Latin American voters not seen toeing Catholic line

[Judi Lynn]

Latin American voters not seen toeing Catholic line

By Hilary Burke
Reuters
Tuesday, June 6, 2006; 8:30 AM

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Reuters) - The Roman Catholic Church holds great weight in Latin America, but voters plagued by economic worries are largely tuning out the church's moral messages during elections this year.

Scholars say priests and bishops have no direct impact on how people vote in Latin America, home to half the world's Catholics. But the church has ties to many political leaders and played a crucial role -- as friend and foe -- during the region's military dictatorships in the 1970s and 1980s.

Since democracy returned, the church mostly has limited its activism to criticizing libertine sexual mores and free-market economic policies that hurt the poor in the region, where four out of every 10 people are poor.

But many voters have opted to tackle poverty by electing left-leaning governments. And most ignore church teachings on issues like premarital sex, birth control and abortion without engaging in a U.S.-style "family values" debate.
(snip/...)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/06/AR2006060600388.html

[AX10]

1. Ignore them!!! The Catholic Church will sell you down the river in...

the name of "morality". Speaking of which, the church still has never solved their "little boy problem".

[bluefish]

2. Interesting

Snip:

excerpts from articles)

"Since democracy returned, the church mostly has limited its activism to criticizing libertine sexual mores and free-market economic policies that hurt the poor in the region, where four out of every 10 people are poor.

But many voters have opted to tackle poverty by electing left-leaning governments.

The voters in Latin America pick and choose from their faith and imho picked the best ideal.