Kerry’s a thorny option for church leaders

By TOM KANE

RIVER VALLEY — The presidential candidacy of Democrat John Kerry is receiving mixed reviews by many Christian church leaders, locally and across the nation.

Some express their opposition to Kerry cautiously and indirectly; others express it outright. Still others skirt the issue entirely, leaving it up to the conscience of their congregants.

Pastor Lane Jones of Calkins Union Baptist Church in Wayne County takes the latter position. “It’s a tradition for our church not to take a position in an election,” he said.

However, Jones quickly added, “We are primarily concerned with moral issues and not pocketbook issues.”

While Pastor Jones’ church is not officially pro-life, he said he will urge parishioners to vote with an informed conscience on “life issues.”

Among these issues, in addition to abortion, Jones includes the question of gay marriage. He said he has not used the pulpit or the church newsletter to take sides.

“We do not vote as a community,” he said. Jones said his congregation may have many viewpoints.

In a letter to the editor of The Wayne Independent, Reverend David Cramer, senior pastor of His Healing Hand Church in Lake Ariel, PA, very explicitly blames John Kerry for supporting gay marriages and partial-birth abortion and for opposing voluntary prayer in the schools.

“I have expressed my opinion to my congregation from the pulpit but have refrained from explicitly telling them how to vote,” Cramer said. “I urge them to pray for guidance before they vote.”

Cramer offers no proof of his opinions against Kerry other than the fact that he holds them. Kerry has often voiced opinions contrary to what Cramer accuses him of.

Reverend Joan LaLiberte of St. James Episcopal Church in Callicoon takes a position similar the one held by Jones. “I don’t believe in telling my congregation what to do. I cannot let my politics influence others,” she said.

What she will advise her congregation to do is develop an informed conscience before they enter the voting booth. LaLiberte did not explain what an informed conscience would be.

Father Martin Boylan, pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church in Honesdale, voiced a similar opinion. He said he does not take a partisan approach in elections.

“I urge congregants to develop a well-informed conscience on the issues,” he said. Boylan also did not explain what an informed conscience might be.

Strong Catholic opposition backed by the Vatican

However, Boylan pointed to a recent letter from the Most Reverend Joseph Martino, Bishop of Scranton, PA, that recently appeared in the Scranton Diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Light, which offers a position different from his. The letter criticizes Kerry, though never mentioning his name, by summarizing the Church’s traditional opposition to abortion, euthanasia, genocide, capital punishment, cloning and embryonic stem cell research. The bishop highlights the church’s official position that Catholic politicians who support these objectionable practices should not take Holy Communion and that no officiating priest should offer it.

Martino cites as support a statement from Cardinal Ratzinger, prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican, which emphasizes the practice of refusing communion to a “wayward” Catholic politician.

A recent statement in Observatore Romano, the official newspaper of the Holy See, states that the Pope will not take a position on the candidacy of any candidates in the American election.

Recently, the question of communion has been addressed by several Catholic bishops, who also say Kerry should be refused if he seeks it. The Archbishop of Denver, the Reverend Charles J. Chaput, condemns Kerry and goes even further by stating that any Catholic who votes for Kerry commits a serious sin—probably mortal.

Chaput stated his opposition in an article in The New York Times Op/Ed section last week reasserting the moral obligation a religious leader has to condemn immoral positions taken by Catholic politicians. In the article, he rejects the argument that a Catholic politician must not force his morality on other non-believing citizens.

Other Catholic prelates who have expressed similar views are Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis and Bishop William Weigand of Sacramento, CA.

On the other hand, Martino offers an “out” for Catholics when he says in the letter, “It must be noted that a Catholic who would vote for such a candidate must have reasons which outweigh that candidate’s pro-abortion position.” He does not specify what those reasons might be.

Similar to his ecclesiastical counterparts in other faiths, Martino adds, “Catholic voters should weigh always with informed and upright conscience their decision when voting.”

“The letter will not be read from Catholic pulpits,” said Maria Orzel, a spokesperson of the bishop, which is a practice frequently used by bishops in dealing with what they consider controversial moral issues.

Bishop Martino would not be interviewed for this article.

Kerry like Kennedy

In facing the issues like abortion and other moral stances, it should be noted that Kerry takes the same position John Kennedy took in 1959, when the Democratic candidate addressed a council of Protestant ministers in Texas, stating that he would not force his Catholicity on the citizens of the nation.

In the first of the presidential debates, Kerry said that he personally opposes abortion but would not force his opinion on the nation.

Episcopalians and the Cardinal Archdiocese of New York

The Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, Mark Sisk, does not take a view on any of the candidates.

“The bishop merely urges people to register and vote,” said Neva Rae Fox, director of communications and spokesperson for the diocese. In the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, Cardinal Edward Egan does not endorse any candidate for any election, according to Joseph Zwilling, director of communication for the archdiocese.

Opposition in Wayne County

Damascus resident Chuck Heyn, a Democrat who volunteered to canvas for Kerry from door to door in his township, encountered strong opposition to Kerry.

“The principal objection that I met with the majority of residents who were against Kerry was his position on religion,” Heyn said.

The big question is: to what degree will religion factor in to the presidential election?