Catholic Church Moves To Deny Communion
To Pro-Choice Politicians Such As John F. Kerry

Now, on the heels of the worst scandal in the modern history of the Catholic Church, it seems that the conservative church leaders have decided that the old adage of ‘a strong offense is the best defense’ is the right course of action, and they are becoming directly involved in American politics.

Of course, the offensive is generalized. The Associated Press reports that Cardinal Francis Arinze, a top Vatican official, issued new Vatican directives stating "priests must deny communion to pro-abortion Catholic politicians…" This affects Catholic office holders everywhere, but it was clearly intended to meddle with American politics during this critical election year, since John F. Kerry is a Catholic who supports a woman’s right to choose.

It might also be viewed as a cynical means of accomplishing several other political goals: 1) to deflect attention, finally, from the pedophilia scandal that so rocked the Catholic Church hierarchy in this country. 2) To deliver a vengeful blow to the many Catholic public officials who have zealously prosecuted priests and bishops guilty of child abuse. 3) To assert power again and seek to regain status.

In our age history is not taught well, and our collective memory seems to be growing shorter and shorter, perhaps accelerated by television and its ability to provide apparent resolution to complex situations in an hour or less. Even newspaper stories are shorter now, since publishers and editors have come to believe that diminishing attention spans and concomitantly reduced interest in anything that can't be discussed quickly will turn people away.

So perhaps it shouldn’t be too surprising that many Americans don’t seem to realize how very different the political environment was when a Catholic was first elected President of the United States. In 1960 Angelo Roncalli, Pope John XXIII, was in office in Rome, and Democrat John F. Kennedy was seeking America’s presidency against Republican Richard M. Nixon, the incumbent vice president.

Pope John XXIII, who may yet be provided sainthood, was and is today often called ‘the good Pope.’ Father Luca M. De Rosa, the Italian Franciscan who is postulator for Pope John's canonization as a saint, is quoted by Desmond O’Grady as observing that people of all walks of life, "continue to admire Angelo Roncalli's goodness and mildness, his zeal for truth, peace and understanding between peoples…"

He made the Catholic Church more accessible to more people, both Catholics and non-Catholics, but he did not interfere with the national politics of America or other nations. Sadly, that is not the case today.

As Gayle White and Tom Baxter observed recently in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, when John F. Kennedy ran for the presidency, "he had to assure skittish Protestant ministers that he wouldn’t let his Catholicism influence his political decisions." They go on to observe the considerable irony over the fact that now, 44 years later, "conservative Christian voters prefer candidates whose whole policies are shaped by their faith…"

Welton Gaddy, president of The Interfaith Alliance, based in Washington, DC, sees hypocrisy as well as irony in this change. "The conservative religious movements in this nation feared that the Roman Catholic Church would dictate Kennedy’s public policy decisions," Gaddy notes. "Now, those same people are pushing vigorously for political candidates who will elevate their commitment to a religiously conservative social political agenda above the responsibilities of their elected position."

John Kennedy’s views on this subject were plain, as reflected by his comments to the Democratic delegates in Los Angeles in 1960: "I hope that no American, considering the really critical issues facing this country, will waste his franchise and throw away his vote by voting either for me or against me because of my religious affiliation. It is not relevant."

But now the Vatican has reached into the political spectrum, and America’s church leaders – including Archbishop Sean Patrick O’Malley in Boston – have wasted little time in taking advantage of the issue. In the case of Archbishop O’Malley, his appreciation of the power now handed to him by the Vatican should not be a surprise; he came to Boston to pick up the pieces after investigations by Attorney General Thomas Reilly and others led to public trials of priests, and ultimately huge cash settlements. He has been in the embarrassing position of presiding over the sale of prestigious church properties as well as closing churches, all in order to try to regain financial stability as the church paid recompense to the pedophile victims and their families.

It should also be remembered that it was Archbishop O’Malley who, on April 6 of this year, declared the United States "a hostile, alien environment" for Catholics, and characterized American society as "a culture of death…consumerism, hedonism (and) individualism."*

How interesting that America, a country that has surpassed all others in the benefits provided to virtually all its citizens, primarily because of its appreciation of individualism and the consumer benefits of its type of capitalism, is now branded in such a way by a church leader who was elevated to his lofty position only because of the truly perverted, hedonistic practices of his fellow clergymen, and the related cover-ups by some of his bishop predecessors.

It can only be imagined how this situation must delight the reactionary Protestant conservatives and their ‘born again’ brethren, such as George W. Bush. Mr. Bush has repeatedly invoked his ‘born again’ reactionary religious views in public forums, and is a steadfast opponent of a woman’s right to choose. He has also repeatedly indicated how his religious views inform his political decisions.

The Catholic Church, it would seem, has decided to back Mr. Bush in the current election by putting John Kerry, the Catholic candidate, in an untenable position. He must either show himself to be under the control of the Vatican and the local bishops by renouncing his previous political stands, or continue on and defy the church, an action which, even if not pursued for punishment by denial of the sacraments by Archbishop O'Malley, et al, will naturally strengthen the position of Mr. Bush. 

Conservative religious voters have generally come to oppose virtually any and all rights of a woman to choose whether or not to have an abortion, and many of these conservatives seem to have come to believe that the separation of church and state should no longer be valued. This latter point is perhaps the most dangerous of all, since it flies in the face of historic experience; there is little doubt that mixing religion into government will kill democracy as it is known in this nation.

The Vatican leaders and the Catholic hierarchy have involved themselves in a most dangerous political game. There have been no Catholic presidents since John F. Kennedy; he has been the one and only Catholic president. It would seem that the cloistered conservatives now directing the Catholic Church aim to see that John F. Kerry won’t become the second Catholic president later this year. 

The Catholic hierarcy would apparently prefer a 'born again' Christian if it would mean that their viewpoints could be strengthened, and their power not only reestablished, but extended. It can only be hoped that Mr. Kerry and all other Catholic officials recognize this process as brazen politics that have nothing to do with religious values.

MB

4/26/04