It hurt the Church by injecting it into U.S. politics
Evidence that the Church is hurt? Any available?
Doesn't conflicting messages from nominal Catholics who are political leaders that they are "good catholics" while opposing clear doctrine of the Church hurt more?
Do you have some reference for this conspiratorial conservative Opus Dei reference? Are they like Neo-cons? Where do we find more about these dangerous conservative Catholics?
In response to the parenthetical title, No: the American voters did.
Frankly, whatever the NCR says must be examined very cynically.
First take on their editorial/article (whatever...): this is going to be a part of the assault on B-16 and will be blown into a "First Amendment" issue by the liars in the MSM. Wait about 6-18 months to see how it builds.
MSM (and NCR is definitely a part of it) will NOT stand for a moral or religious influence in voting, whether imagined (as in the case presented by NCR) or real--unless such influence delivers votes to those who would transvalue all values (see HRC.)
The thesis this writer propounds is pure BS; his conclusion is wrong; and his motives are not pure.
Likely he's on the DNC email list.