NYT p.1: Politicians Face Censure from Bishops on Abortion Rts

[DeepModem Mom]

Politicians Face Censure From Bishops on Abortion Rights
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN

Published: June 19, 2004


The nation's Roman Catholic bishops approved a statement on Friday on "Catholics in Political Life" that brands politicians who support abortion rights as "cooperating in evil" and leaves the door open for bishops to deny communion to such lawmakers.

The bishops, meeting outside Denver, stopped short of saying that those lawmakers should be forbidden to take communion. But they reminded all Catholics that they were not worthy to receive communion until they had examined their consciences, including their "fidelity to the moral teaching of the church in personal and public life."

The bishops also asserted unequivocally that "the Catholic community and Catholic institutions" should not give "awards, honors or platforms" to Catholics who "act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles."...

***

The statement provides backing to bishops on both sides of what has become a very public debate set off by the candidacy of Mr. Kerry, who would be the first Catholic to obtain a major party nomination in 44 years. It lends support to both those who would sanction defiant politicians and those who draw the line at teaching and persuading. It says, "Bishops can legitimately make different judgments on the most prudent course of pastoral action."...


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/19/national/19BISH.final.html

[NashVegas]

1. Great! Now, About That Death Penalty ...

And while we're at it, let's take on misleading negative political ads (thou shalt not bear false witness), adulterors, and the 2000 election (thou shalt not covet thy neighbors votes).

[The Zanti Regent]

9. Are they going to deny communion to Arnold?

He's pro choice and pro Gay marriage...

and what about Pataki, Ridge and Giuliani????

[madrchsod]

2. maybe the "church" should

clean up it`s own house before issuing statements on morality.

[Dogmudgeon]

3. Good idea!

But let's not stop there.

There are plenty of moral positions that the Catholic church takes that overlap with politics. The same logic should be applied to Catholic participation the these issues:

Warfare
Issuing police lethal weapons
Capital Punishment
Issues of Separation of Church and State
Pedophilia and harboring suspects in molestation cases
Post-mortem autopsy and cremation
The Pope or The People: Who's in charge of the candidate?
Sunday employment

The "can of worms" possibilities are endless!

--bkl

[Cooley Hurd]

4. The Pope came thru on Chimpo's suggestion...

...that bishops insert themselves into wedge issues to disrupt the electoral process.

Bloody hypocrites!

[monarch]

5. If these idiots truly believe in God

and that that God prohibits abortions, why don't they just let God sort it out when everyone goes to their eternal "reward?"

[Crunchy Frog]

6. When are they going to go after

politicians who use birth control, or who have been divorced and remarried while the original spouse is still alive.

Those are pretty major church doctrines aren't they? I don't know because I'm not Catholic, but I was under the impression that they are.

What about politicians who support wars that the Vatican has deemed to be unjust? Of course, they will only focus on things that differentially target Democrats, and ignore Republican behavior that contradicts church teaching.

[struggle4progress]

7. "The polarizing tendencies of election-year politics can lead ...

... to circumstances in which Catholic teaching and sacramental practice can be misused for political ends."

http://www.usccb.org/bishops/catholicsinpoliticallife.htm

[struggle4progress]

8. Catholics oppose denial of sacrament

As the nation's Catholic bishops gather to discuss the politics of Holy Communion, two new public opinion polls report that 3 out of 4 Catholics do not think the church should deny the sacrament to politicians who support abortion rights.

Meanwhile, there are conflicting reports as to whether the U.S. bishops, who are meeting this week behind the closed doors of a Colorado retreat center, will issue an immediate clarification on church policy.
<snip>

On Thursday, the liberal reform group Catholics for a Free Choice released results from a June 2-10 survey of 2,239 Catholics conducted by Belden Russonello and Stewart, a Washington, D.C., polling firm. Seventy-six percent of those surveyed disapproved of bishops' denying Communion to all parishioners who support legal abortion, while 78 percent said Catholic politicians who support legal abortion should not be denied Communion.

Those findings come as Time magazine reports results from a June 2-4 poll of 1,280 Americans, including 500 Catholics. It asked: "Should Sen. John Kerry be denied Communion because he is pro-choice?"

Seventy-three percent of the Catholics answered, "No."
<snip>

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/a/2004/06/18/MNG7V780I81.DTL

[DeepModem Mom]

10. As always, the Right can make an issue of anything they want...

in order to mobilize the small army of voters/true believers that supports them, and keeps them in power.

[struggle4progress]

11. Well, they mass produce ideology through their media.

[DaveSZ]

12. The CC has now become an arm of the GOP

.

[Massacure]

13. If churches want to play politics then they can pay tax.

nough said!

[DaveSZ]

14. Right e o

At the very least the more overtly political churces need to be taxed.

[MarinCoUSA]

15. And how 'bout the Iraq invasion, death penalty, social justice

... and a whole lot of other stuff right wingers could be denied communion for....

Rove won one with the abortion only limit of this announcement.

And any liberal talking head who doesn't drive a truck through this hypocrisy on the talk shows should be boiled in oil!

I think (hope) most voters will not stand for this crap!