Chicago, Ill., Jul 31, 2008 / 02:58 am
As reports circulate that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama is considering Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, a Catholic who supports abortion, for his vice-presidential pick, the national Catholic advocacy group Fidelis is arguing that the choice of a pro-abortion Catholic as Obama’s running mate would put off Catholic voters who are still considering his candidacy.
"The choice of a pro-abortion Catholic for vice president would deal a major blow to any efforts by the Obama campaign to reach out to Catholic voters," said President of Fidelis Brian Burch, speaking in a press release. “Both the bishops and the laity continue to wrestle with the scandal of prominent Catholic politicians who support abortion, and the choice of a pro-abortion Catholic running mate would amount to scratching at a deep and festering wound in the American Catholic Church.”
Other pro-abortion Catholics have been named as choices for the Democratic ticket, including Sens. Joe Biden and Chris Dodd and Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius.
Earlier this year Governor Sebelius was rebuked by Archbishop of Kansas City Joseph Naumann for her support for legalized abortion and her connections with notorious late-term Kansas abortionist George Tiller. The archbishop asked Sebelius not to receive Holy Communion until she renounced her stand.
“Given his position on abortion, everyone expects Senator Obama to select a pro-abortion vice presidential candidate. But the choice of a Catholic who publicly rejects the teachings of their faith on this 'foundational' issue could be disastrous," said Burch. "Just ask John Kerry or Rudy Giuliani.”
Sen. Obama has a history of surrounding himself with dissenting Catholics. The Catholic League argues that “not one of the 26 former and current public policy holders who constitute the group stand with the Catholic Church on all three major issues: abortion, embryonic stem cell research and school vouchers.”