Catholic Voters Reject Political Influence of Bishops

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By Catholics for Choice
Published: Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012 - 10:05 am

WASHINGTON, Oct. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the two Catholic candidates for vice president prepare to face each other in a debate tonight, a new poll of 1,000 self-identified Catholic likely voters shows that, despite the best efforts of the bishops, they are least concerned about abortion and gay marriage. Catholic voters are most concerned about jobs, public education and healthcare.

Amidst growing concerns about Catholic priests and bishops using the pulpit and church resources to tell Catholics how to vote, a large majority does not feel a religious obligation to listen to them. More than four out of five Catholic voters (83 percent) feel no obligation to vote the way bishops recommend and three-quarters of Catholic voters (76 percent) do not believe Catholic politicians are obligated to vote the way bishops desire.

"As we prepare to vote in this election, we have witnessed a concerted effort by the US bishops to convince Catholics that some issues are more important than others," said Jon O'Brien, president of Catholics for Choice. "The Fortnight for Freedom was just one part of their campaign. Some bishops and priests have been less subtle, giving explicit voting advice to congregants. In short, the bishops are trying to bully Catholics to vote in a certain way. This poll shows that the bishops' efforts have been a spectacular failure. Catholics reject this type of politicking from the pulpit and refuse to be cowed by their religious leaders. Just like other Americans, Catholics care most about the bread and butter issues that affect our families when we consider the political decisions to be made come November 6."

Denying communion for Catholics because they support abortion is very unpopular. There is not a single demographic group that would support the practice. It is even very unpopular among the most conservative Catholics voters: 65 percent of those who attend Mass weekly or more; 60 percent of Republicans; 58 percent of those who describe themselves as conservative; and 53 percent of self-described pro-life Catholics disagree with this policy.

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/10/11/4902992/catholic-voters-reject-political.html

The poll:

http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/news/pr/2012/documents/CFC-BRS_2012_Election_Study.pdf

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1. Catholics, except for the far right fringe, resent being told how to vote

When the bishops deny communion to parishoners who vote, or plan on voting, for candidates who are on what they regard as the wrong side of pelvic issues, such as birth control and abortion, they are engaging in a diabolical form of religous blackmail more befitting the Borgias. The bishops are to blame not only because they're indulging in illegal partisan pulpit poltics that puts their tax exemption at risk, but more important, those bishops are provoking Catholics to repudiate their lifelong faith and non-Catholics to attack the church.
In other words, the hierarchy only has themselves to blame for causing Catholics to lapse, leave the Church, or, at the very least, vote with their pocketbooks by refusing to contribute to the church.