MacNut
Apr 11, 2004, 09:43 PM
Kerry's Candidacy Stirs Debate on Religion, Politics
By Patricia Wilson, Reuters
BOSTON (April 11) - Democrat John Kerry, a Roman Catholic whose abortion views led some in the church hierarchy to say they would deny him Communion, received the sacrament during Easter Mass at Boston's Paulist Center Sunday.
As the first Catholic at the top of a major party ticket since John F. Kennedy in 1960, Kerry has stirred a new debate over religion and politics that has left some wondering if he would be turned away when he sought Communion because of his support for abortion rights.
The discussion of Kerry's eligibility for Communion arose after Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis advised Kerry not to "present himself for Communion" at any church in the city. A few other bishops have issued similar warnings.
The head of Kerry's Boston diocese, Archbishop Sean O'Malley has suggested that Catholic elected officials -- without mentioning any by name -- who support abortion rights should abstain voluntarily from Communion, but has not asked priests to stop offering it.
"Archbishop O'Malley has no public statement as to the questions regarding Sen. Kerry and his Catholicism," Rev. Christopher Coyne, spokesman for the archdiocese said. "The matter has been brought to his attention and I do not know when or if he will make a public statement on this matter."
Kerry and his wife Teresa attended Easter services at the Paulist Center, close to their Beacon Hill home and the church at which they generally worship.
As he entered, Kerry was asked if he would take Communion. He responded with a firm "yes."
Worshipers filled the modern room and its balconies. Many more lined the walls and stood at the back as the center's director Rev. John Ardis conducted a family-oriented Mass beneath a suspended crucifix carved from live oak. Kerry and his wife slipped quietly into a rear pew.
"It was a wonderful service," the Massachusetts senator said as he left the center to applause and cheers from the congregation.
DIVERGENCE FROM CHURCH
Kerry's positions on abortion and other issues where he diverges from the church reflect those of many of America's 65 million Catholics, most of whom are concentrated in big U.S. states with the most electoral votes in the Nov. 2 election, like California and New York.
In Kennedy's day, non-Catholic voters were afraid another senator from Massachusetts might follow Papal Doctrine too strictly. Now, some conservative Catholics are criticizing Kerry for not adhering to it closely enough.
A practicing Catholic and a former altar boy, Kerry also supports stem cell research, civil unions for gays and lesbians, issues he calls matters of conscience.
"I fully intend to practice my religion separately from what I do with respect to my public life and that's the way it ought to be in America," he told reporters in Ohio last week. "There is a separation of church and state in America and we have prided ourselves about that all ... of our history."
The Paulists are a Catholic religious order like the Jesuits or Dominicans. A mission statement posted on their Web site says: "We are a Catholic community that welcomes all, liberates the voice of each and goes forth to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
04/11/04 12:50 ET
By Patricia Wilson, Reuters
BOSTON (April 11) - Democrat John Kerry, a Roman Catholic whose abortion views led some in the church hierarchy to say they would deny him Communion, received the sacrament during Easter Mass at Boston's Paulist Center Sunday.
As the first Catholic at the top of a major party ticket since John F. Kennedy in 1960, Kerry has stirred a new debate over religion and politics that has left some wondering if he would be turned away when he sought Communion because of his support for abortion rights.
The discussion of Kerry's eligibility for Communion arose after Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis advised Kerry not to "present himself for Communion" at any church in the city. A few other bishops have issued similar warnings.
The head of Kerry's Boston diocese, Archbishop Sean O'Malley has suggested that Catholic elected officials -- without mentioning any by name -- who support abortion rights should abstain voluntarily from Communion, but has not asked priests to stop offering it.
"Archbishop O'Malley has no public statement as to the questions regarding Sen. Kerry and his Catholicism," Rev. Christopher Coyne, spokesman for the archdiocese said. "The matter has been brought to his attention and I do not know when or if he will make a public statement on this matter."
Kerry and his wife Teresa attended Easter services at the Paulist Center, close to their Beacon Hill home and the church at which they generally worship.
As he entered, Kerry was asked if he would take Communion. He responded with a firm "yes."
Worshipers filled the modern room and its balconies. Many more lined the walls and stood at the back as the center's director Rev. John Ardis conducted a family-oriented Mass beneath a suspended crucifix carved from live oak. Kerry and his wife slipped quietly into a rear pew.
"It was a wonderful service," the Massachusetts senator said as he left the center to applause and cheers from the congregation.
DIVERGENCE FROM CHURCH
Kerry's positions on abortion and other issues where he diverges from the church reflect those of many of America's 65 million Catholics, most of whom are concentrated in big U.S. states with the most electoral votes in the Nov. 2 election, like California and New York.
In Kennedy's day, non-Catholic voters were afraid another senator from Massachusetts might follow Papal Doctrine too strictly. Now, some conservative Catholics are criticizing Kerry for not adhering to it closely enough.
A practicing Catholic and a former altar boy, Kerry also supports stem cell research, civil unions for gays and lesbians, issues he calls matters of conscience.
"I fully intend to practice my religion separately from what I do with respect to my public life and that's the way it ought to be in America," he told reporters in Ohio last week. "There is a separation of church and state in America and we have prided ourselves about that all ... of our history."
The Paulists are a Catholic religious order like the Jesuits or Dominicans. A mission statement posted on their Web site says: "We are a Catholic community that welcomes all, liberates the voice of each and goes forth to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
04/11/04 12:50 ET
