Free Republic

In officiating at the June 17 “marriage” of the same lesbian couple he had joined in dubious wedlock four years ago, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom beat Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to the punch. But Villaraigosa, like Newsom a potential contender for the Democratic nomination for governor, was not to be bested. On June 23, Villaraigosa united Hollywood producer Bruce Cohen with his five-year-long male companion, art consultant Gabriel Catone. And, the previous week, the Los Angeles mayor voiced his warm support for legalized same-sex marriage. "The California electorate is coming into a new age realizing that [gay] marriage...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, whose Roman Catholic archdiocese covers northeast Kansas, on May 9 called on Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to stop taking Communion until she disowns her support for the "serious moral evil" of abortion. That put the church in conflict with a rising star of the Democratic Party, often described as a "moderate" and perhaps the leading prospect to become Barack Obama's vice presidential running mate. Naumann also took Sebelius to task for her veto April 21 of a bill, passed two to one by both houses of the Kansas Legislature, which would strengthen the...

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, whose Roman Catholic archdiocese covers northeast Kansas, on May 9 called on Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to stop taking Communion until she disowns her support for the "serious moral evil" of abortion. That put the church in conflict with a rising star of the Democratic Party who is often described as a "moderate" and is perhaps the leading prospect to become Barack Obama's running mate. Naumann also took Sebelius to task for her veto April 21 of a bill, passed by 2 to 1 margins in both houses of the Kansas Legislature, that would strengthen the state's...

The Catholic Left is hanging itself right before our eyes. Having never come to grips with the Church's teachings on sexuality, they are now tightening the noose on themselves in public. It is not a pretty sight. This month alone they have embroiled themselves in a debate with three separate archbishops, with no end in sight.... At bottom, it is not the Catholic Left's quarrel with three archbishops that is doing them in; it is their total failure to convince Catholics (as well as non-Catholics) that it is okay to vote for NARAL-approved candidates for public office and then claim...

The “Last Lion” of Abortion Sen. John McCain responded to the news of Sen. Edward Kennedy’s brain tumor saying that Ted Kennedy was the “last lion of the Senate.” Nice words, but hollow. Clearly Kennedy has been a forty year force to reckon with in the US Senate, but lionizing him for his headstrong political partisanship over four decades is a little like saying that sticking around for a long time and being opinionated qualifies as a “legacy.” That very record of anti-life advocacy is the measure by which his soul will be judged.   While I pray for Sen. Kennedy’s...

SAN FRANCISCO, May 17 (UPI) -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told the San Francisco Chronicle's editorial board he backs a court ruling upholding the right of gay couples to marry. Schwarzenegger tried to clarify his sometimes confusing stance on gay marriage in the wake of Thursday's ruling by the California Supreme Court finding that same-sex couples should have the right to marry in the state, and said that he supports the decision. "First, I have always said that for me, marriage is between a man and a woman," he told the newspaper. "But I don't want to make everyone else...

The best evidence yet that the drumbeat against public support of pro-abortion Catholic pols at Catholic institutions is having an effect appears in the Boston Globe of all places. The Globe tells us how the personally opposed prevaricators are just not getting the choice commencement invites from Catholic Institutions to which they had shamefully become accustomed. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is one of the nation's most powerful Catholics, but this year the only commencement address she gave was at one of the eight campuses of Miami Dade College. Senator John F. Kerry is headlining three commencements this year - the...

What makes the governor’s actions and advocacy for legalized abortion, throughout her public career, even more painful for me is that she is Catholic. Sadly, Governor Sebelius is not unique in being a Catholic politician supporting legalized abortion. Since becoming archbishop, I have met with Governor Sebelius several times over many months to discuss with her the grave spiritual and moral consequences of her public actions by which she has cooperated in the procurement of abortions performed in Kansas. My concern has been, as a pastor, both for the spiritual well-being of the governor but also for those who have...

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas has been dealing with Gov. Kathleen Sebelius  for a while now regarding her scandalous and unrepentant support, as a Catholic, of abortion. He has now taken further action. The Kansas City Star reports: Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius should stop taking Communion until she repudiates her support for the “serious moral evil” of abortion, the Catholic archbishop for northeast Kansas says. Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, also criticized the governor Friday for her recent veto of a bill imposing new restrictions on abortion providers. The...

