Catholics' 'respect life' day gets political

By David D. Kirkpatrick - New York Times News Service

As the Roman Catholic Church observes its annual "respect life" Sunday in this heated presidential election season, the unusually pitched competition for Catholic voters is setting off a round of skirmishes over how to apply the church's teachings not only on abortion but also on the war in Iraq, immigration and racism.

In a departure from previous elections, Democrats and liberal Catholic groups are waging a fight within the church, arguing that the Democratic Party better reflects the full spectrum of church teachings.

It is a contest for credibility among observant Catholics, with each faction describing itself as a defender of "life." But the two sides disagree over how to address the "intrinsic evil" of abortion.

The escalating efforts by more liberal Catholics are provoking a vigorous backlash from some bishops and the right. In Scranton, Pa., every Catholic attending Mass this weekend will hear a special homily about the election next month: Bishop Joseph Martino has ordered every priest in the diocese to read a letter warning that voting for a supporter of abortion rights amounts to endorsing "homicide."

"Being 'right' on taxes, education, health care, immigration and the economy fails to make up for the error of disregarding the value of a human life," the bishop wrote. "It is a tragic irony that 'pro-choice' candidates have come to support homicide — the gravest injustice a society can tolerate — in the name of 'social justice.'"

In response, a coalition of liberal lay Catholics is pushing back, criticizing the bishop's message for neglecting other aspects of "life," such as concern for the poor, talked about in Catholic social teachings.

To underscore the point, a nun is collecting signatures of prominent Catholic leaders in Scranton for a newspaper advertisement reminding those who might be wary of voting for Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee for president, that the church also considers racism a sin that threatens the dignity of life.

Scranton is the focus of a disproportionate amount of attention because it was the childhood home of Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, the Democratic vice presidential candidate. Biden is a Catholic. Catholics make up about a quarter of the electorate nationwide, and about a third in many of the most heavily contested states in the Northeast and Midwest, an increasingly central focus of both presidential campaigns.