Abp. Raymond Burke on Canon 915

Abp. Raymond Burke on Canon 915 In the Light of the Law Sept. 10, 2007:

One of America's sharpest canon lawyer bishops (Abp. Raymond Burke of St. Louis), has just published a terrific article in perhaps the world's most prestigious canon law journal (Periodica de re Canonica in Rome), on a topic of vital interest to the Church in the world (the correct application of Canon 915 on denial of Holy Communion). Best of all, it's available on-line here.

Just in case you missed it -- consider it as a 'must-read', especially in light of 2004's presidential race, with the scandal of pro-choice Catholic John Kerry insisting on his right to the Eucharist (not to mention this election with a certain former mayor of New York).

Meanwhile, Catholic News Agency reports that Cardinal McCarrick has recommended that the Catholic Church forcefully preach the pro-life message to presidential candidates rather than following Archbishop Burke’s suggestion of denying them Communion.

Cal Thomas on Global Warming

Credible veteran conservative columnist Cal Thomas has his usual common sense take on Al Gore and global warming at this link. It always amazes me how naive many of the Gore cultists are--their leader does not even live up to his own preaching on global warming in his own public lifestyle of extravagant and lavish energy consumption. Alas, we are all born looking for someone to believe in, we are all hard-wired to look for a messiah. Yet, the true Messiah came, died, rose again, and will return--and remains available this very day for the asking. There is no need to look elsewhere and be ultimately disappointed and disillusioned. The false messiahs have fallen repeatedly and some still nostalgically look back to them: Caesar, Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Che. Others like Castro keep hanging on by their fingernails. Yet, other false messiahs, such as Darwin for example, were never looking for messianic status but are more the product of fanatic followers who "dogmatize" the contributions of important historical figures beyond their original intent. The question remains for all of us: who is your messiah? Is the one you have, whether explicitly or implicitly, worth it? Can he deliver?

Congrats to Christopher on the Birth of His Son

(Hat tip: American Papist)

Christopher's dad, Dr. Philip Blosser, reports at Musings of a Pertinacious Papist:

Son Christopher (of Against the Grain, Cardinal Ratzinger Fan Club, & Pope Benedict XVI Fan Club) has just sired a son, Raphael Joseph Feldman-Blosser. If you're familiar with his blogs, you may wish to send him a congratulatory note -- with or without a cigar.

All the best to you and your growing family, Christopher!

Archbishop Burke vs. Rudy Giuliani: "Matching Wits with an Unarmed Foe" American Papist has the goods. October 3, 2007.

40 Days for Life

The pro-life movement is on the offensive against Planned Parenthood:

"This fall, 89 cities in 33 states across the nation will unite for a unique pro-life campaign called 40 Days for Life -- an intensive effort designed to raise awareness, save lives, bring healing, and prepare America for the beginning of the end of abortion.

The campaign will be conducted simultaneously in all locations from September 26 - November 4."

The main component of this campaign is peaceful vigil outside Planned Parenthood clinics or other abortion facilities. Here is the link to learn more and to see how you can help.

I attended the kickoff event in one city, Ann Arbor, Michigan, at the local Catholic charismatic parish. As usual, the most moving testimony was from two women who choose to be silent no more and to speak of the immense damage that abortion does to the mother involved. By the mercy and healing power of Jesus, these women are free today to live full lives and to speak truth to power courageously and prophetically. Although they still carry scars from their great error, they are able by the power of Jesus to move on, experience peace and joy, and now go about doing good and teaching others. Just the other day, another woman told me about the horrors of her own abortion and about the insidious workings of Planned Parenthood when she volunteered there years ago: exorbitant profit margins on birth control pills and suppression of information about the harmful consequences of abortion to the woman. She also told me that if anyone had intercepted her on the way to the abortion clinic and urged her to turn around, she would not have had the abortion.

This particular sin and others are at times like that: many are reluctant even as we begin the sin and are undergoing it. The lie of the devil is that we are on some kind of assembly line where we just can't stop the descent to hell. The truth is that we are really free and can choose to stop the madness as we begin to slide into sin. Too many women have been "hustled" through fear, lies, propaganda, and pressure into scarring themselves permanently with abortion. The same woman told me that she tried to interrupt the abortion as it was proceeding, but was told that it was already too late. Many times we slide into disaster even while we recognize that it is a disaster. That's why we have to remind ourselves that in Jesus we are always free to say no to the machinations of evil. We have to learn to say no and to exercise our freedom to be sane.

