JK mentioned in article on Catholics and Kennedys

[MBS]

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/catholics-vs-kennedys/

Timothy Egan reflecting on how the American Catholic Church hierarchy has changed (for the worse) in its attitude toward Catholic politicians, since his own Catholic-school boyhood. Nice article in general. . here's an excerpt, including the bit about JK (which Egan got wrong by the way : yes, most of the bishops didn't want to wade into the issue of JK's pro-choice stance in 2004. But at least 2 or 3-- the archbishop of St. Louis stands out in my mind as a particularly egregious example-- DID create their own very public "inquisition", threatening to deny JK communion, and probably lost JK some votes in key swing states). Article starts out discussing the tiff between Patrick Kennedy and the (infuriating) Rhode Island archbishop Tobin. Then, talking about his own Jesuit high school:

. . . The Jesuits were also big on logical thinking, encouraging generations of mushy-headed knuckleheads like myself to bring a rigorous intellectual test to matters of the public domain. With this recent claim of his, Bishop Tobin would have trouble blustering his way past the priests who taught my freshman civics class.

There are 65 million Catholics in the United States — 22 percent of the population. And a slim majority of them, 51 percent, believe abortion should be legal in most circumstances, according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. A full 60 percent support the death penalty, which the church has long opposed.

Those numbers mean that more than half of all American Catholics are in a position somewhat similar to Patrick Kennedy’s. To be consistent, the bishop should start checking them off at the altar rail as they line up to receive communion — sinner, saint, sinner, saint, and so on.

It’s absurd, dangerous and impossible for any cleric to think he can know the precise state of grace of a fellow Catholic who feels moved to worship publicly. But that is the logical conclusion of the bishop’s campaign.

American Catholic bishops wrestled with this question five years ago, regarding the faith of Senator John Kerry, a pro-choice practicing Catholic and the Democratic nominee for president.

They smartly refused to issue a blanket order; most bishops wanted no part in such a political inquisition.

Bishop Tobin says he acted only because Kennedy has been so public in his support of a woman’s right to choose. Of late, Kennedy has also been needling the bishops on their lukewarm support for helping fellow Americans get health care, via the largest undertaking in Congress in a generation’s time to elevate the sick and less prosperous. Abortion, as before, is the sticking point.

Again, for consistency’s sake, I take it the bishop will now turn his fire on Rudolph Giuliani, the thrice-married, pro-choice and pro-death-penalty Catholic. No secret about his positions. Or maybe he’ll have a word for Newt Gingrich, a recent Catholic convert now on his third marriage, who supports the death penalty, and rarely has a political thought that he does not share with the public.

. . .

[beachmom]

1. Well, you are both right. MOST bishops did not get involved.

But a couple were extremely vocal and it all turned into the Wafer Watch. I think the issue now is that it might get worse.

I left the Church years ago. I don't agree with them, and for my own integrity I could not stay.

[MBS]

2. not just might be

. .it IS getting worse. The collective hierarchy has been behaving more and more like an arm of the Republican party. When the Vatican seems more moderate than the American bishops, well. . it's saying something.

As Mike Capuano said, "and they wonder why people don't go to church."

[beachmom]

3. Yeah, good point. I just can't care about it anymore.

People should do their own research and not be dictated what to think by ministers, priests, rabbis, or imams. They are not particularly wise about politics I have noticed. Why give them that power? Yet people who don't want to think for themselves do so every day.