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius should stop taking Communion until she repudiates her support for the "serious moral evil" of abortion, the Catholic archbishop for northeast Kansas says. Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, also criticized the governor Friday for her recent veto of a bill imposing new restrictions on abortion providers. In a column published in the archdiocesan newspaper the Leaven, Naumann called on the Catholic governor to take the "necessary steps for amendment of her life." Naumann later told the Kansas City Star that would involve a confession, a public apology and a...

Despite a 2004 order from the future Pope Benedict XVI barring pro-choice Catholic politicians from the Communion table, a quintet of elected officials flouted his wishes twice during his recent six-day visit here by partaking of the sacrament right before his eyes. The bishops whose job it is to enforce the pope's wishes have been all over the map in responding. While New York Cardinal Edward Egan publicly chastised former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani for taking Communion during an April 19 Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, the bishops of Washington, Boston and Norwalk, Conn., have not disciplined members...

When Sen. Barack Obama recently announced the formation of his Catholic National Advisory Council, he said he was “deeply honored to have the support and counsel of these committed Catholic leaders, scholars and advocates.” Commenting on this group is Catholic League president Bill Donohue:“The best advice I can give Sen. Obama about his Catholic National Advisory Council is to dissolve it immediately. Of the 26 Catholic former or current public office holders he has listed as either National Co-Chairs (5), or as members of the National Leadership Committee (21), there is not one who agrees with the Catholic Church...

In the aftermath of the visit by Pope Benedict XVI, a troublesome question is asked by traditional Catholics: Did American pro-choice politicians receiving Communion at the papal masses indicate a softening on the abortion question by the pope? The answer is that it did not. On the contrary, it reflected disobedience to Benedict by the archbishops of New York and Washington. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sens. John Kerry, Christopher Dodd and Edward M. Kennedy received Communion at Nationals Park in Washington, as did Rudolph Giuliani at Yankee Stadium in New York. They were present because they were invited to...

"I had an understanding with Mr. Rudolph Giuliani, when I became Archbishop of New York and he was serving as Mayor of New York, that he was not to receive the Eucharist because of his well-known support of abortion."

In the aftermath of the U.S. visit by Pope Benedict XVI, traditional Catholics are asking a troublesome question: Did pro-choice politicians receiving Communion at the papal Masses indicate the pope had softened on the abortion question? The answer is no. On the contrary, it reflected disobedience to Benedict by the archbishops of New York and Washington. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sens. John Kerry, Christopher Dodd and Edward M. Kennedy received Communion at Nationals Park in Washington, as did former mayor Rudolph Giuliani at Yankee Stadium in New York. Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington and Cardinal Edward Egan, archbishop of...

April 28, 2008 -- NEW YORK - New York Cardinal Edward Egan says Rudy Giuliani should not have received Holy Communion during the pope's visit because he supports abortion rights. Egan says he had "an understanding" with the former presidential candidate and New York mayor that he is not to receive the Eucharist. The Catholic Church teaches "that abortion is a grave offense against the will of God." The cardinal says Giuliani broke that understanding when he received the Eucharist during Pope Benedict XVI's visit. Egan says he will be seeking a meeting with Giuliani "to insist that he abide...

Twice-divorced former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani took Communion at a Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict on Saturday, breaching rules that bar those who remarry outside the Church from doing so. As he left New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral with his third wife, Judith, the failed presidential candidate confirmed to Reuters that he took Communion from a priest. Asked if he was uncomfortable with having broken the Church ban on the divorced and remarried taking Communion, Giuliani said, "No." The Church does not recognize divorce and teaches that divorced Catholics are still married to their earlier partner unless the...

