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| U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) said his Catholic beliefs are part of who he is as a politician. But critics pointed out that Santorum’s positions at times contradict church doctrine, most notably on Santorum’s support for the death penalty and the war in Iraq. (Photo by Ralph Wilson/AP) |
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HOME > NEWS > RELIGION NEWS
By: JOE CREA COMMENTS
 
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reflect one’s faith.”
Duddy said it was ironic that the religious right often accuses gays and liberals
of being “cafeteria Catholics” — those who selectively choose
which doctrines of faith to follow — while others like Santorum have
been selective themselves when it comes to which Catholic orthodoxy to support.
Santorum, for example, strongly backed the war in Iraq and is a proponent of
the death penalty, which contradicts the Vatican’s stance on both issues.
Francis Kissling, president of Catholics for a Free Choice, a non-profit advocacy
organization for gender equality and reproductive freedom, agreed with Duddy
and said that most Catholic politicians, Democrats and Republicans, tend to
select which Vatican positions to follow and which ones to ignore.
“Politicians like Santorum consider themselves to be loyal, orthodox,
anything-the-pope-says-goes Catholics when it comes to sexual and reproductive
rights issues, but they suddenly discover they have a right to exercise their
own judgments about war and the death penalty,” Kissling said.
Kissling, who called the document “propaganda” used to “continue
the bashing of politicians who support gay rights,” said that no Catholic
politician in modern times has ever been officially admonished by the Vatican,
either through ex-communication or denial of sacrament at confession, for their
political views.
The Vatican document was received with mixed reactions internationally.
In Canada, where courts have ruled they must allow gay marriage, a Roman Catholic
bishop in Alberta angrily condemned Canada’s Catholic prime minister,
Jean Chretien, for his support of gay marriage and suggested that he risks
his “eternal salvation” for making gay marriage legal.
The Federal Government of Australia strongly backed the document, saying that
it was in the best interest of children for politicians to reject same-sex
unions. John Anderson, Australia
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