"The tradition of the Smith dinner is to bring people together," archdiocese spokesman Joseph Zwilling said yesterday. "Given that issues in this year's campaign could provoke divisiveness and disagreement and could detract from that spirit, it was felt best to proceed in a different direction while maintaining all of the ideals and values of the dinner."

The 59th annual dinner, scheduled for next month at The Waldorf-Astoria hotel, will feature the president's father, former President George H.W. Bush, and former Democratic New York Gov. Hugh Carey as speakers, Zwilling said. Four years ago, Al Gore and George W. Bush spoke at the dinner, which has become a highly anticipated political tradition a few weeks before Election Day.

The last time neither presidential candidate spoke at the dinner was 1996, when Gore and Jack Kemp attended instead of President Clinton and his Republican challenger, Sen. Robert Dole.

The Smith dinner has traditionally been a lighthearted political affair in which dignitaries dress in white ties, give lighthearted speeches and raise money for Catholic health-care services.

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