WASHINGTON, DC, April 17, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - At the papal Mass at Nationals Park this morning with 46,000 in attendance, pro-abortion Senators John Kerry and Chris Dodd presented themselves for and received Holy Communion.  Of note, pro-abortion Senator Ted Kennedy purposefully did not receive Communion.  Photos taken by Tom McFadden Director of Admissions at Christendom College and provided first to LifeSiteNews.com, show Kerry and Dodd receiving while Kennedy remains seated as his row leaves to receive Communion. American Life League (ALL) President Judie Brown told LifeSiteNews.com that no pro-abortion politicians received Holy Communion directly from Pope Benedict during the Mass....

Pelosi takes Communion at papal Mass By Mike Soraghan Posted: 04/17/08 03:52 PM [ET] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she felt very comfortable taking Communion during the Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI, who has said supporters of abortion rights should not receive Communion. “Communion is the body of the people of the church coming together,” Pelosi said at her weekly news conference after returning from the Mass. “I feel very much a part of that.” The Speaker was effusive about the service, reading a passage from the pope’s sermon and praising his “beautiful message of hope.” Staffers said...

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Whatever happened to the crowd of Catholics vying for the presidential nomination in 2008? Less than a year ago, nearly a dozen Catholics -- Republicans and Democrats -- had either declared as candidates for president, started an exploratory committee or been widely mentioned as likely candidates. But with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's decision Jan. 10 to end his run for the Democratic nomination, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio remains the most prominent Catholic candidate on the Democratic side. Democratic Sens. Joseph Biden of Delaware and Christopher Dodd of Connecticut dropped out of the race a week...

Gavin Newsom, the divorced San Francisco mayor who provoked a constitutional crisis in 2004 by granting marriage licenses to 4,000 same-sex couples, has chosen the historic Mission Dolores Basilica for a family Mass on the occasion of his inauguration to a second term. Newsom and his family are scheduled to attend Mass at Mission Dolores tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan. 8, in what his press office is calling a “low-key” second inauguration. Following the Mass, his father, William Newsom, a retired state appellate judge, will administer the oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony at San Francisco City Hall. Given his record,...

Boston Cardinal Accused of Partisan Politics for Blasting Democrats over AbortionCardinal also said Catholics voting for pro-abortion politicians "borders on scandal" By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman BOSTON, November 21, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Most elected officials in the Massachusetts Democratic Party are ignoring Cardinal Sean O'Malley's recent denunciation of their pro-abortion position. O'Malley, who is the Catholic Archbishop of Boston, said in an interview with the Boston Globe on November 15th that "the Democratic Party, which has been in many parts of the country traditionally the party which Catholics have supported, has been extremely insensitive to the church's position, on the gospel...

WASHINGTON, November 7, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - John Kerry lamented the fact that he lost the pro-life vote in the 2004 US presidential elections during a talk given at the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life yesterday. The Catholic, former Democratic presidential candidate still did not, however, express any regrets about his pro-abortion position. Kerry stated that he wished he had talked more about his personal view of what constitutes "Catholicism" earlier in the campaign, rather than waiting until the last three weeks. The Senator acknowledged that the decision by four Catholic bishops to denounce him publicly and to deny...

Oddly enough, the personal prayers of the Speaker of the House recently entered the national conversation. In an interview with Chris Wallace, Speaker Nancy Pelosi was asked if she prayed for the troops... to win. Those Fox news commentators ask the darnedest things. Mrs. Pelosi -- nimble thinker that she is -- quickly replied in the affirmative, but was noticeably affronted by what she perceived to be a rather insolent qualifier stealthily appended to the rear end of the question posed by this mildly imperious anchorman. After regaining her composure, she went on to assure the American viewers that she...

David Letterman: "Now here is what I don't understand. Rudy Giuliani had three wives and he's not the Mormon candidate. Is that right?"

Saint Louis (AP) -- Roman Catholic Archbishop Raymond Burke, who made headlines last presidential season by saying he'd refuse Holy Communion to John Kerry, has his eye on Rudy Giuliani this year. Giuliani's response: "Archbishops have a right to their opinion." Burke, the Archbishop of St. Louis, was asked by The St. Louis Post-Dispatch if he would deny Communion to Giuliani if the former New York mayor approached him for the sacrament. "If the question is about a Catholic who is publicly espousing positions contrary to the moral law, and I know that person knows it, yes I would," the...

