Catholic Church 'will refuse Kerry communion' -

The Telegraph - UK ^ | April 4, 2004 | Julian Coman

[UnklGene]

Catholic Church 'will refuse Kerry Communion' -

(Filed: 04/04/2004)

Senior traditionalists in the Catholic Church are backing a campaign over the Democrat's stance on abortion. Julian Coman reports.

A battle in John Kerry's presidential election campaign may soon be fought at the altar rail, if senior traditionalists in the Catholic Church get their way.

Priests and bishops across America are being urged by members to refuse Communion to the first Catholic to run for the presidency since John F. Kennedy. The sanction would be imposed until Mr Kerry abandoned his permissive views on abortion and other issues such as gay marriages.

The campaign - which has the explicit blessing of the Vatican - is gathering force and, with Holy Week drawing near, Mr Kerry's aides have been forced to visit churches before allowing him to attend Mass. Rome has become increasingly concerned about the possibility of an avowedly Catholic president who is both pro-choice and approves of gay civil unions.

In a surprisingly frank statement, a Vatican official told Time magazine: "People in Rome are becoming more and more aware that there's a problem with John Kerry and a potential scandal with his apparent profession of his Catholic faith and some of his stances, particularly abortion."

A team of advisers has been installed at Mr Kerry's campaign headquarters to formulate a "Catholic response" to the Vatican's concerns. In a country of 64 million Catholics, most of whom have traditionally voted Democrat, images of Mr Kerry, who regularly takes Communion, being turned away by a priest would have an explosive impact.

Father Thomas Reese, the editor of America, a national Catholic magazine, said: "All you need is a picture of Kerry going up to the Communion rail and being denied, and you've got a story that will run for weeks and weeks."

Last Sunday, while campaigning in Missouri, Mr Kerry preferred to miss a Catholic service rather than risk a confrontation with the formidable Archbishop Raymond Burke of St Louis. Archbishop Burke had publicly warned the Massachusetts senator "not to present himself for Communion" in the state of Missouri unless he dropped his support of existing abortion laws.

Catholics make up 27 per cent of the American electorate, many living in states with large blocs of electoral votes such as California, Texas, New York, Ohio, Illinois and Florida.

Since 1980, no presidential candidate has won the Catholic vote but lost the White House, with the exception of Al Gore who narrowly lost in 2000.

Mr Kerry has described himself as a "believing and practising Catholic" who is "personally" against abortion, but believes in a strong separation of Church and State. In Congress, he has voted in favour of the controversial late-term partial abortion method - - in which fully-formed babies are partly delivered before being killed by surgical means.

Last month, he enraged Catholic conservatives by voting against a bill that would have made the injuring of a foetus a separate offence in crimes against pregnant women. Aides are gambling that Mr Kerry's pro-choice stance is quietly supported by many lay Catholics.

Last week, a defiant note sounded from Kerry's campaign headquarters: "Rome may not be thrilled with the Senator's position on some social issues," said an adviser, "but the Pope doesn't have a vote in this election."

Archbishop Burke justified his stance on Mr Kerry by citing a "doctrinal note" published by the Vatican last year. It states that politicians have "a grave and clear obligation to oppose any law that attacks human life. For them, as for every Catholic, it is impossible to" vote for such laws.

Instead of attending Mass in St Louis, Mr Kerry opted for the city's new Northside Baptist Church, where he delivered a coruscating denunciation of President George W. Bush's failure to put his own faith into practice.

Quoting James 2:14, Mr Kerry told the congregation: "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says that he has faith without works? When we look at what's happening in America today, where are the works of compassion?" The Kerry campaign has not yet disclosed its candidate's plans for Holy Week, but he may be well advised not to return to Massachusetts. Mr Kerry's local bishop in Boston, Sean O'Malley, is no more sympathetic to his views than Archbishop Burke. Without identifying his most famous parishioner by name, Bishop O'Malley has said that a Catholic politician who did not vote in Congress according to Church doctrine "should not dare to come to Communion". Ten other bishops have expressed similar opinions.

Within the Kerry campaign there are rumours that Mr Kerry may yet decide to confront his challengers head-on. One aide was reported last week to be searching for a Church with a hostile priest.

According to rumour, Mr Kerry would attend Mass knowing that he would be refused Communion in the full glare of the media. Sympathetic Catholics would then be expected to rally to his cause.

However, a senior Democrat official not affiliated to the Kerry campaign discounted the "martyr option". "Frankly, going out and picking a fight with the Holy See in election year would be one of the silliest things any presidential candidate could do," he said

[martin_fierro]

Kerry can go to the Episcopalians.

They're up for just about anything.

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[RKB-AFG]

WOW! What a story!