Let's be clear: Planned Parenthood is an umbrella term for a network of death camps for infants spread throughout the United States. The roots of this evil lie in the fornication culture that exploded onto the American scene in the sixties and is now considered "normal" in America. The most outrageous bad fruit of a fornication culture is the murder of children. Sin works that way. The devil works that way: one outrage leads to another until you get to the ultimate outrage--child sacrifice in modern America for personal convenience and as a form of after-the-fact birth control. We even have one major political party--the Democratic Party--that has sold its soul to the maintenance of this contemporary holocaust.

Kerry's CUA Lecture Cancelled due to "Scheduling Conflict"

Pro-Abortion Kerry’s Lecture Cancelled at CUA Due to “Scheduling Conflict” :

WASHINGTON, DC, September 21, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - LifeSiteNews.com reported last week that Catholic University of America's (CUA) newspaper 'The Tower' had revealed that the College Democrats at CUA had received the necessary permission from the administration and subsequently invited pro-abortion Senator Kerry to lecture at the University.

In its current issue released just today, The Tower newspaper is now reporting that according to both the Senator's congressional office and the College Democrats, "Sen. John Kerry will not speak at the University this semester due to scheduling conflicts[…]

Mark Arnone, president of the College Democrats at CUA, had initially been forbidden by officials at the University Center, Student Programs and Events (UCSPE) to invite the pro-abortion senator to lecture. However, after appealing the decision with a six page explanation on the reasons why Kerry should be allowed, Arnone received permission from UCSPE director Bill Jonas.

The Lifesite news article contains this interesting bit on the interpretation of the USCCB's directive for Catholic Universities to refuse "awards, honors or platforms" to individuals who openly defy Catholic "fundamental moral principles":

While no response was ever received from Jonas' office, LifeSite did receive an answer to a similar question from Victor Nakas, Associate Vice President for Public Affairs. Mr. Nakas claimed that Senator Kerry was never issued a "formal" invitation but that "[t]he College Democrats decided to explore the possibility of inviting Senator Kerry."

Nakas however, explained that a Kerry lecture at CUA would not be a contradiction to the USCCB policy. "Unfortunately, some people are misinterpreting the bishops' statement on Catholic politicians. We verified with the bishops themselves that the intent of the statement was to refuse a platform to speakers who would be invited to speak on those specific issues for which they hold positions that are at variance with the fundamental moral teachings of the Catholic Church (emphasis in original email).

Nakas continued, "This means, for example, that we would be violating the letter and the intent of the bishops' statement were we to invite Sen. Kerry to speak on abortion. However, we would not be violating the letter and the spirit of the bishops' statement were we to permit the College Democrats to invite Sen. Kerry to speak on the environment or the Iraq war."

Huckabee on Mexico City Policy: "I just want to make sure that we were not agreeing to . . . a Mexican law"?!?

Huckabee clueless on Reagan/Keyes pro-life Mexico City Policy, by Helen Valois. September 22, 2007 RenewAmerica analyst:

Bill Clinton knows about the Mexico City Policy. Immediately upon taking office as President, on behalf of his virulently pro-abortion base of support, Clinton rescinded Ronald Reagan's prohibition on U.S. taxpayer funding of abortions overseas.

George W. Bush knows about the Mexico City Policy. When he became our country's Chief Executive, one of his first acts was to restore the policy's protections afforded to the innocent unborn around the world, and to American taxpayers.

But in last Monday's Values Voter debate in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, candidate Mike Huckabee proved that he doesn't have a clue about this landmark pro-life foreign policy.

Here's the relevant portion of the debate:

JANET FOLGER: The Mexico City Policy states that as a condition for a foreign organization to receive federal funds, they will neither, quote, "perform nor actively promote abortion." Would you work to apply this Mexico City Policy to organizations within the United States, as well as abroad?

