Catholic Church asks Tom Daschle to stop calling himself a Catholic

Weekly Standard (via Matt Drudge) ^ | April 17, 2003 | SB00

[SB00]

TOM DASCHLE may no longer call himself a Catholic. The Senate minority leader and the highest ranking Democrat in Washington has been sent a letter by his home diocese of Sioux Falls, sources in South Dakota have told The Weekly Standard, directing him to remove from his congressional biography and campaign documents all references to his standing as a member of the Catholic Church.

This isn't exactly excommunication--which is unnecessary, in any case, since Daschle made himself ineligible for communion almost 20 years ago with his divorce and remarriage to a Washington lobbyist. The directive from Sioux Falls' Bishop Robert Carlson is rather something less than excommunication--and, at the same time, something more: a declaration that Tom Daschle's religious identification constitutes, in technical Catholic vocabulary, a grave public scandal. He was brought up as a Catholic, and he may still be in some sort of genuine mental and spiritual relation to the Church. Who besides his confessor could say? But Daschle's consistent political opposition to Catholic teachings on moral issues--abortion, in particular--has made him such a problem for ordinary churchgoers that the Church must deny him the use of the word "Catholic."

[southernbychoice]

Agreed. There doesn't seem to be any consistency on from diocese to diocese. And not only on this subject. My six year old sister was confirmed last year. At six. She hasn't even made her first communion yet.

[SoothingDave]

Objectively, yes. I can't speak to culpability, only to objective circumstances.

SD

[Revolting cat!]

I think Feinswine is Jewish, no?

If so, that's even a better reason not to call herself Catholic! The nerve!

[Polycarp]

We passed out 25,000 of these Catholic Family Association of America Divine Mercy Prayer Project cards at the 2002 March For Life in Washington DC:

In addition, we had thousands more of these cards distributed directly to constituents in South Dakota, and hundreds of individuals downloaded the Divine Mercy Prayer Project PDF file to print out and pass out on their own.

We received pledges for 7000 hours of prayer for the conversion of Daschle.

Part of the Divine Mercy Prayer Card is a post card to Bishop Carlson too (see the text on the reverse side of the card above), and judging by the number of postcards returned to us, we assume Bishop Carlson received a commensurate amount of cards and pledges of prayer specifically for him, to have the strength to defend the faith.

Tim Chichester, President of the Catholic Family Association of America, has spoken directly to Bishop Carlson, and specifically recommended this type of interdict (just short of formal excommunication.)

Unfortunately, just the Divine Mercy Prayer Project for Senator Daschle (printing costs, shipping costs, etc.)exhausted all the financial and time reserves of our small pro-family grassroots Catholic organization. Yet judging by this development, its all been worth it!!!

Similar Divine Mercy Prayer Card PDF files are already prepared and ready for download, printing, and mass dissemination, if only some faithful individuals would take it upon themselves for each individual politician named on the subpage at http://www.cathfam.org/dmpp.html

Included at this link are prepared Divine Mercy Prayer Card PDF files all of the following:

Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD)
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)
Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT)
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE)
Sen. John Kerry (D-MA)
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
Sen. Barbara Milkulski (D-MD)
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)
Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI)
Gov. Tom Ridge (R-PA)
Gov. James E. McGreevey (D-NJ)
Gov. Gray Davis, (D-CA)
Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D-MI)
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D-KS)
Rep. John Baldacci (D-ME)
Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA)
Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY)
Rep. Robert Brady (D-PA)
Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA)
Rep. William Clay (D-MO)
Rep. William Coyne (D-PA)
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR)
Rep. William Delahunt (D-MA)
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA)
Rep. Lane Evans (D-Ill.)
Rep. Charles Gonzalez (D-TX)
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL)
Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)
Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI)
Rep. John Larson (D-CT)
Rep. Bill Luther (D-MN)
Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA)
Rep. Karen McCarthy (D-MO)
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
Rep. James McGovern (D-MA)
Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA)
Rep. Marty Meehan (D-MA)
Rep. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Rep. George Miller (D-CA)
Rep. Connie Morella (R-MD)
Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA)
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
Rep. William J. Pascrell (D-NJ)
Rep. Ed Pastor (D-AZ)
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)
Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX)
Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)
Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA)
Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY)
Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA

Also included are links to Senate member anti-life records, House member anti- life records, and Gov Ridge's Record.