[anniegetyourgun]

However, a senior Democrat official not affiliated to the Kerry campaign discounted the "martyr option". "Frankly, going out and picking a fight with the Holy See in election year would be one of the silliest things any presidential candidate could do," he said

Well....Kerry is the king of silly. I'd count on it.

[MegaSilver]

Aides are gambling that Mr Kerry's pro-choice stance is quietly supported by many lay Catholics.

You cannot be Catholic and pro-choice.

The Church teaches that the fetus is a human from conception. If you believe this, then you believe that the unwarranted taking of the fetus' life by anyone but God is MURDER.

Therefore, if you believe the Catholic Church's teaching on abortion, either you believe that abortion should be illegal, or you believe that murder should be legal.

[livius]

That headline got my hopes up...

[anniegetyourgun]

Ah, but Mr. Kerry believes in separation of church and politics, remember? He doesn't let his faith inform his decision-making as a pol. Or maybe he actually does.....

[TrueBeliever9]

"Rome may not be thrilled with the Senator's position on some social issues [pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage]," said an adviser, "but the Pope doesn't have a vote in this election."

Let us sit and observe if the Pope has any influence over those who profess to be Catholic and pray that he does!

[Esther Ruth]

I almost fell out of my chair!! Praise the Lord!!!

[Cicero]

As statistics published in Crisis Magazine a few years ago clearly prove, more and more Catholics have been moving into the Republican camp every year.

In the old days, most American Catholics were ethnics: Irish, Italian, Polish, etc., and most of them were working class. They had long been discriminated against by the WASP ruling class, they formed the majority of most labor unions, and they had a strong interest in voting Democrat.

But the Democrat party changed. Catholics are now divided roughly 50-50 between the parties. But Crisis also found that the great majority of committed, church-going Catholics are now inclined to vote Republican. The Democrat party, once the party of the worker and the underdog, is now chiefly the party of abortion and perversion.

The Democrat party, in other words, mainly has the lukewarm cafeteria Catholics, and the Republican party has mostly the committed Church-going Catholics. That bodes well for the future, because lukewarm Catholics will gradually fall away from the Church, or else change and repent. Lukewarm pro-abort Catholics are less likely to have children. The future is therefore with the pro-life contingent.

[freeangel]

If kerry thinks the church should not interfere with politics, then perhaps kerry has no right to interfere with decisions by the church. He has obiously made the personal decision not to be a Catholic and should not try and bully the Pope. What an arrogant sob!

[conservativehistorian]

I doubt that Kerry will pick a fight with the Catholic Church, since he has little to gain if he does. Presently the Catholic vote is split between practicing Catholics (those who attend Mass on a regular basis)and holiday Catholics who may attend Church only on Easter and Christmas, or never. The former vote mainly Republican, and the latter mainly Democrat. A row with the bishops may enlighten that minority of traditional Catholics who continue to reflexively vote Democrat. Kerry would risk the loss of a few of these by tanglng with the bishops.

[OpusatFR]

"A team of advisers has been installed at Mr Kerry's campaign headquarters to formulate a "Catholic response" to the Vatican's concerns."

There is no spin possible for Kerry's advisors. One either remains faithful to the teachings of the Magisterium, or one is not faithful.

People have views of Catholicism that are pretty ugly. But, one thing remains. The basic dogma of the Church does not change. No spin doctor in the world can put a positive light on Kerry's votes on infanticide, abortion, fetal cell research, or his backing on homosexual unions that have all the governmental recognition of marriage.

[An Old Man]

"Rome may not be thrilled with the Senator's position on some social issues," said an adviser, "but the Pope doesn't have a vote in this election."

The Pope does not have a vote because he is not a citizen of our country, but I am! His advisor can tell John Kerry for me, that I have every intention of casting my vote for George Bush.

Semper Fi

[Mears]

As a former Catholic,who cares what the Church thinks.

The Catholic Church here in Boston has fawned all over the Kennedys since the fifties and we all know the Kennedy track record.

[livius]

formulate a "Catholic response" to the Vatican's concerns.

So doctrine and morality are now just "concerns"?

I agree, there's no spin doctor in the universe who could make Kerry's votes look even remotely acceptable in the light of traditional Catholic doctrine and even current teaching.

I think the gator just emerged from the swamp and grabbed JFnK by the throat. And all the while he thought he was out there feeding it breadcrumbs.

[codyjacksmom]

Excellent read. Way to go Pope!!! I'm sure a lot more catholics will follow the Pope then they will Kerry. He is really dense if he thinks otherwise. (Wait! Never mind...look who I'm talking about!)

[CharlotteVRWC]

Something I came across once was along the lines of
"you cannot really believe in God, if you believe abortion is okay"

[Mark]

First AlGore, now Kerry-- they both "flunked God".