MIKE HUCKABEE: I just want to clarify, and I'm not trying to be difficult, but I want to make sure we're not being asked to apply a Mexican law to United States law. Is it the principle you're after, or the law itself?

FOLGER: It's the principle of not giving our tax dollars to organizations within our country that actively promote or provide abortions.

HUCKABEE: OK. I just want to make sure that we were not in essence agreeing to abide by a Mexican law.

FOLGER: No. It's an American law.

HUCKABEE: OK. All right.

READ THE REST.

Disappointed? -- You bet.

By the way: I like Alan Keyes. I'm not sure if he has a chance of winning the nomination, but nonetheless, I'm glad he's in the race. He's a skilled debater and will keep the others on their toes. Another Catholic statesman we can be proud of.

National Catholic Register: "Moving Beyond the Catholic Stereotype"

Donald DeMarco writes on the positive impact Catholics can and should have in the formation of public policy in the September 23-29, 2007 issue of the National Catholic Register:

To stereotype a person is to locate him in a category that forbids recognition of his individuality.

It gives preference to the fictional over the real, the abstract over the concrete. Hence, it is an act of injustice, and has much in common with a laundry list of detestable “isms”: racism, sexism, colonialism, communism, etc.

And yet, despite the near universal repudiation of stereotyping, it remains active, indeed, even fashionable, to stereotype Catholics.

According to this stereotype, a Catholic is a one-dimensional creature that acts solely on the basis of a faith that he cannot share with non-Catholics. As a consequence, Catholics are often disenfranchised from the political process simply because they are Catholics. As we read over and over again in the secular press, “Catholics should not try to impose their faith on others,” “Church and state must remain separate,” “We live in a pluralistic society,” and so on.

In reality, a Catholic is not simply a believer. He is also a knower, and one, as a matter of fact, who has a great enthusiasm for reason. The philosophy of politics is not alien to the Catholic mind either historically or presently.

Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI have sought passionately and persistently to remind Catholics of their proper place in the democratic scheme of things, which is to help in providing society with a rational basis that makes justice and peace possible.

In other words, a Catholic is a humanist in the best sense of the term. To limit him to his faith is to stereotype him unjustly.

In his encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love), Pope Benedict draws a clear line between the Church and the state when he writes, “The Church cannot and must not take upon herself the political battle to bring about the most just society possible. She cannot and must not replace the state.”

On the other hand, the role of the Church, according to the Holy Father, “is simply to help purify reason and to contribute here and now to the acknowledgment and attainment of what is just.”

Properly formed Catholics provide a corrective when reason gives way to trends, opinion polls, political correctness, pressure groups, convenience and a peculiar form of relativism that claims to be absolute (the “dictatorship of relativism”).

***
The world of politics should welcome Catholics because they actually show a more cultivated appreciation for reason than what is usually displayed by self-serving politicians or legislators who sacrifice justice for convenience.

Robert George, professor of jurisprudence at Princeton University, has made the observation that the Catholic Church is far more committed to reason and rational discourse than is the world of secular politics. “It seems to me,” he states, “that these people have it backward. The Church’s moral teachings are in line with reason; secularist ideology is not.”

[More]

(emphasis added)

16 Catholic Senators Vote for Overseas Abortions

Sixteen of twenty five Catholic senators vote to fund overseas abortion Catholic News Agency. Sept. 18, 2007:

President George W. Bush has promised to veto an amendment that overturned the Mexico City Policy.

Last Thursday, 16 of the 25 Catholics in the U. S. Senate voted to overturn the "Mexico City Policy" and allow funding to overseas health clinics providing abortions. The amendment passed by a margin of 53-41.

One of the 16 was Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. (D-PA), who defeated Sen. Rick Santorum as a pro-life candidate.

"It's doubtful whether Casey, son of the legendary pro-life Pennsylvania governor Bob Casey, will ever be able to convince voters of his pro-life label again,” writes Deal Hudson in his Sept. 17 edition of The Window. . . . The U.S. Catholic bishops expressed disappointment at the passage of the bill, for which 16 Catholic Senators voted in favor.

They include: Robert Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT). Ted Kennedy (D-MA), John Kerry (D-MA), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Susan Collins (R-ME), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Ken Salazar (D-CO), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Christopher Dodd (CT-D), Claire McCaskill (D-MO).

