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March
6, 2006
VOL.
44, NO. 5Oakland,
CA
Catholic Democrats issue 'statement of principles'
WASHINGTON
-- A coalition of 55 Catholic House Democrats acknowledged, Feb. 28, the
“moral leadership” of the Catholic Church, but said they will
remain “in disagreement with the Church” on some issues, including
abortion rights.
The “statement of principles” resurrects a battle from the
2004 elections when some Catholic politicians -- especially Democratic
presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry -- found themselves at odds with
Church leaders over their support of abortion rights.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who spearheaded the statement, said Catholic
Democrats did not want to see Catholic faith defined solely by a “one-issue,
very narrow right-wing agenda.”
“This is about the whole notion that the Catholic purpose is not
defined by one issue,” DeLauro said in an interview, “and
what we wanted to try to do was instead of other people defining us, we
needed to try to define ourselves.”
The statement was less confrontational than one issued in May 2004, in
which 48 Catholic Democrats said threats by some bishops to deny Communion
to dissenting politicians were “deeply hurtful” and “counter-productive.”
The lawmakers said they want to work with Church leaders on issues of
poverty, health care and education under the “Catholic tradition
... that promotes the common good, expresses a consistent moral framework
for life and highlights the need to provide a collective safety net”
for the needy.
The lawmakers agreed with the “undesirability of abortion”
and promised to work to reduce the number of “unwanted pregnancies”
and increase alternatives to abortion.
“We don’t celebrate abortion,” said DeLauro, who has
consistently received top ratings from abortion-rights groups. “Others
have said we celebrate abortion. We do not.”
The statement asked for room to disagree on abortion rights, which the
Church staunchly opposes. “In all these issues, we seek the Church’s
guidance and assistance but believe also in the primacy of conscience,”
the statement said.
DeLauro said the statement got the support of 55 of the 72 House Democrats
who are Catholic, and said it evolved over months of discussions and “was
not at all driven” by the upcoming mid-term congressional elections.
Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, who is heading a bishops’
task force on how to respond to dissenting politicians, said he could
not comment on the specifics of the statement because he had not yet seen
it, but said he was willing to continue informal discussions with Catholics
in both parties.
“We know we agree on some things, we disagree on other things, but
there is always room to talk,” Cardinal McCarrick said.
DeLauro has emerged as the voice of liberal Catholic strongholds in the
Northeast, and has tried to push her party to be more comfortable with
issues of faith. Last year she conducted a survey that showed Democrats
vote more in line with Church teaching than Republicans.
When the 109th Congress convened last January, there were 154 Catholics
in the House and Senate -- 87 Democrats and 67 Republicans.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn.
