Posted on 10/11/2004 9:39:17 AM PDT by dukeman
South Bend, Ind. — For more than a century, from the wave of immigrants in the 19th century to the election of the first Catholic president in 1960, American Catholics overwhelmingly identified with the Democratic Party. In the past few decades, however, that allegiance has largely faded. Now Catholics are prototypical "swing voters": in 2000, they split almost evenly between Al Gore and George W. Bush, and recent polls show Mr. Bush ahead of Senator John Kerry, himself a Catholic, among white Catholics.
There are compelling reasons - cultural, socioeconomic and political - for this shift. But if Catholic voters honestly examine the issues of consequence in this election, they may find themselves returning to their Democratic roots in 2004.
The parties appeal to Catholics in different ways. The Republican Party opposes abortion and the destruction of embryos for stem-cell research, both positions in accord with Catholic doctrine. Also, Republican support of various faith-based initiatives, including school vouchers, tends to resonate with Catholic voters.
Members of the Democratic Party, meanwhile, are more likely to criticize the handling of the war in Iraq, to oppose capital punishment and to support universal heath care, environmental stewardship, a just welfare state and more equitable taxes. These stances are also in harmony with Catholic teachings, even if they may be less popular among individual Catholics.
When values come into conflict, it is useful to develop principles that help place those values in a hierarchy. One reasonable principle is that issues of life and death are more important than other issues. This seems to be the strategy of some Catholic and church leaders, who directly or indirectly support the Republican Party because of its unambiguous critique of abortion.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
So, this guy says an honest examination of the issues from a Catholic perspective should compel a Catholic to vote for Kerry. What do you think of that?
Weasel. A disgrace to my alma mater.
Well as a Catholic, a veteran, an American and a conservative I think he is an effin idiot, another in a long line of Pacifists for Genocide.
Guess he doesn't consider abortion on demand an issue?
A Catholic in name only. Excommunicate him, God already has.
Back in my days in Catholic grade school, I always remeember the nuns stressing that sticking a large needle into the head of a partially born infant, and sucking the brains out was a matter of personal choice and convenience for a woman.
Roche is about as "Catholic" as my cat! ROFLMAO
This domer feels the same as you do.
"A Catholic in name only. Excommunicate him, God already has."
I tend to agree with this assessment best.
I sure hope that was sarcasm.
Reminds me of the shame I felt over the most famous graduate of Georgetown U and his lack of moral conviction.
The reason why is that he is misleading people. Our Lord said that if anyone caused anyone to believe in Him falsely that it is better for him to have a giant millstone hung around his neck and he is cast into the sea. Prof. Roche meets that critera and is only living on borrowed time. God is only giving him time to repent.
If one claims to be Catholic but their "conscience" deviates significantly from Roman Catholic Church tradition, they need to either reconsider the state of their conscience or the status of their membership in the Roman Catholic Church.
I agree. I also believe we will be seeing increasingly desperate acts of media bias as November 2 nears. The DNC needs to re-energize the Howard Dean "red meat eaters" down the home stretch for the voter fraud...er...,I mean, get out the vote effort.
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