Carl Olson @ Insight Scoop has more, including a 2005 interview with Sen. Bob Casey.

Catholics for Ron Paul

Catholics For Ron Paul - a new blog maintained by Thomas Woods and Thomas Peters (American Papist).

From InsideCatholic.com:

• Why I Am a Catholic Republican, by Deal W. Hudson.
  
• Why I Am a Catholic Libertarian, by Thomas E. Woods.
  
• Why I Am a Catholic Democrat, by Mark Stricherz.
  

LSU student and fellow Catholic Michael Denton has brought down the rage of the gay community with a column entitled: "America needs to stand against homosexuality".

What seems to be the problem? -- Michael's reference to the gay lifestyle as 'intrinsically disordered' and opposed to life; argues against the theory of "the gay gene" (suggesting that homosexuality is biologically determined); expresses concerns about activism by the gay lobby which seeks to impose a 'value-free' endorsement of their lifestyle on the rest of America by way of the courts and infiltration of school curriculum. As Michael notes:

In all of these cases, we see those in the homosexual movement refusing debate. They know they can't win in elections. Despite all of their efforts to convert us, an August 2007 CNN poll still shows 57 percent of Americans opposing gay marriage. So they ignore the democratic process and rush to friendlier courts. To top it all off, they're using sex education programs to jam their views down the throats of school children. They're not looking for debate; they're looking for victory at any cost.

It's a debate I'd love to have. Ideally, I should talk about why practicing homosexuality is intrinsically disordered and why it prevents one from loving fully. I should discuss recent works like the famous "Theology of the Body" by Pope John Paul II. If I did however, I would be risking expulsion, and I don't want to leave the University.

Reviewing the myriad comments flooding the newspaper in reaction, it's amazing to see how many vindicate Michael's judgement: little attempt to respond by way of rational debate; instead, accusations of "hate speech" and bigotry, and making fun of his photo.

It seems we have another 'Regensburg moment' -- Pope Benedict makes an observation about the predominance of violent coercion in Islamic history and Muslims respond with . . . violence. Michael Denton makes an observation about the gay lobby's reluctance to debate and they respond with . . . insults.

John Kerry invited to speak at Catholic University of America

Sen. John Kerry stands with Kate Michelman (right) President of NARAL Pro-Choice America.

From LifeSiteNews.com:

WASHINGTON, September 10, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Catholic University of America (CUA) has invited former presidential candidate, Senator John Kerry to speak on environmentalism and the Iraq war this semester despite initial opposition by the office of University Center, Student Programs and Events (UCSPE).

The Tower, the campus paper of Catholic University, said the UCSPE had initially objected to Kerry's appearance, saying there is an "unwritten" campus rule banning political candidates during an election year.

Kerry, who still receives Communion regularly, has 100 per cent pro-abortion voting record according to NARAL Pro-Choice America. During the 2004 presidential debates, Kerry claimed that he was "personally against abortion", but would not "take what is an article of faith for me and legislate it for someone who doesn't share that article of faith."

No, wait, it gets better . . .

Mark Arnone, chairman of the College Democrats who invited Kerry to speak at CUA, defended the decision saying Kerry "expresses remarkable dedication to the doctrine and principles of Catholic social teaching established in Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical 'Rerum Novarum'" Arnone cited Kerry advocacy "for affordable and accessible health care…minimum wage reform" and the environment.

Kerry's appearance is being opposed by Patrick Reilly of the Cardinal Newman Society, who aptly stated that the situation is "wrong on so many levels."

To express concerns contact the CUA Chancellor:

Archbishop of Washington:
The Most Reverend Donald W. Wuerl, 301-853-4500
chancery@adw.org

In June 2004, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted a statement, "Catholics in Political Life," by a vote of 183-6, which says pro-abortion politicians should not be honored by Catholic community and Catholic institutions. "They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions," says the statement. On the question of withholding Communion from pro-abortion politicians, the document leaves the final decision to local bishops.

