InfoAnda - Catholic political divide over Obama at Notre Dame

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Hurricane Karl menaces Mexico, Igor eyes Bermuda | 17 September 2010
Apple iPod updates expected, Jobs show uncertain | Technology | | 4 September 2009
Foreign firms snub Iraq oil industry | 1 July 2009

Radiohead Toronto show canceled after fatal stage collapse | | 17 June 2012

">Forum Views () ">Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Catholic political divide over Obama at Notre Dame

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail Yahoo! Search Search: Sign InNew User? Sign Up News Home - Help Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Africa Europe Latin America Middle East North America Search Search: Catholic political divide over Obama at Notre Dame By BETH FOUHY,Associated Press Writer AP - Monday, May 11 NEW YORK - A campaign by outraged Roman Catholics to keep President Barack Obama from delivering the commencement address at Notre Dame shows that the gulf between the church and backers of abortion rights remains deep. ADVERTISEMENT Yet the effort to get the school to rescind its invitation to Obama also highlights a political disconnect between the conservative Catholic hierarchy and millions of U.S. Catholic voters. Since the White House announced in March that Obama had accepted Notre Dame's invitation to speak May 17, more than 358,000 people have signed an online petition demanding that the university take back the offer. The Cardinal Newman Society, an advocacy group for Catholic colleges that circulated the position, said the invitation violated a 2004 bishops' mandate that stated, "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles." One Catholic leader, Archbishop Raymond Burke, accused Obama of pushing an anti-life, anti-family agenda. Burke, the first American to lead the Vatican supreme court, said Friday it was "a scandal" that Notre Dame had invited Obama to speak. Catholic activists and bishops have been outspoken in their criticism of Obama. By comparison, they had only occasional disagreements with President George W. Bush, primarily over the U.S. invasion of Iraq, which the Vatican condemned but many conservative Catholics supported. They cite his support for abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research, and his repeal of a policy that denied federal dollars to international relief organizations that provide abortions or abortion-related information. They remain angry with Obama's support for legislation that would prohibit state and local governments from interfering with a woman's right to obtain an abortion. Obama also has been criticized by Catholics and other opponents of legal abortion for telling Pastor Rick Warren at a campaign forum last summer that the question of when life begins was "above my pay grade." Yet polling and other evidence shows that Catholic voters have a largely positive view of the president, closely tracking other national polling. Obama's standing is more evidence that U.S. Catholics don't always follow the Church hierarchy, whether on issues such as abortion and contraception or political preferences. Also, the president's community service background and his opposition to the Iraq war appeal to some Catholics. As a candidate, Obama worked hard to woo Catholic voters. He chose an observant Catholic, Joe Biden, as his running mate, and Biden campaigned hard for the ticket in states like Pennsylvania and Ohio, which have large Catholic communities. But Biden also supports abortion rights, putting him at odds with the bishops and many conservative Catholics. Obama is also widely popular among Hispanics, a fast-growing growing Catholic population in the U.S. Patrick Whelan, a physician at Harvard Medical School and president of Catholic Democrats, said that by taking such a hard line against Obama, bishops and other conservative leaders risked driving Catholics away from the church rather than cool their support for the president. "There are unintended consequences to this kind of angry, vituperative language about their opponents," Whelan said. "By making themselves pawns of the conservative right, the bishops are playing into a cycle of decline for our church." Notre Dame students are generally enthusiastic about Obama's impending visit to their northern Indiana campus. He won about 57 percent of the students' vote in a mock election in October, compared with 41 percent for Republican John McCain, an abortion rights opponent. Obama, a Protestant, won 54 percent of the Catholic vote in the 2008 general election and continues to be viewed more favorably by Catholics than by Protestants. A Quinnipiac University poll released in late April found that white Catholics approve of Obama's job performance by a 57-33 percent margin, while white Protestants are split 44-42 percent in favor. Catholics have sided with the winner in eight of the past nine presidential elections. That suggests their votes generally mirror national political trends and are not overly influenced by a candidate's abortion position. The only exception to the pattern was in 2000, when Catholics narrowly favored Democrat Al Gore, a Protestant abortion-rights supporter, over Bush, a Protestant whose views on abortion were seen as more in line with Catholic teaching. Gore won the popular vote in the disputed election that year. In 2004, Catholic voters chose Bush over Democrat John Kerry, a Catholic who supports abortion rights. J. Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University who has studied the Catholic vote, said observant Catholics tend be more conservative and much more skeptical of Obama than those who don't practice the faith. "There are large number of voters who are nominally Catholic but are not regular churchgoers and not tied in with Catholic life in any meaningful way," Wilson said. "Many of these people know nothing about what the bishops are saying about political matters because they're not in church to hear them." Indeed, a new Pew Research Center poll found that 45 percent of Catholics who regularly attend Mass said it was wrong for Notre Dame to invite Obama to speak. Fifty-six percent of nonobservant Catholics said the school was right to invite him. Many prominent Catholic politicians have been condemned by the church for supporting legal abortion. Most have been Democrats, including Sen. Ted Kennedy, whose brother, John F. Kennedy, was the first Catholic president. Others include House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Geraldine Ferraro, the party's 1984 vice presidential nominee and the first woman to appear on a major party ticket. In 2004, St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke said he would deny communion to Kerry because of the senator's support for abortion rights. He made the same threat against Rudy Giuliani, a Catholic and former New York mayor who ran for the Republican presidential nomination last year. Former Democratic New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, a Catholic and abortion rights supporter, tangled with the church hierarchy during his three terms in office. He delivered a well-regarded speech at Notre Dame in 1984 explaining that Catholic lawmakers cannot impose their religious beliefs on the public at large. Cuomo recently sent a letter to Notre Dame outlining his views on Obama's impending speech there, and shared a copy with The Associated Press. "The president's appearance at Notre Dame will not in any way serve as an acceptance or condonation of his position on abortion and stem cells, but rather will provide the university the opportunity to reject _ freely and clearly _ those positions for all the world to hear and read," Cuomo wrote. "Better that confident and respectful stance by the university than a defensive and impolite insult to our nation's respected and singularly important world leader, who demonstrated his respect to Notre Dame by agreeing to come to the university." ___ On the Net: Cardinal Newman Society: http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/ University of Notre Dame: http://www.nd.edu/ Catholic Democrats: http://www.catholicdemocrats.org/ United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: http://www.usccb.org/ Quinnipiac poll: http://tinyurl.com/ckwnx8 Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Sign in to recommend this article » 0 users recommend Related Articles: World Group says Israel plan to cement hold on JerusalemAP - Monday, May 11 Cheney contends Obama policies hurt US securityAP - Monday, May 11 Double suicide strike on Afghan police kills sevenReuters - Monday, May 11 NY's Schumer asks for probe into phone spamAP - Monday, May 11 Ohio teen expects to be suspended for trip to promAP - Monday, May 11 Most Popular – World Viewed Obese young men have less hope of marriage: study Australian zoo evacuated after orangutan escape British store admits it boobed in bra row Geithner's warning on speed of economic recovery $70-80 good price for oil: French economy minister View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Community - Intellectual Property Rights Policy - Help