SAN FRANCISCO, September 28, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Following the discovery of an ad for a sadomasochistic street parade in San Francisco which mocked the Last Supper replacing Christ and His Apostles with leather-clad (and unclad) homosexuals, Concerned Women for America (CWA) and other groups called on California legislators to denounce the anti-Christianity.  Rather than denounce the ad, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has derisively dismissed any concerns. Drew Hammill, Pelosi's press secretary, responded to media questions on the offensive ad saying, "As a Catholic, the speaker is confident that Christianity has not been harmed." The offensive ad was put together by...

St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke, a veteran of clashes between Catholic bishops and politicians, has attempted for years to enlist fellow bishops to deny Holy Communion to wayward politicians. Now, the conservative cleric is invoking the church's highest punishment -- mortal sin -- to persuade the lay and ordained Catholics who distribute Communion at Mass to safeguard the sacrament.Drawing on the works of the late Italian Jesuit scholar Felice Cappello, Burke says those ministers are "held, under pain of mortal sin, to deny the sacraments to the unworthy."That argument could place Communion ministers on the frontlines of the "wafer wars"...

Liberal Premier Does Campaign Stop at Catholic High School; Tells Students He Disregards Faith By John-Henry Westen TORONTO, September 18, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - When it comes to his Catholic faith, it plays no part in his political decisions.  So said Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty in a campaign stop at St. Augustine's Catholic High School, in Markham, Ontario yesterday before 130 students.  "My Catholicism, my private faith, does not determine my position. My responsibility to the public interest does," he said. The Premier has followed the example of pro-abortion former Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin in using Catholic schools as campaign...

Last Thursday, 16 of the 25 Catholics in the U. S. Senate voted to overturn the "Mexico City Policy" to allow funding to overseas health clinics providing abortions. One of the 16 was freshman Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. (D-PA) who ran against, and defeated, Sen. Rick Santorum as a "pro-life" candidate. It's doubtful whether Casey, son of the legendary pro-life Pennsylvania governor Bob Casey, will ever be able to convince voters of his pro-life label again.

"Catholic" Statesmen Attend Homosexual "Marriage" of Gay Politician By Elizabeth O'Brien NOVA SCOTIA, August 15, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A group of politicians, some of whom are Catholic in name, are planning to attend the first homosexual "marriage" of a federal politician since the institution was legalized in Canada two years ago. The Kings-Hants MP Scott Brison is marrying his homosexual partner Maxime St. Pierre this Saturday. One of the prominent attendees of the ceremony will be former Prime Minister Paul Martin. Martin has claimed to be "Catholic" despite his public opposition to Church teaching on fundamental matters such as abortion...

Using language which has been included in their resolutions for some years now, the Knights of Columbus this week again resolved at their annual convention to forbid pro-abortion politicians from attending their events. The resolution forbids "bestowing on [dissenters] honors or privileges of our Order of any kind." "That applies to public functions of any sort, and it is enforced," Patrick Korten, the Knights' Vice President for Communications, told California Catholic Daily. "We expect that council membership committees, when considering applications from potential new members, would take a person's views on abortion and life issues into account." The Knights also...

NASHVILLE, August 13, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - At the Knights of Columbus 125th annual convention this week, the Order officially resolved to forbid pro-abortion politicians from attending their events. The Order also renewed its support for the traditional definition of marriage and called for the protection of conscience for people in the medical field. During the final session of the Knights of Columbus convention at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel on August 9, delegates passed the pro-life resolution, stating, "we reaffirm our long-standing policy of not inviting to any Knights of Columbus event, persons, especially public officials or candidates for public office,...

Knights of Columbus Pass Resolution to Prohibit Pro-Abortion Politicians from Knights-Sponsored Events By Elizabeth O'BrienNASHVILLE, August 13, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - At the Knights of Columbus 125th annual convention this week, the Order officially resolved to forbid pro-abortion politicians from attending their events. The Order also renewed its support for the traditional definition of marriage and called for the protection of conscience for people in the medical field. During the final session of the Knights of Columbus convention at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel on August 9, delegates passed the pro-life resolution, stating, "we reaffirm our long-standing policy of not inviting to...