On the Record Now, Even If With Few Others

Yes, it has been 6 years since Sept. 11, 2001. Little did I know that the words of FDR about Pearl Harbor that I memorized for a high school forensic competition would turn out to be so apt in the future: this is certainly a date that "will live in infamy."

What is amazing to me is that we have not been attacked again in 6 years. In my view, that is a signal and amazing achievement of President George W. Bush. He takes a lot of blame and criticism--just as Lincoln and Reagan did--so he should also get the credit. I will also take this opportunity to state for the record that, in my opinion, history will judge George W. Bush to have been one of our best Presidents. I do that knowing that many of the Monday morning quarterbacks and backseat drivers that litter the landscape will cringe at that statement. Let them cringe. I am entitled to express my own view. That's why my parents immigrated to a free country from a Communist dictatorship. We didn't yield our freedom to a crazed dictator in Cuba. I certainly won't yield it now to mass opinion or water cooler talk.

And in my positive evaluation, I include the overthrow of the genocidal dictator in Iraq and the crusade to build a democracy in the heart of the Moslem Middle East. My own theory--everyone has theories, so I can too--is that being on the offensive in Iraq is why we have not been attacked again in six years. I hear that others have stated the same view. The best defense is a good offense--a cliche that is a cliche because it is so well proven in experience. Many do not see or do not want to see the connection now. My bet is that historians with mature judgment will see it in the future. Lincoln went from vilified to adored. Reagan went from mocked to being missed. George W. Bush will go from being scorned to being admired and respected as the unflagging President who kept us safe for 6 years. That already is a remarkable achievement and benchmark for comparison. I hope and pray that he can add the rest of his term to this record of protection. Thank you, Mr. President.

Smut Merchant Makes a Biblical Slip of the Tongue

Frankly, I finally got tired of driving on the interstate highway over the Labor Day weekend and seeing gigantic billboard after gigantic billboard advertising "adult" (that is, pornographic) stores. My guess is that these merchants are especially preying on the vulnerabilities of truck drivers who, in many ways, lead a tough existence. The same billboard by the same store kept popping up mile after mile. When I saw it for, I think, the fourth time, I knew I had to write about it.

The pornographic merchant, oddly enough, calls itself "Lion's Den." Well, here, the devil has made a Freudian slip of sorts. Recall this passage from the Bible:

Be sober-minded. Be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:14 (ESV).

They are peddling poison, as poisonous as any illegal drug that is out there. Flee it. This incident is another example of how familiarity with the Bible can be instantly useful in seeing through the wiles of the devil--for clearly the devil is behind this poisonous attack on people who make a living on the road and see the same signs repeatedly in a high stress and lonely job. But when you connect to the Word of God, a light turns on; and you see what is really happening. The den is a trap.

LSU Newspaper Column on Democrats' Anti-Catholic Smear of Jindal

Michael Denton of For the Greater Glory has had his first column, "Louisiana Needs an Exorcist for a Governor", which addresses the Democrats' anti-Catholic smear of Bobby Jindal, published in LSU's The Daily Reveille.

Christian Science Monitor Profile of Sen. Joseph Biden's "Frank and Abiding Faith"

The Christian Science Monitor's puff piece claims that Joe Biden's "Catholic ideals of fighting the abuse of power have shaped the life and politics of the presidential hopeful":

Washington - From his childhood bedroom in a treeless industrial suburb of Wilmington, Del., Joe Biden looked out on Archmere, an Italianate mansion and Catholic boys high school that he called "the object of my deepest desire, my Oz."

Archmere was also the home of financier John Jacob Raskob, who ran the 1928 campaign of Gov. Al Smith (D) of New York, the first Roman Catholic to become the presidential nominee of a major US political party.

Against long odds, Senator Biden aims to be No. 4. He sees faith and values, as well as his own deep experience in public policy, as a key to that race.

"The animating principle of my faith, as taught to me by church and home, was that the cardinal sin was abuse of power," he said in an interview with the Monitor. "It was not only required as a good Catholic to abhor and avoid abuse of power, but to do something to end that abuse." [ED.: And yet, you fight to defend - indeed, it could be said that your role in "borking" Judge Robert Bork is, in part, responsible for - the greatest abuse of power in the world today: the murder of the most innocent and powerless among us via legalized abortion. Save your sanctimonious ******** about defending the powerless, you disingenuous hypocrite!]