Finally, if you have not already done so, please sign our Canonical Petition to Interdict or Excommunicate Culture of Death "Catholics"

Please let us know if you are interested in spearheading a Divine Mercy Prayer Project for any of the other Culture of Death "Catholic" politicians noted above. Contact Us at Contact Us at info@CathFam.org

Thank you,

Dr. Brian Kopp (Polycarp)

Vice President, Catholic Family Association of America

[Beck_isright]

So we can we send him a letter and ask him to start proclaiming what he actually is: A socialist.

[Mr. Mojo]

Now, if only some rabbis would speak up and ask Hillary and Kerry to stop calling themselves Jewish.

[AdA$tra]

Thanks for the ping. I have been on a long campaign to deal with pro abortion demo-catholics. With the recent death of my wife I had an opportunity to speak with Archbishop Keleher in person. He supports this effort 100% as did Archbishop Strecker before him. He also has called for a Plenary council of American Bishops to take real action against pedophile priests.

The Souix Falls Bishop has the right idea on Tommy boy....The Boston Catholics have a long way to go IMHO. Rush just metioned this on the air as well.

[AdA$tra]

That's called "adultery,"

Not very "soothing" Dave...LOL.

[Polycarp]

I have been on a long campaign to deal with pro abortion demo-catholics.

See my post # 64. Care to help?

[JohnnyZ]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

Some Bishops are standing up and doing the right thing!

Weygard, Chaput, and -- well, whoever this guy is -- have gotten Gold Stars so far!

[SoDak]

Ping

[betty boop]

[Cardinal Ratzinger's] Doctrinal Note marks at least the beginning of the end of the Vatican's toleration of what the pope's biographer George Weigel has called "Cuomoism" in the American Church: the effort to finesse abortion by declaring oneself personally opposed but politically supportive of laws allowing abortion. Catholics have a "duty to be morally coherent," the Doctrinal Note declares, and the Catholic fight on the life issues--abortion, euthanasia, and cloning--is not some merely prudential question, to be decided by political give and take. The Catholic Church doesn't take political positions--except when politics intrudes into something, like the right to life, that ought to be beyond the power of politicians.

The "duty to be morally coherent" simply means that you can't have it both ways. Which ought to put a real crimp in the style of certain Democrat politicans who call themselves "Catholic," notably including that monumental casuist, Mario Cuomo. Following Cuomo's example, many of his fellow Dems (and some Pubblies, too) think they can get away with speaking "out of both sides of their mouth." Truly I hope the pressure from the bishop makes Daschle squirm. He's got it coming, and he owes his constituents some clear evidence of personal integrity -- or not, as the case may be.

Thanks for this notable post, CaptainJustice.

[goodnesswins]

YEEESSSSS....You are correct....this is going to get VERY INTERESTING....we are living on the cusp of change, I'll tell you.....finally, the paradigm shift is going to the RIGHT!!!!!!(hope, hope)

[Torie]

It would be one thing is the bishop had said that he does not consider Daschle to be Catholic. It is another for him to demand that Daschle comport his speech to the bishop's views. That strikes me as well, un-American. I suspect the bishop is getting beyond himself here, and that most Americans don't agree with his action, including Catholics.

[ThomasMore]

Thanks for the Ping, Polycarp.

A Blessed Easter to you and your family.

TM

[eastsider]

Last year, after asking me about divorce/remarriage/communion, my first cousin chided me for speaking the Catholic truth, telling me that his pastor had told him it was okay. When I asked him if it was the same pastor who had just been removed in a scandal-related incident, he quickly changed the subject.

[goodnesswins]

No...I think it's about whether you can SAY you are a Catholic and BEHAVE differently (from Catholicism). Like...I'm for partial birth abortion, and I'm a Catholic. Sounds like this bishop gets it....and no one is interfering with little Tommie's First Amendment Speech rights....there just telling him there are CONSEQUENCES!

[Theresa]

"Things could get very interesting for Catholic Democrats."

He he he.

[plain talk]

Taking communion in a state of sin is forbidden.

I guess you meant unrependent sin, didn't you? We are all in a state of sin.

[k2blader]

Wow, good for his home diocese!