidah John Freidah

PROVIDENCE — When he stepped out of a black SUV at a fundraiser in downtown Providence yesterday, Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani looked up in the sky and remarked, “It looks like a very nice day.”

This time, lightning did not strike as Giuliani answered a question about Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin’s criticism of his stance on abortion. The night before, during a debate of GOP presidential candidates in New Hampshire, lightning had flashed just as Giuliani began answering a question from CNN’s Wolf Blitzer about the bishop’s comments.

In the May 31 Rhode Island Catholic weekly newspaper, Bishop Tobin had branded Giuliani’s stance on abortion “pathetic” and “hypocritical” and compared the former New York City mayor to Pontius Pilate.

“All of that I can accept,” Giuliani said yesterday. “The lightning strikes are the ones that get to me.”

He told reporters, “Everybody has a right to their opinion. Everyone knows what my opinion is, and they have a right to evaluate it.”

Giuliani, who is Roman Catholic, reiterated his stance: “I believe that abortion is wrong, but I do believe ultimately that you have to allow individuals to make that decision and government should not intervene. People of equally good conscience come to different views on this, and in America you have to respect that.”

He emphasized the need to find common ground on the divisive issue. “I’m very much in favor of limiting abortions, finding ways to reduce them significantly,” he said. “Abortions went down by 16 percent, more than the national average, in New York when I was the mayor of New York City, and, quite significantly, adoptions went up 135 percent during the eight years that I was in office.”

When asked if conservatives would accept his stance, Giuliani said, “Conservatives have different views about this.”

When asked about judicial appointments, Giuliani said, “I would appoint judges who are strict constructionists because I believe that the only way in which we can have freedom in this country is if a judge sticks to the role of being an interpreter of the Constitution and doesn’t merge into the role of legislating and making laws.”

As Giuliani spoke, former President Bill Clinton was in another part of Providence attending a fundraiser for his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. And at one point, Giuliani said the Clinton administration was “in denial” when terrorists first “declared this war” on the United States in the 1990s.

“The American government, during the Clinton administration, didn’t hear it. They were in denial,” Giuliani said. “A lot of people think the first attack on America was on Sept. 11, 2001. It wasn’t. It was back in 1993 while Clinton was the president. And we responded to it by treating it as a criminal case, not as an act of war.”

Attacks followed in Saudi Arabia, Tanzania and Kenya and on the Cole, Giuliani said. “Clinton didn’t respond,” he said. “I don’t blame him for that because, you know, hindsight is a powerful weapon, a powerful device. He didn’t have the benefit of hindsight back then. But now we have the benefit of hindsight. We see that they were at war with us.”

Giuliani claimed today’s Democratic presidential candidates want to deny the threat of Islamic terrorism. “When you have Democratic candidates saying things like, ‘The War on Terror is only a bumper sticker slogan,’ you get a sense they want to return to the denial of the 1990s,” he said.

After speaking with reporters, Giuliani attended a fundraiser at the Waterplace Restaurant, overlooking Waterplace Park. Those attending paid $500 to get in and $1,500 to have their picture taken with the candidate.

Before the event, state Republican Party Chairman Giovanni D. Cicione was asked about Bishop Tobin’s comments. “I think the bishop has a fine point. I think he strongly stressed the approach of the church,” Cicione said. “I think, as Republicans, we have to understand that our party has people with different approaches to that issue. And I think that’s OK. We hate to overuse the phrase ‘big tent,’ but it is a big tent, and we have to be open to different approaches to this.”

When asked about the bishop’s use of the words “pathetic,” “confusing” and “hypocritical,” Cicione said, “I do think that’s a little harsh. I understand his position. I think that candidate Giuliani certainly has a consistent approach to this. I think what he’s saying is that government’s role is not the same as a moral role or the church’s role. And I think there is some consistency there. I hate to call him hypocritical based on this one issue.”

Cicione, who is Roman Catholic, said he is supporting all GOP candidates equally at this point.

Former Republican Gov. Lincoln C. Almond attended the fundraiser, saying he does not think the bishop’s remarks will hurt Giuliani’s campaign. “I don’t think there are too many one-issue voters out there today,” he said. “I think that people want the leadership. They want a strong country. They want someone who could lead the nation, and I think Rudy is the guy.”

Almond, who is Episcopalian, said, “You can have a position but that doesn’t mean you are a hypocrite. I sincerely do not approve of abortion, but I was pro-choice.” Also, he said he does not think the U.S. Supreme Court is going to reverse the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. “So it’s not an issue,” he said.

Giuliani visited the private Carnegie Abbey Club in Portsmouth later in the day.

efitzpat@projo.com