Leaders Shouldn't Separate Faith and Politics, Catholic Governor Jeb Bush States By Elizabeth O'BrienATLANTA, Georgia, August 9, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Republican governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, brother of President George Bush, described his "faith journey" to audiences at a Catholic conference this summer, emphasizing that faith and politics should not be separated. The devout Catholic and pro-life politician received a standing ovation from a crowd of families, children, priests and young people before he even began his speech at the 11th Youth and Family Encounter conference at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The event was sponsored this July...

Giuliani’s Catholic chameleon campaign Washington DC, Aug 10, 2007 / 10:51 am (CNA).- Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani seems to want to have it both ways when it comes to being Catholic. As he campaigns for president, the Republican frontrunner brings up his Catholic background occasionally but refuses to say whether or not he is a practicing Catholic. When a voter asked this week if he is a ''traditional, practicing Roman Catholic,'' Giuliani insisted his faith should be private, according to the AP. ''My religious affiliation, my religious practices and the degree to which I am a good or not-so-good Catholic,...

Accusing the Knights of Columbus of “hypocrisy,” a group of hardline Catholics is pushing for the fraternal organization to toss out 16 “pro-Sodomite” Bay State lawmakers who backed gay marriage. The California-based Concerned Roman Catholics of America picketed the annual Knights of Columbus convention in Nashville this week and handed out fliers urging members to oust the pro-gay-marriage Massachusetts solons as well as pro-abortion pols. “We basically want to see the Knights of Columbus expel these men because they’re not honoring the Catholic Church or their vows as a Knight,” said CRCOA president Kenneth Fisher, who is also a Knight....

Rudy Giuliani evokes his Catholic upbringing as he campaigns for president, yet he refuses to say whether he is a practicing Catholic. When a voter asked this week if he is a "traditional, practicing Roman Catholic," Giuliani insisted his faith should be private. "My religious affiliation, my religious practices and the degree to which I am a good or not-so-good Catholic, I prefer to leave to the priests," the former New York mayor responded in Davenport, Iowa. It would be difficult for him to answer yes. Someone who, like Giuliani, divorces and remarries without getting an annulment from the church...

Des Moines, IA (LifeNews.com) -- As the only pro-abortion candidate in the GOP race for president, Rudy Giuliani can't get away from the issue of abortion. But walking away from a question about it was just what he did on Tuesday when he refused to answer a question from an Iowa resident about how his Catholic faith relates to his abortion position. The former New York City mayor has been dogged by questions about abortion and pro-life Catholics have said he is out of step with the Church because he thinks abortions ought to be legal. At a town meeting...

On his recent trip to Brazil, a reporter asked Pope Benedict XVI a question that actually dealt with the Church’s spiritual role in making clear her teaching and guiding the faithful. The reporter questioned a warning given by bishops in Mexico to politicians who support abortion. The Pope gave an answer that upset some people. He said that supporting “the killing of an innocent child is incompatible with receiving communion, which is receiving the body of Christ." And he referred to Church law that allows for excommunication. The reaction was immediate. How could the Pope be so strong? How...

New Haven, Jul 9, 2007 / 10:50 am (CNA).- The Knights of Columbus was shocked to learn that 16 of its members, who hold political office in the Massachusetts Legislature, voted against the same-sex marriage amendment in June. The June 14 vote, which decided whether same-sex marriage would be put on the 2008 ballot, got only 45 votes — five votes shy of the 50-vote requirement. "It is certainly embarrassing to the order and to every Knight out there who is firm in his support of traditional marriage and the right to life," Pat Korten, vice-president for communications for the...

In May, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, went ballistic after Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the long-standing church doctrine that pro-choice Catholic legislators have excommunicated themselves and therefore may be denied Communion at Mass. "Religious sanction in the political arena directly conflicts with our fundamental beliefs about the role of democratic representatives in a pluralistic America," Rep. DeLauro and 17 other Catholic House Democrats said in a news release. "(I)t clashes with freedoms guaranteed in our Constitution." We found nothing remotely resembling that in our copies of the founding documents, but her denunciation of the pope was in keeping with the...

