New pope intervened against Kerry in US 2004 election campaign

[sonicx]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Vatican theologian who was elected Pope Benedict XVI, intervened in the 2004 US election campaign ordering bishops to deny communion to abortion rights supporters including presidential candidate John Kerry.

In a June 2004 letter to US bishops enunciating principles of worthiness for communion recipients, Ratzinger specified that strong and open supporters of abortion should be denied the Catholic sacrament, for being guilty of a "grave sin."

He specifically mentioned "the case of a Catholic politician consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws," a reference widely understood to mean Democratic candidate Kerry, a Catholic who has defended abortion rights.

The letter said a priest confronted with such a person seeking communion "must refuse to distribute it."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1521&e=3&u=/afp/20050419/pl_afp/vaticanpopeus

:argh:

[Bluebear]

1. Stop! Why do you hate religion?

:sarcasm:

[Mr_Spock]

2. Stop! Why do you hate religion!

:rofl:

[LittleClarkie]

3. Okay, Joey da Rat just pissed me off

He'd better not pull that shit now that he's pope.

[Lerkfish]

4. but..but...he's a great guy! if we criticize him we are attacking catholic

DU members...right?
I mean I just spent all day in thread fending off horrified DUers, including a moderator, because I dared to mention that he was in the Hitler youth.

bizarro world, man, bizarro world.

[NNN0LHI]

13. Would you mind posting a link to that thread for me? Thanks in advance n/t

[Lerkfish]

14. sure.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3504313&mesg_id=3504313

[cobaindrain]

5. Bush's Pope

simple as that

[Lerkfish]

17. One wonders why Bush met privately with the voting cardinals.

before the election of the pope. I"m unaware that's ever happened before (but I could be wrong)

\what was the conversation? oh to be a fly on THAT wall.

[arcos]

6. Leave the Pope alone, he's a great fighter against conservatism!!

:sarcasm:

[sonicx]

7. that sarcasm smilie is very useful, no?

:sarcasm::crazy:;)

[LatePeriduct]

8. Truly not surprising....

They had this game stacked with anti-communists. Kerry and the liberals were viewed in that nice light.

[me b zola]

9. Lovely. I refuse to distrubute our $$ to the Catholic Church.

Take that, Pope Benny!

[Quixote1818]

10. Everyone is trying out the new sarcasm thing in this thread.

Can I play?

Ratzinger will be a real Zinger of a Pope! I think he will go down as one of the greats and help the liberal progressive cause, womens rights, help stop AIDS in Africa by allowing birth control and all kinds of other AWESOME things. :sarcasm:

[sonicx]

12. sarcasm is a sin!

:sarcasm:

[tallahasseedem]

11. This is ridiculous!

I stopped going to mass right after the election. Decided not to send my kids to Catholic school after the Schiavo debacle. Now? Im finished. This guy is out of control.

[JanMichael]

15. Stop! Why do you hate religion?

I couldn't help myself...

[maveric]

16. Once more enabling/collaborating with Nazis.

This guy is a real piece of work!