The issues that have most engaged Biden in public life draw on those teachings [ED.: Yeah, too bad you've been engaged on the wrong side when it comes to abortion and ESCR.], from halting violence against women to genocide [ED.: Somehow the genocide of the unborn seems to have escaped his notice]. At a personal level, his faith provides him peace, he says. "I get comfort from carrying my rosary [ED.: In case I need to shove it down any Republican throats.], going to mass every Sunday. It's my time alone," he says.

But the interface of faith and policy has long been problematic for Catholic presidential hopefuls. Governor Smith faced withering criticism over whether Catholic politicians are obliged by their church to take policy orders from Rome. John F. Kennedy famously disavowed "outside religious pressures or dictates," swept the Catholic vote, and won the presidency. By the time another J.F.K. from Massachusetts ran for president in 2004, the ground had shifted. Sen. John F. Kerry lost the Catholic vote because many of his faith questioned whether he was Catholic enough, given his strong support for abortion rights.

But Biden believes he can bridge much of that divide. "My views are totally consistent with Catholic social doctrine," [ED.: What a piece of work! "Totally consistent with Catholic social doctrine" - yeah, abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, etc., etc., are just what Catholic social teaching calls for. What chutzpah!] says Biden, a six-term Democratic senator from Delaware. "There are elements within the church who say that if you are at odds with any of the teachings of the church, you are at odds with the church. I think the church is bigger than that." [ED.: Self-serving tripe.]

[More]

(emphasis and editorial commentary added)


UPDATE
A commenter doesn't like what I have to say about Sen. Biden (emphasis and editorial commentary added):

I don't think I've ever read such ugliness on a blog before. [ED.: Riiiiiight. Ever spend any time over at Kos or Democrat Underground? Besides, your comment is rich coming from a defender of a man who threatened to shove his Rosary beads down Republicans' throats.] Your views on abortion have obviously blinded you to all the good things Senator Biden has done as a member of the Senate [ED.: Obviously.] -- helping stop genocide in Bosnia, fighting for passage of the Violenece [sic] Against Women Act, and so much more.

If you call yourself a Christian, you are truly a disgrace to the basic idea of Christianity. [ED.: I will be the first to admit that I - a sinner - am unworthy of the title "Christian".] You can't even carry on a civil discussion about a man who so obviously tries to live his faith every day as he sees his duty. [ED.: Obviously.]

Shame on you. [ED.: Yes, don't look at the full-bodied shamefulness of a man who professes the Catholic faith and claims to defend the powerless against "abuse of power", yet who wholeheartedly supports the legalized murder of the most powerless among us; rather, look at the "ugly" and "shameful" way people point out the man's hypocrisy.]

Look here. When a man proclaims that his "views are totally consistent with Catholic social doctrine" and professes that "the animating principle of my faith" is to defend the powerless against "the abuse of power", but then has this to say about abortion ...

Joe Biden, a Delaware senator, got the next abortion question and indicated he "strongly supported Roe v. Wade" which allowed unlimited abortion throughout pregnancy.

He said he would "make sure that the people I sent to be nominated to the Supreme Court shared my values" and supported pro-abortion rulings like Roe.

"That's why I led the fight to defeat Bork. Thank God he's not on the court or this would -- Roe v. Wade would be gone by now," Biden added about the battle over a pro-life nominee for the high court defeated in the 1980s.

Biden pointed to his opposition to Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, all of whom voted to uphold the partial-birth abortion ban.

... you can damn well bet that I'm going to point out his hypocrisy and disingenuous sanctimony.

Democrats' Attack on Jindal Backfires

A holier-than-thou attack backfires, by Stephanie Grace. The Times-Picayune August 26, 2007:

If the Louisiana Democratic Party wanted to get people talking about its newest attack ad against gubernatorial favorite Bobby Jindal, well, mission accomplished.

The commercial, which lobs an explosive allegation that the Republican Catholic convert is anti-Protestant, is only airing in the heavily Protestant northern reaches of the state. Still, it has become a hot topic all over Louisiana.

