This Q and A between the New York Times and the infamous Catholic Obama supporter Doug Kmiec.
A few things to note from Kmiec’s responses is that he is a victim here but he must continue his fight in order to save the Church from itself:
Q. You have been fiercely attacked by some Catholic abortion opponents and in one instance barred from receiving communion. How do you feel about that?
A. To be the subject of an angry homily at Mass last April 18 and excoriated as giving scandal for endorsing Senator Obama and then to be denied communion for that “offense” was the most humiliating experience in my faith life.
To be separated in that public manner from the receipt of the Eucharist, and to be effectively shunned or separated from the body of Christ in the sense of that particular congregation, has left, I very much regret to say, a permanent spiritual scar. Thankfully, it has also given me a new appreciation for the significance of the sacrament in my daily worship. And the priest, having been called to order by Cardinal Roger Mahony, sent me an apology, which of course I have accepted.
Nonetheless, I remain deeply troubled that other church leaders not fall into similar traps. That would do untold damage to the church within the context of American democracy.
There are clearly partisan forces that want nothing more than to manufacture or stir up faith-based opposition to their political opponents. The church has been careful to underscore that Catholics have unfettered latitude to vote for any candidate so long as the intent of the Catholic voter is not to express approval of a grave evil.
But how about when you simply ignore the evil of a politician in order to support them? Or let me put it another way, I could support Mussolini as long as I’m not supporting him because of his fascist murderous tactics.
But let’s all take a moment to thank Kmiec for his attempts to save the Church from doing “untold damage” to itself by opposing infanticide. We wouldn’t want to stand up for truth or anything.
September 2, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Well, yeah, we wouldn’t want to offend the delicate sensitivities of thugs who murder children.
— Mack
September 2, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Thank goodness for Cardinal Mahoney’s quick and decisive action! He moved promptly to discipline a priest who showed concern for Doug Kmiec’s soul by denying him communion while under ex latiae excommunication for his support of the intrinsically vicious act of abortion.
It’s not like we doubted which side His Eminence is on, but it’s good to have the obvious indication.
September 2, 2008 at 3:54 pm
A lot of people supported Mussolini because he made the trains run on time. This, in a country where nothing is on time.
I’m just saying…
September 2, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Kmiec and Mahony. They deserve each other. Which one loves the media attention more?
September 3, 2008 at 1:07 pm
the road to hell is paved with what?…..