WP: Catholics Question Abortion Focus

[kskiska]

Some Want Church to Address Issues Such as Death Penalty

A question has been gnawing at Frank A. McNeirney since he read that some Roman Catholic bishops want to deny Communion to Catholic politicians, such as Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry, whose public positions are at odds with church doctrine.

"Does this only apply to abortion?" asked McNeirney, 67, of Bethesda. "What about the death penalty?"

After retiring as a trade magazine editor a dozen years ago, McNeirney founded a nonprofit organization, Catholics Against the Death Penalty, which has 1,200 members across the country. It's a mom-and-pop operation, run by McNeirney and his wife, Ellen, out of their home on a shoestring budget. They are the first to acknowledge that it has nowhere near the political clout or public visibility of the nation's antiabortion groups.

But McNeirney is not alone in questioning whether the church's political vision has become myopic, focusing too narrowly on abortion.

Some Catholic publications, educators and elected officials are also warning that church leaders may appear hypocritical or partisan if they condemn Kerry because he favors abortion rights while they say nothing about Catholic governors who allow executions, Catholic members of Congress who support the Iraq war or Catholic officials at all levels who ignore the church's teachings on social justice.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41965-2004Apr25.html

[Skittles]

1. what about illegally invading and bombing the f*** out of a country

what about supporting legislation that hurts the poor. Why do only Democrats get scrutinized?

[kskiska]

2. Well, there's Jeb

Still, McNeirney argued that Catholic governors such as Jeb Bush of Florida who have approved numerous executions are "morally worse" than politicians such as Kerry who vote for abortion rights legislation but are not "personally participating in the killing."

No one's mentioned Giuliani.

[fearnobush]

3. Church leaders may (do) appear hypocritical.

Some Catholic publications, educators and elected officials are also warning that church leaders may appear hypocritical.

This why I left the Church.

[IronLionZion]

5. They don't just appear

they are. They are also in bed with the Republicans.

Kerry's critics are also hypocritical because in the 60's they worried that Rome would control Kennedy. Kerry is clearly outside their control.

eh, I have my disagreements but I'm sticking with the church for now. The one I go to now is quite progressive. But this is Rochester, the same diocese where a priest was sacked for recognizing same-sex marriages.

[pansypoo53219]

4. because women

must face their pushment of having fornication and bear their sins.

[IronLionZion]

6. because children are a punishment

:crazy:

[Crunchy Frog]

7. I really thought that this business

of the Catholic Church trying to dictate the internal politics of countries had gotten settled at the time of the Reformation.

I think it's crazy that in 1960 Kennedy had to prove that he would not be taking orders from the Vatican, and now Kerry is being criticized for being independent of the Vatican in his policies.

Sometimes I feel like I'm on a time machine heading back into the distant past.

[Disturbed]

8. Two wak concepts at once!

The Catholic church is against birth control and abortion. With the populations in some countries exploding this is an insane policy!

[krkaufman]

9. le crux

Catholic officials at all levels who ignore the church's teachings on social justice.

Helloooooo!

Thanks for the article. Good one.

[Democat]

10. Someone should put together a massive action effort to prod the church

If the church would enforce their rules equally, then no one would listen to them or everyone would have to.

Someone should put together a massive campaign to get the church to enforce their beliefs on war and the death penalty equally with abortion.

A few hundred thousand letters from American Catholics to Rome wouldn't hurt!