Radical Kansas Cleric: 4 in 10 Catholics Unfit to Present Themselves for Communion
Posted by Joshua Holland, AlterNet at 2:18 AM on April 2, 2009.
At least that's the logical conclusion to his argument against Kathleen Sebelius.There's been some controversy abrewin' about Barack Obama's relationship with the Catholic faithful. Supposedly, a wide chasm has opened between that group and the president resulting from the latter's support for stem-cell research and the fact that he doesn't believe the state should force women to give birth unless they choose to.
There was the Notre Dame kerfuffle, and now the storyline continues with the confirmation hearing of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Obama's nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services.
All of this should be seen through a pretty simple lens: there is, in fact, no difference between the views of American Catholics and the population as a whole. The rift, to the extent it exists, is between the Catholic church hierarchy and Obama. And here's the key thing to understand: to the degree that they are significantly more conservative on social issues than the nation as a whole, the leaders of the church are utterly and painfully out of step with their own followers. It would be nice if the media noted that rather significant fact. ..........(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/134591/radical_kansas_cleric%3A_4_in_10_catholics_unfit_to_present_themselves_for_communion/