St. Louis Bishop Softens Voting Stance (Bishop who would deny Communion)

[Khephra]

St. Louis Bishop Softens Voting Stance

Associated Press


ST. LOUIS - The archbishop of St. Louis, who has said he would deny Holy Communion to Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry because he supports abortion rights, now says Catholics can vote for such candidates under certain circumstances.

Archbishop Raymond Burke said Catholics voters must believe the candidate's stance on other moral issues outweighs the abortion-rights stance. However, he said, it's a grave sin to vote for an abortion-rights candidate because of that position.

"That is what's called formal cooperation in an intrinsically evil act," he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in Friday's editions.

Burke told the newspaper that he wanted to clarify his position on the issue "in order to make the discussion full, to articulate the matter as fully as possible." In July, he said Catholics cannot vote for candidates or policies in support of abortion and be worthy to receive Communion.

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/9578824.htm

[POed_Ex_Repub]

1. Ahh... single issue voters...

Let's not worry about the little things like the economy, wars, health care, etc. as long as our pet topic is out there. :eyes:

[UpInArms]

10. I know one of those "single issue" people

or, I should say, I once knew her.

I had several discussions with her and she was dumber than box of rocks. She voted for Bush just for that reason - after 9/11 and they were ramming the anti-patriot act through, I explained that it violated the Constitution and was it removed our rights - her answer:

I'm willing to give up my rights to be safer.

I asked which rights she was willing to give up and she was so uniformed that she didn't even understand what freedom of speech entailed.

I haven't spoken to her since.

garbage :puke:

[alcuno]

2. I think he's coming into line with what Catholics actually think.

It's an individual moral decision.

[movonne]

3. I wonder if he was getting a lot of flack from that...I find most

Catholics pretty open minded...I like the way he re worded it "candidate's stance on moral issues outweighs the abortion-rights stance".

[TriMetFan]

4. Can we say flip flop.

:D

[sandnsea]

5. That is very helpful

If Catholics can weigh abortion with all other issues, Catholics will vote for Democrats again. This will help alot and we could use the Missouri Catholic vote.

[lostnfound]

6. agreed..now will this get the press the original pronouncement did?

(not a chance.)

[Tight_rope]

8. As tho they would abortion over the economy...you need to eat

[Tight_rope]

7. Fuck him...people are going to vote for who the want to...ole bastard!

[AngryOldDem]

9. Really Generous Of You, Ray

This is exactly the same clarification Ratzinger issued a few weeks back. Really big of Burke to finally endorse it.

I do not appreciate having my fitness as a Catholic put into direct conflict with my responsibility as a citizen. As important as the abortion question may be to me, I cannot let it -- and it alone -- determine who I vote for. There are also more planks in the Church's social teaching platform than abortion, and this society is falling way short on most of them (preferential option for the poor and the rights and dignity of the worker, for starters), and many in the Church are conveniently ignoring that fact.

Ray's finally realizing that most of the flock isn't falling for this "theology by intimidation" -- there is far too much at stake this year to stand on sanctimony, and the Church is only succeeding in making itself more irrelevant as a serious political and moral force in this country.

[RazzleCat]

11. St. Louis Catholic

This is an issue that hits real close to home. I am Catholic and I live in St. Louis. Well my reaction was to stop going to mass, and from what I understand, many others also stopped going and (here is the real reason he backed down), those still going stopped or lowered their "donations". Yes the St. Louis Catholics spoke via their pocket books, and it worked. Now mind you the church will not say this is what happened, but if you read or listen to local media round here many Catholics commented that they were going to stop attending/donating so you go figure why old Burke backed down. FYI this is a Catholic town, this is the first place I have lived where everyone (and I mean everyone) is either Catholic, or someone in their family is.