Catholic Church asks Tom Daschle to stop calling himself a Catholic

Weekly Standard (via Matt Drudge) ^ | April 17, 2003 | SB00

[SB00]

TOM DASCHLE may no longer call himself a Catholic. The Senate minority leader and the highest ranking Democrat in Washington has been sent a letter by his home diocese of Sioux Falls, sources in South Dakota have told The Weekly Standard, directing him to remove from his congressional biography and campaign documents all references to his standing as a member of the Catholic Church.

This isn't exactly excommunication--which is unnecessary, in any case, since Daschle made himself ineligible for communion almost 20 years ago with his divorce and remarriage to a Washington lobbyist. The directive from Sioux Falls' Bishop Robert Carlson is rather something less than excommunication--and, at the same time, something more: a declaration that Tom Daschle's religious identification constitutes, in technical Catholic vocabulary, a grave public scandal. He was brought up as a Catholic, and he may still be in some sort of genuine mental and spiritual relation to the Church. Who besides his confessor could say? But Daschle's consistent political opposition to Catholic teachings on moral issues--abortion, in particular--has made him such a problem for ordinary churchgoers that the Church must deny him the use of the word "Catholic."

[CaptainJustice]

Hahahaha
Well, let that be a sign to anyone who says the catholic church won't clean up its act. Getting rid of Daschle is a start! ;)

[keithtoo]

FYI: He's a French-Catholic at that! So, being disengenuous and two-faced really is part of his heritage.

[Grit]

Does Teddy K. get a pass?

[TomServo]

Does Teddy K. get a pass?

Deeper pockets..

[RAT Patrol]

Catholic ping (I know there are more but you were the only two I could think of right now.)

[chit*chat]

About time the Catholic Church began to exhibit the same moral standards and values as the precepts they teach and that are upheld by their true members.

[CholeraJoe]

* ping

[Zavien Doombringer]

Man, he must be really bad if the church sees him as a non-repentant sinner. Washington, take note...Constituents take note!

[Digger]

Thank you, Bishop Carlson. This may just put more people back into the churches as this hypocrisy comes to an end.

[sinkspur]

Does Teddy K. get a pass?

Deeper pockets..

Make no mistake about it. Carlson has thrown down a gauntlet, and ordinary Catholics are going to be asking about Kennedy, and Mikulski, and Pelosi.

What's more, they're going to be asking their bishops why they don't do what Carlson has done to these public figures.

Things could get very interesting for Catholic Democrats.

[Grit]

Gotcha.

Gray Davis doesn't get a pass evidently:

Bishop William Weigand of Sacramento was the first American bishop to use the new note from Rome. At a pro-life Mass on January 22, he spoke of California Governor Gray Davis's claim to be a "pro-choice Catholic."

After describing the efforts by Davis's pastor to get the governor to see the moral incoherence of his position, Weigand declared, "As your bishop, I have to say clearly that anyone--politician or otherwise--who thinks it is acceptable for a Catholic to be pro-abortion is in very great error, puts his or her soul at risk, and is not in good standing with the Church. Such a person should have the integrity to acknowledge this and choose of his own volition to abstain from receiving Holy Communion until he has a change of heart."

Russ Lopez, a spokesman for Davis, responded with the hilarious and deeply revealing complaint that Bishop Weigand was "telling the faithful how to practice their faith."

[MHGinTN]

Bravo! Every time a good steward does what is right, we ought to applaud it, because it's a sure bet that every other failure is splayed across the press! I must confess, I'm not 'deeply saddened' for the little spittlebug.

[EllaMinnow]

Well, lookee here!

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Talk to Teddys' Bishop. The swimmer has already excommunicated himself latae sententiae.

[RAT Patrol]

Are you Catholic, yb? (Where have you been, anyway?)

[A2J]

About time the Catholic Church

Especially seeing how long they drug their collective feet in dealing with pedophile priests.

[xsmommy]

good deal! i didn't even know he considered himself to be a token catholic.

[Revolting cat!]

Diane Feinstein's next!

