[Brilliant]

What does this have to do with the church-state separation? Is the author suggesting that a Catholic can't have any political opinions, or that is an invasion of the church/state separation? If so, then isn't it an invasion of the church/state separation for a Catholic to either support or oppose abortion?

[MegaSilver]

"The problem with it is that elected officials have to represent people of all faiths and none and not adhere to one religious demand like the bishop's," he said.

And since when is murder a religious issue?

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[paguch]

Who cares what a Jesuit scholar says, the Jesuit's left the Catholic Church years ago.

[fini]

If you don't believe in your domination's beliefs, change your domination. But some want it both ways.

[madison10]

This is not a Church-state issue. Actually abortion shouldn't even be a "state" issue. It is a moral issue & thus belongs to the church.

The Catholic church has the DUTY (per Paul's epistles) to tell their congregations how to behave as Catholic Christians.

[muawiyah]

Being a Catholic is very simple ~ in for a dime, in for a dollar.

Any wayward politician who doesn't like having the Bishop withhold Communion can quit. It's all a matter of private conscience, and if a politician is of a mind that the Catholic church is intolerable, he should keep that in his private life, check out and move on.

Even complaining about it in public is a violation of church/state theory. After all, who you gonna' call, the Speaker of the House, or maybe John Ashcroft, to go tell the Bishop to lay off?

These baby-eaters who want to stay in good stead with the Catholic church are a bunch of whiners who appear to have been taught the wrong lessons by the nuns.

[BikerNYC]

This is why many people did not want to vote for Kennedy; because the church would have such control.

[WinOne4TheGipper]

How are you representing people of all faiths by supporting abortion? You're following your own, narrow faith, not everyone else's.

[ArrogantBustard]

"The problem with it is that elected officials have to represent people of all faiths and none and not adhere to one religious demand like the bishop's," he said.

Baloney. It's a matter of honesty, nothing more. If a politician is going to claim to be (Anglican|Buddhist|Catholic|...) he should act like it. The voters can decide whether that's what they want to elect.

[Zack Nguyen]

"The problem with it is that elected officials have to represent people of all faiths and none and not adhere to one religious demand like the bishop's," he said.

Barry Lynn should keep quiet. There is no "debate" here, except in the minds of secular humanists. The Catholic Church has the right to enforce their laws. I am confident that God is not pleased with the pro-abortion stands of these politicians. This article makes it sound as if the Bishop has broken some Constitutional law.

The real battle in America in the 21st century is between secular humanists and Christians. This article gives a not-so-subtle hint about where the radical left wants to take this war - using force against churches that don't tow the PC line.

[Malesherbes]

Obey and the rest need instruction on how to change their church membership. Both Dean and Clark can offer advice on this subject.

[Tench_Coxe]

"Dictating public policy for people of all faiths by holding sacraments hostage from those who believe does not sound right," Erpenbach said.

And having public policy dictate the moral teachings of a religion is one of the reasons people came to the Americas from Europe in the first place, dips***.
Some of these CINO politicians will have to make a choice. Either they align their conscience with the moral teachings of the religion they belong to, or leave. They cannot have it both ways.

[Joe 6-pack]

"A Roman Catholic bishop who waded into politics..."

He didn't "wade." He kicked down the door. And it's about time.

[the invisib1e hand]

"The problem with it is that elected officials have to represent people of all faiths and none and not adhere to one religious demand like the bishop's," he said.

the problem really is an elected official who will not inform his conscience nor conduct himself according to it.

[the invisib1e hand]

Democratic U.S. Rep. David Obey, who received a letter from Burke, said Friday that he respects the oath he took to uphold the U.S. Constitution.

Does the Bill of Rights fit in here, anywhere?

This is great. Sometimes there has to be a separation of state and Church. In other words, a time comes to obey God rather than man.... even the man that elected you.

[PoorMuttly]

"I'm a good Christian. The ROMANS pay me to do this."

[Aliska]

I have only one problem with this. It will not be enforced across the board in every diocese and, thus, will still send a confusing message.

[rhinohunter]

Ping!

[Southern Federalist]

"Dictating public policy for people of all faiths by holding sacraments hostage from those who believe does not sound right," Erpenbach said.

At least the Bishop has not called on a cabal of Catholics to impose Catholic policies on the people of the United States against their will as recorded in their laws, which is how we got the abortion regime in the first place, from a "Supreme" cabal of secularists.

Mr. Erpenbach is no doubt happy to have public policy dictated by unelected judges, but it's wrong for a Bishop to ask Catholic politicians to stand by the teaching of their Church and let the voters decide. The implication is that a Catholic politician who does oppose abortion is somehow a tool of sinister control-hungry interests -- unlike Mr. Erpenbach, none of whose views whatsoever are influenced by anything like social pressure or the desire to fit in with the right sort of people or the influence of pro-abortion groups in his party.

It's no doubt tough to be denied the sacraments. It's also tough to defy the Church of Abortion and be described in the media as a "fanatic" and bully by a third rate academic drone like Dan Maguire. It's tough all over, Jon old boy, so don't expect my heart to break if some of your buds are now getting in a far less brutal way some of what they dish out.