But if the Democrats were hoping the ad would put Jindal on the defensive, it looks like they've accomplished the exact opposite. . . .

(Hat tip: Tobias Danna).

Louisiana Democrats go after Catholic Republican Bobby Jindal

WAFB News clarifies the nature of the Democratic Party of Louisiana's attack advertisements against Catholic Republican Bobby Jindal:

The Louisiana Democratic Party says an attack ad it is preparing to air against Republican Bobby Jindal -will- focus on Jindal's religious writings from his college days, but will -not- focus on a piece Jindal wrote about observing an exorcism being performed on a female friend.

WAFB 9NEWS reported Wednesday night that the exorcism paper would be part of the attack ad, but Democratic Party spokeswoman Julie Vezinot says that is incorrect. Vezinot said other anti-Jindal ads will air that focus on topics others than religion. "The ads are based on facts drawn from his voting records in Congress and his campaign contributions," Vezinot said.

Vezinot says the ad focusing on religion is just one of several the party is planning to launch against Jindal in the coming weeks. The party estimates it will spend nearly $1 million dollars on the series of anti-Jindal ads.

Jindal, a Republican currently serving in Congress, is the clear front-runner in the race for Louisiana governor. Jindal ran for governor four years ago and finished first in the primary. However, he lost the runoff election to then Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Blanco, a Democrat. Blanco is not seeking re-election.

"Bobby is a proud Christian, and attacks against his faith prove just how far old-guard party bosses willl go to resist the change our state needs," said Melissa Sellers, communications director for the Bobby Jindal campaign. "People will see this as exactly what it is - the same kind of baseless mudslinging and gutter politics that has held Louisiana back for generations," Sellers said.

A piece on exorcism that Bobby Jindal wrote for the New Oxford Review in December 1994 is being made the subject of ridicule by some liberal bloggers. In the closing paragraphs, Jindal conveys his belief in "the reality of spirits, angels and other related phenomena" and the efficacy of the Holy Mother's intercessions -- the former being common to many Christians, not just Catholics; the latter I would consider admirable.

See Michael Denton's For the Greater Glory and Tobias Danna's Astonished, Yet at Home for the goods.

Giuliani Professes Ignorance of Catholic Faith

Giuliani Selective on Questions of Religion CNN August 10, 2007:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rudy Giuliani evokes his Catholic upbringing as he campaigns for president, yet he refuses to say whether he is a practicing Catholic.

When a voter asked this week if he is a "traditional, practicing Roman Catholic," Giuliani insisted his faith should be private.

"My religious affiliation, my religious practices and the degree to which I am a good or not-so-good Catholic, I prefer to leave to the priests," the former New York mayor responded in Davenport, Iowa.

It would be difficult for him to answer yes. Someone who, like Giuliani, divorces and remarries without getting an annulment from the church cannot receive communion or other church sacraments.

Yet, the article goes on to note that "Giuliani brings up his Catholic upbringing when it suits him."

"Leave it to the priests?" -- I imagine there are some elementary school kids right here in New York who know what it means to be "a good Catholic."

The article compares the Republican mayor with the Democratic Senator:

Both [Giuliani and Kerry] are at odds with the church because they favor abortion rights. In 2004, several bishops said they would refuse communion for Kerry, the Democratic nominee, over the abortion issue. And, Providence, Rhode Island, Bishop Thomas Tobin has criticized Giuliani's position, calling it pathetic, confusing and hypocritical.

However, while the church lets individual bishops decide whether an abortion rights candidate may receive communion, priests have no such discretion when confronted with someone who remarried without getting an annulment.

Some of Giuliani's critics, such as conservative blogger Stephen Dillard, believe his marital history is fair game. Dillard started a "Catholics Against Rudy" Web site that raises that issue, among several others.

"The way he treated his wife gives us insight into how he views the role of family, how he views marriage, how he views the church's teaching on adultery and divorce," Dillard said.

MORE:

• US presidential candidate Giuliani questioned about his Catholic faith Associated Press August 7, 2007.
  
• Carl Olson sums it up perfectly: "Giuliani admits he doesn't know what a Catholic is".
  
• Conservative Group Running Ad on Giuliani's Abortion Record Pro Ecclesia.