NYT p 1:Kerry,Candidate & Catholic,Creates Uneasiness for Ch.

[DeepModem Mom]

Kerry, Candidate and Catholic, Creates Uneasiness for Church
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN

Published: April 2, 2004


Senator John Kerry's support for abortion rights and stem cell research has prompted discussions among Roman Catholic bishops and Vatican officials over how to respond to a presidential candidate who professes Catholicism while taking stands contrary to church teaching.

The issue has been a topic in the Vatican this week as bishops from Florida, Georgia and North and South Carolina hold long-scheduled meetings with the pope and Vatican officials on a variety of issues.

"They are basically struggling with this, as we are," said one visiting American, Bishop John H. Ricard of Pensacola-Tallahassee, the chairman of a task force expected to produce guidelines for American bishops on relations with Catholic politicians....

***

The bishops are unlikely to make overt endorsements, and consistently say that they favor neither Democrats nor Republicans. But if some influential prelates choose to publicly embrace Mr. Kerry or to snub him — by refusing to offer him communion, withholding an honorary degree or canceling an event at a Catholic institution — it could have an impact on some Catholic voters....


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/02/politics/campaign/02KERR.html

[Hekate]

1. So...a Dominionist theocracy wouldn't give them any problems?

Must be a difficult choice for the Princes of the Church: outright heretics on the one side (Dominionists) vs. a Catholic American who thinks for himself and thinks others should, too.

Hekate
:evilgrin:

[xchrom]

2. the catholic church, in some ways,

has only itself to blame.
it is still a hot bed of a great, great many liberals.
i hope this causes the conservatives to lose sleep at night.

[leftchick]

3. As a Catholic I can not imagine how...

I would not choose Kerry vs bush* who only cares about the life of a person until it is born.

[readmylips]

4. As a Catholic, it would be a sin for me ....

to vote for criminal bush, especially knowing that he is a criminal. Bush is everything that God is not.

[David__77]

5. "pro-life" doesn't just mean fetuses...

I can have some more respect for the Catholic pro-life position, rather than that of the likes of Falwell. The fundamentalists are "pro-life" for fetuses but for no one else. It is true that the Catholic leadership has opposed free market and anti-welfare policies because they recognize that these are anti-life of the already born. They should realize that abortion will not be outlawed and recognize the need to fight for the poor and right to life of those already born.

[OHdem10]

6. As a liberal catholic

the church needs to squirm. At one time w as a church stood out in the world as a beacon for social justice---then what happened. Did they become so engrossed in cultural issues--the very essence of Christ teachings are confused. It is best that my Church remember how President Kennedy had to go to the South and grovel--doing everything in his power to prove "he would Not be taking orders from Rome on how to run the country." Lest there is any confusion, I love my church--American Catholics have never been easy for Church leaders to dominate. We are Thinkers.

[damnraddem]

7. It's simple really. In a country with religious freedom and ...

separation of church and state, politicians can, and should, keep separate their private moral stances and their views on public policy. Sure, a politician's morality informs her/his politics, but it should also be only one factor, certainly separable. Other Catholic politicians have taken principled stands, noting personal opposition to abortion but recognizing the general right to choice.

[diamond14]

8. We are "Catholics for Kerry !"...and this NYT article is just a smear

JFK reminds us of when we put another great JFK into the White House...despite a whole lot of nasty reTHUGlicans who smeared and lied and said that Catholics could NOT lead America....

BULL !....this NYT article is simply more of the 'smear Kerry at all costs'... imply that NOBODY will vote for Kerry...claim OUTRAGEOUS things about Catholics and Kerry...written by "LAURIE GOODSTEIN", an 'expert' in Catholics??? LOL...

[snooper2]

9. Screw the Church...

eom

[PATRICK]

10. historical perspective

While John Kerry and many other Catholic boys were dodging bullets in Vietnam the hot controversy among the prelates was whether or not to allow communion to be received in the hand- while ducking the war in highly Catholic Vietnam(north and south) completely.

If they are going to heroically wade into controversy maybe they could manage to consider other things besides sex and liturgy? That the clergy even want to consider sexual pontificating in the face of abuse scandals says an awful lot how their moral warp drive is stuck in the twilight zone.

Meanwhile Bush, heretical power god, who probably abetted his girlfriend in having an abortion for the basest of self-serving dynastic reasons, and is a total hypocrite on all issues he is pandering to the Church in place of social justice... Bush, whose allies are attempting subversion and takeover of the beleaguered Church through their powerful "lay leaders"... Bush responsible for needless war and the destruction of millions of lives etc, etc.

..is given a free pass because he is not a card carrying member of this moral organization.