[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

As a Catholic I respect the Councils and the Pope within their area of competence, such as faith, morals, and Church government. It is up to lay people to apply these moral principles to the real world. That is the area of competence of lay people. The clergy have no special competence at applying moral principles to questions of war and peace. I respectfully disagree with the Church on this matter.

[Mrs. Don-o]

I agree with what you said heartily --- I do --- until the last line. Reiterating universal, fundamental moral norms, "Don't deliberately destroy innocent human life" --- is exactly what the Church is supposed to do.

It's our job, the laity's job, in the areas of our competence --- politics, law, medicine, biological research, foreign and military policy --- to figure out how to do what we do in a way that does not violate fundamental moral norms.

It's all too common for clerics (think USCCB) to intrude into the laity's areas of competence. That we can rightly, and even hotly, object to.

But on the other hand, it's all too common for laypeople to say, "Get the Church out of the bedroom. The boardroom. The war room." (I don't think they even want religious leaders to go to the bathroom.)

In effect, they're advocating the Separation of God and Real Life. Like Teddy Kennedy's religious faith, which is reportedly so personal and private he doesn't even impose it on himself.