[RAT Patrol]

I'm not 'deeply saddened' for the little spittlebug. LOL!

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Ping

[lawdave]

Something interesting is going on here. Didn't another Bishop recently take action against Governor Davis in California? I think this shows a major policy shift by Bishops who to date have been unwilling to address these so-called Catholics. All in all I am very encouraged by this developmeny.

[LibWhacker]

In further developments, Hell notified him that he's a Demon in good standing.

[patent]

Bumping. Let me know if you want on or off the list. Click my screen name for a description.

patent  +AMDG

[cyncooper]

Oh, my goodness!

Tiny Tommy taken to task.

[SoDak]

He is in Sioux Falls today and the whole town is buzzing big time about this. Awesome!!!

[SoDak]

When it's time to campaign he is. He plays up his church ties then, and only then.

[CFIIIMEIATP737]

How far can a person go with the word "but"?

I am a Catholic, but I am in favor of abortion?

I support the troops, but I will criticize the commander-in-chief during a time of war?

How many 'buts' does it take before hypocrisy is rampant and we can't believe anything that is being said?

[Howlin]

Oh, tell! What are they saying?

[MattinNJ]

Ping

[Spiff]

I'm sure that Tommy the Tiny Tyrant_(tm) is saddened, SADDENED by all of this.

[kylaka]

I think Feinswine is Jewish, no?

[SoDak]

For one, the story is being e-mailed around my company today. And our local radio talk shows are already promoting discussions of it this afternoon.

[Howlin]

Way cool. I hope nobody forgets!

[G Larry]

Only Bishop's with courage will follow suit.
As with all good men, we need more of them.
(see tag below)

[pbear8]

More empirical proof that there is a God !

[eastsider]

This isn't exactly excommunication--which is unnecessary, in any case, since Daschle made himself ineligible for communion almost 20 years ago with his divorce and remarriage to a Washington lobbyist.

I particularly like the way the author slips in, almost as an afterthought. the fact that divorced and remarried Catholics should not receive communion. That should ruffle a few feathers.

[MJM59]

Maybe his is Catholic-Light.

[southernbychoice]

Is it still the case that they should not receive communion? My father's marriage to my mother has never been annulled, yet he and his new wife joined a parish, and receive communion every week.

[mtbopfuyn]

I'm deeply saddened to hear little Tommy is a bigamist.

[lilylangtree]

Wow! The Catholic Church disowning a public figure (even a bad one like D'asshole) starts a seed of respect for the church.

[gov_bean_ counter]

How many 'buts' does it take before hypocrisy is rampant and we can't believe anything that is being said?

I don't know. How many "butts" are in the Democrat Party?

[bruin66]

Diane Feinstein's next!

Don't forget Lieberman...

[Coleus]

Dashole's Voting Record
http://capwiz.com/nrlc/bio/keyvotes/?id=535

Sign Petitions:
http://www.cathfam.org/cfexcom/Excom.html
Herod's Heroes
http://www.dailycatholic.org/issue/2001May/2001hh.htm

An Old Testament, Litany of Life
http://www.usccb.org/prolife/liturgy/litany.htm
Canon Law and Abortion
http://members.aol.com/abtrbng/canonl.htm
The Gospel of Life--Evangelium Vitae
http://www.yankeesamizdat.org/items/EvanVitae.html
Living the Gospel of Life--A Challenge to American Catholics
http://www.nccbuscc.org/prolife/gospel.htm
Christian Patriots for Life
http://www.cpforlife.org/pro_life_education.htm
4-D Ultrasound
http://www.gemedicalsystems.com/rad/us/4d/virtual.html

[\/\/ayne]

The American Life League has been working on this for some time, now their "Deadly Dozen" project is showing some fruit. Go their Defense of the Catholic Church page and click on "Ad Campaigns" then "Deadly Dozen" for the full saga.

[Coleus]

[hobbes1]

PING!!!!!

[xsmommy]

couldn't happen to a nicer midget....

[Coleus]

STOPP Planned Parenthood
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/892053/posts

[Robert A. Cook, PE]

PONG!