The House's Catholic Democrats Detail Role Religion Plays

Washington Post ^ | Wednesday, March 1, 2006 | Alan Cooperman

[Mrs. Don-o]

Still reeling from the attacks on Sen. John F. Kerry's brand of Roman Catholicism during the 2004 presidential race, 55 House Democrats issued a joint statement yesterday on the central role that the Catholic faith plays in their public lives.

The signers said they were fed up with being labeled "good Catholics" or "bad Catholics" based on one issue -- abortion. They said their religion infuses their positions on many issues: poverty, war, health care and education.

"Some of us are pro-choice and some of us are pro-life," said Rep. William J. Pascrell Jr. (D-N.J.). "But we respect each other and we're going to defend each other, because we're all operating in good conscience."

...But Tom McClusky, a Catholic who is acting vice president for government affairs at the Family Research Council, predicted they would fail.

"What is at the core of being Catholic is the life issue, and that's something the pope has never strayed from," he said. "While other issues are important -- such as helping the poor, the death penalty, views on war -- these are things that aren't tenets of the Catholic Church."

[Aquinasfan]

"Some of us are pro-choice pro-death and some of us are pro-life," said Rep. William J. Pascrell Jr. (D-N.J.).

Some are Catholics, and some are wolves in sheep's clothing.

[maryz]

Their blather about "poverty" and supporting the "poor" is such B.S. -- there is nobody poorer than an unwanted, unborn child.

All their ideas on helping the poor are . . . shall we say idiosyncratic? IIRC, there was one year when John Kerry (vaunted champion of the poor) reported -0- in charitable donations (I don't think he's ever reported more than $300). Called on it, he said he had two kids in college. He didn't mention -- but Howie Carr found out -- that he also had to buy an $8,000 motorcycle.

Those who blabber the most about giving to the poor (which we are in fact enjoined to do) seem to be the most reluctant to reach into their own pockets!

[alkaloid2]

My guess would be Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan of the Diocese of Santa Fe. Was the bishop of Lubbock, and I had the distinct pleasure of growing up around him. I saw him on the O'Reilly factor the other night; O'Reilly said he was the only bishop who would talk to him on camera. Hopefully there is more to come!

http://www.archdiocesesantafe.org/ABSheehan/ABSheehan.html