WASHINGTON, July 6, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In comments to the Washington Times, Archbishop Donald Wuerl has described himself as a "pastoral and spiritual" leader, and said that his job with Catholic politicians who oppose core Church teachings is to "teach" and "help them form a conscience." "My primary responsibility is to teach and therefore to help every Catholic inform their conscience." "When people do things contrary to church teaching, my responsibility is to help them understand that is wrong. Sometimes that takes a lot of conversation. Sometimes you're not successful at it," Wuerl told the Times' Julia Druin. Wuerl, however,...

MEDIA ADVISORY, July 2 /Christian Newswire/ -- I have just heard from John O'Gorman, the Fighting Knight of Columbus from Massachusetts, that the 170,000 signature Initiative Petition to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman was thwarted by the Legislature, meeting in joint Constitutional Convention, on Thursday, June 14 2007. The sad part is it would have passed to go on the ballot in 2008 had it not been for the votes of at least sixteen men who call themselves Knights of Columbus who voted against the Church they are supposed to be Knights of, and...

MILWAUKEE, June 29, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In a letter to the New York Times on Monday, Daniel C. Maguire, a professor of moral theology at Marquette University, stated that bishops should stop harassing Catholic politicians who vote in favor of abortion. Maguire drew on St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas who both thought that to allow certain moral evils would prevent “greater evils.” He further cited Aquinas, who said that the “wise legislator” imitates God, who “tolerates certain evils lest greater evils ensue.” The letter continued, “Similarly, today legislators who truly think abortion immoral could vote to keep it legal...

Maybe this afternoon's oppressive heat and humidity on the Hardball Plaza in DC was getting to Chris Matthews. I'm not sure how else to explain his complaint, to the effect that it is wrong of the Roman Catholic Church to apply its rules to politicians as it does to other adherents.His remark came in the course of a debate on religion on this afternoon's edition of "Hardball" between Christopher Hitchens, author of the atheist polemic "God Is Not Great", and the Reverend Al Sharpton. HARDBALL HOST CHRIS MATTHEWS: Today you have the Roman Catholic church through its bishops challenging the...

When Pope Benedict XVI attacked Catholic politicians in Mexico who supported abortion rights last month, Rudy Giuliani was asked for his opinion. The presidential candidate replied in the language of the church: "Issues like that are for me and my confessor. I'm a Catholic, and that's the way I resolve those issues, personally and privately." Giuliani has invoked his Catholic heritage on Larry King; he's been described by The Washington Post as a "devout Catholic"; he's appeared on Fox News with the label "Catholic" floating on-screen; and he's handled a CNN debate question about a bishop who denounced him with...

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Rudy Giuliani is facing more criticism from Catholic leaders over his position in favor of abortion. The Republican presidential candidate is at odds with the church and the new criticism comes just weeks after a top bishop called his pro-abortion stance “pathetic,” “confusing” and “hypocritical.”

At first glance, Rudolph W. Giuliani should be an appealing presidential candidate for observant Roman Catholics. The grandchild of Italian immigrants, Mr. Giuliani went to Catholic schools, considered joining the priesthood, and as mayor of New York battled a museum that exhibited a painting of the Virgin Mary adorned in elephant dung. But church leaders say they are frustrated by prominent Catholic politicians like Mr. Giuliani who argue that while they are personally opposed to abortion, they do not want to impose their beliefs on others. One American bishop, Thomas J. Tobin of Providence, R.I., recently wrote a caustic column...

Sydney, Jun. 12, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, Australia, has repeated his insistence that Catholic politicians who support embryonic stem-cell research should "think twice before next receiving Communion." Cardinal Pell has been severely criticized by some Australian politicians and editorial writers for saying that Catholics should not support a bill that would allow for "therapeutic cloning." Archbishop Barry Hickey of Perth has found himself the focus of a government investigation for making similar comments, which one lawmaker saw as threatening. In his Sunday Telegraph newspaper column, Cardinal Pell made it clear that he will not back down...