Should Senator Rick Santorum, a highly visible and outspoken Roman Catholic politician, be barred by his bishop from receiving Communion? What? Isn't Santorum a leading opponent of abortion and embryonic stem-cell research, with a voting record on those issues quite the opposite of the one that has created tension between other Catholic politicians, especially Senator John Kerry, and church leaders?

Didn't Santorum receive a standing ovation on Wednesday when he spoke at a prayer breakfast organized by conservative Catholics who want to make opposition to legalized abortion, one of those organizers said, an all-or-nothing test to determine who is a "faithful Catholic"?

Then why was Santorum a crucial factor in helping one of the Republican Party's strongest supporters of abortion rights survive a primary challenge from a conservative anti-abortion, anti-stem-cell research challenger?

The The Washington Times reported the standing ovation for Mr. Santorum at the Catholic prayer breakfast and carried an article on conservative anger at his role in the Pennsylvania primary: "Santorum certainly persuaded people who usually vote for him to go for Arlen over Pat," one Republican consultant was quoted as saying.

This conundrum demonstrates the impossibility of maintaining moral purity in politics and the wisdom of religious leaders who speak out strongly for their principles but refrain from pronouncing on whether individual politicians are or are not "faithful."

No wonder Catholic bishops are backing away from the quicksand of trying to uphold church teaching on the value of unborn lives by barring political figures who support abortion rights from receiving Communion at Mass. Are the bishops going to penalize the Catholic politician who votes against legal restrictions on abortion but not the Catholic politician striving to re-elect a non-Catholic who votes against legal restrictions on abortion?

The politicking that went into Tuesday's primary was a contrast with the rhetoric of Wednesday's prayer breakfast, where, according to The Washington Times and the Religion News Service, Santorum held forth on Catholic priests' lack of fervor in teaching the true faith and where the organizers warned against compromising "unambiguous truths" and drew sharp lines between "faithful" and "unfaithful" Catholics.

-- Diane (reebokprincess@yahoomail.com), May 03, 2004

Answers

bump

-- me (bump@bump.com), May 03, 2004.

I e-mailed him last week and told him I thought it was appropriate for his bishop to consider denying it to him. I told him I thought I understood his reasoning (for supporting Specter), but I disagreed that he needed to support Specter to help carry PA and defeat Kerry in Nov. I told him that Toomey would help carry PA as well as Specter, but I don't live in PA so what do I know. He did not become pro-abort all of a sudden, IMO. I trust that he had the best interests of the unborn in mind, but I think he and Bush underestimated how much support Toomey had. He almost won despite being left out in the cold.

-- Brian Crane (brian.crane@cranemills.com), May 03, 2004.

Kerry should be denied, most definitely...

However, not Rick Santorum...

There is no conundrum -there is only morally relativistic argument...

Daniel////

-- Daniel Hawkenberry (dlm@catholic.org), May 04, 2004.

Are the bishops going to penalize the Catholic politician who votes against legal restrictions on abortion but not the Catholic politician striving to re-elect a non-Catholic who votes against legal restrictions on abortion?

It's Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber. One makes "Pro-Choice" his mantra to win votes. The other hides behind pious platitudes while facilitating the election of a ProChoicer to win votes. Both of these men are facilitating abortion. If one is to be denied communion, both should be denied.

-- GlennT (consistent@pro.life), May 04, 2004.

Truth is self evident -as is morally relativistic argument that attempts to dilute Truth...

Stick with Truth...

-- Daniel Hawkenberry (dlm@catholic.org), May 05, 2004.

Truth is self evident: Both men are facilitating abortion. Period.

-- GlennT (consistent@pro.life), May 05, 2004.