NYT: New Pope Could Influence Political Life in America

[DeepModem Mom]

New Pope Could Influence Political Life in America
By ADAM NAGOURNEY

Published: April 4, 2005


WASHINGTON, April 3 - The death of Pope John Paul II came at a time when leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, reflecting the tone set by the Vatican, have become increasingly assertive in American political life. Their stance has created strains with some Catholic Democrats just as the White House has sought to make inroads with the once solidly Democratic Catholic constituency.

Several Catholic academics and elected officials said on Sunday that the shift - highlighted last year when some church leaders said Senator John Kerry should be denied communion because he supports abortion rights - reflected the tone set by a pope who was known for being conservative and for being willing to confront governments to press his views. They said the choice of the next pontiff could thus prove nearly as important for American political life as for the Vatican itself, as Democrats and Republicans here face increasingly pitched battles over judicial nominations, abortion, gay rights and euthanasia.

One of the potential successors to John Paul is Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria, who during last year's presidential campaign said a politician who supported abortion "is not fit" to receive communion....

***

At times last year, this assertiveness went beyond policy and into electoral politics, as some bishops hinted that their parishioners should vote for Mr. Bush instead of Mr. Kerry. At St. Patrick's Church in Wareham, Mass., for example, parishioners said that at the Saturday evening Mass right after the death of the pope, they were given pamphlets notifying them that they would be asked next week to sign postcards to Mr. Kerry and the state's other Democratic senator, Edward M. Kennedy, reading: "Please do not make support of the U.S. Supreme Court's abortion decision a litmus test for judicial nominees."

The rising assertiveness of some church leaders is particularly significant for American politics because President Bush has been making a concerted effort to win support among Catholic voters. Mr. Bush's efforts are part of an overall drive by his chief adviser, Karl Rove, to make inroads among typically Democratic groups of voters....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/04/politics/04politics.html

[Inland]

1. Bishop's political role is limited to doing fundies' dirty work

giving moderate and liberal catholics hard times for not imprisoning people who have abortions and gay sex.

But the anti-war, anti-capital punishment, pro-union, pro-living wage, pro-education----all that stuff is dropped down the memory hole, and the bishops are entirely complicit.

The national organization of bishops should stop having their heads turned by the fundie and conservative politicians who pretend that some unmarried guy in a skirt is going to be included in the new religious america once those democrats, liberals, unions and gays are subjugated.

[demnan]

2. Well said

There are so many things that could be positively influenced, unfortnately it's the negative influences we feel the most.