"The Canon Law expert has filed similar "denunciations and complaints" against four other pro-abortion Catholic politicians: Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, and former New York governor Mario Cuomo. The four have been chosen, he says, because of their "consistent, extensive, and public pro-abortion records."
So what? If abortion is the litmus test for excommunication, half of the US population is excommunicated. What's the point?
Not that religion has a place in this election, and raising the issue of religion in a US election is completely inappropriate, but the issue continues.
As for whatever response was received from whomever at the Vatican, the response is flawed because it patently violates the supreme doctinal teaching of an individual's "informed conscience," which supercedes any official teaching of the Church heirarchy. Do your own DD on "examination of an informed conscience." The informed conscience teaching is consistant with the Pope's recent statement regarding our insanely, religiously charged presidential election. The Pope said "vote your conscience." If one is interested in the Vatican's official stance in the US election, that's it: "Vote Your Conscience."
Furthermore, there has been an insane attempt to have Kerry excommunicated for political reasons. The right lobbied the US Conference of Bishops in DC. Out of 325 Bishops, 7 took a stand with the right. The media and the Bushies zeroed in on the 7.
Fwiw, Jim McGreevey then excommunicated himself, and look what happened to McGreevey.
I must say, this is the most ridiculous, petty electioneering I have ever seen. Let politicians keep their specific theological beliefs out of the political arena, and focus on issues that face our civil society. Enough diversions, unless one is championing the "Christian nation," which Kerry is not. Kerry, as a Catholic, is completely typical of the majority of US Catholics, a non-homogenius group. Any attempt to broad brush the group, ideologically, indicates ignorance on the part of the broadbrusher.
example: The student center at my "better half's" grad school, a Mercy university, gave equal time to Catholic Women for Choice, and to Catholics for Kerry. The fire and brimstone, single minded crap went out with the early 60's. You can do your on DD on that too.
Keep the Catholic stuff, the Jewish stuff and the Evangelical stuff out of the political arena, and we'll all be better off. Religiosity in politics has done nothing but divide the American public, and that's a very negative thing.
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