Second, I'm pretty sure the issues of abortion and his faith were ongoing for a long time. Searching Google, the recent flap came about just days after Kerry was reported doing what he did in the Baptist church (1st week of April vs. last week of March). If you want to draw connections, you could surmise that the Bush campaign approached the Catholic bishops after Kerry made those remarks. In fact, that would make more sense, given that some of the bishops might have taken issue with one of their Catholic members entering a Baptist church.
Actually, the event took place in February and has been building up steam ever since:
Archbishop Burke Says No Communion for Pro-abortion Kerry Even If He Becomes President
lifesite.net
Fourth, and probably the most relevant, the issue of how much the Catholic church ought to be involved in politics is just one of many instances where religion meets politics. There's no getting around this, no matter how many "walls of separation" you try to build between the two. Personally, I think in terms of legality and politics, the Catholic church, or any church for that matter, should be considered no different than a special interest group. Then they can try and influence anyone they want, including politicians, as long as the members are free to leave.
I would agree with you if in fact, all the church was just another special interest group. However, it is much more than that......furthermore its a topic that's extremely divisive. Since gov't and politics are already divisive, throwing in another divisive element seems to be asking for trouble.
Furthermore, the system has been working fine for centuries........so why fix something that ain't broke.
ted |