Other News on Monday, 11 May 2009
U.S. rebuffs Afghan leader's call to halt air strikes | International |
Movie Theaters Begin Re-Opening In Mexico With Regulations In Place
International trade helps solve food crisis: WTO | International |
EU to find Intel anti-competitive: sources | Technology |
Star Trek beams up $72.5 million in first weekend | Entertainment |
UN to debate how to revive flagging Mideast peace
US sticks with air strikes despite Afghan anger
Pakistanis flee offensive as U.S. sees fresh resolve | International |
Israel hopes for tourism, image boost from pope
Venezuela to nationalize Santander subsidiary
China searches for 150 people after first flu case | International |
Seven killed in twin Afghan suicide attacks: officials
Russia beat Canada to retain ice hockey world title
Group says Israel plan to cement hold on Jerusalem
Centrica agrees deal to buy British Energy stake: reports
US won't stop air strikes despite Afghan anger
Japan school seeks solutions to leadership gulf | International |
US-TECH Summary
Scooters, motorcycle makers get stimulus shot
77 homes destroyed in Santa Barbara fire
Pilot made passes over party before NV plane crash
Soldier Faces Court Martial For Abusing Dogs
Fla. Gov. Crist to announce 2010 political plans
Gingrich Slams Notre Dame's Obama Invite Because Of President's Abortion Stance
Reward Up To $11,000 For Missing New York Teen
National Guard troops to aid flood victims in WVa
Merkel in veiled attack on British Conservatives
Jones: U.S. Airstrikes May Not End In Afghanistan Despite Civilian Casualties
Boat Explosion Critically Wounds Seven People In Florida
Basketballs launching on space shuttle mission
Cheney Takes Swipe At Powell For Recent Remarks
Catholic political divide over Obama at Notre Dame
Petraeus: Al Qaeda No Longer In Afghanistan
No mechanical problems seen in Mass. trolley crash
Update: 7-Year-Old Boy Dies From Gunshot Wounds Received While Off-Roading
Swine Flu Takes Two More Lives; U.S. Reports Third Death
AP source: $2 trillion offered in health savings
5 Dead After Plane Crashes In Nevada
Schumer calls for probe into phone spam
Australia detains 30 suspected asylum seekers
Report: No outright majority in Maldives election
Star Trek beams up $72.5 million in first weekend | Entertainment |
Concerns white phosphorus used in Afghan battle
Jamie Oliver putting U.S. city on a diet | Entertainment |
Thai protesters in biggest rally since crackdown
Dalai Lama sees long-term hope for Tibet
China demolish England in Sudirman Cup
Taiwan's ex-leader continues hunger strike at hospital
Sri Lanka artillery barrage kills 378, doctor says
Yet another Gandhi rises in Indian politics
Taiwan dlr at 1-week high on funds, risk appetite
UK finance minister pledges stronger China ties
Mexico to skip China food expo over swine flu
Seoul shares open up helped by U.S. job data
Luxury brands look to China for cushion in crisis
"Star Trek" beams up $72.5 million in first weekend
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Indonesian president's party wins elections
Actor Tobey Maguire's wife gives birth to baby boy
Vegas magician Burton cancels shows after injury
Winfrey collects honorary degree, speaks at Duke
Greek puppet master Evgenios Spatharis dies at 85
'Star Trek' boldly goes to number one
Records broken at Tintin auction
Review: Curtain falls on Met's "Ring" production
`Star Trek' has galactic $76.5 million opening
Hundreds killed in Sri Lanka bloodbath | International |
Pope slams anti-Semitism on Israel visit
Georgia talks fail to find way out of stalemate | International |
Police: High-ranking Iraqi traffic official killed
Karzai very serious on ending air raids: official | International |
Centrica, EDF to sign deal on nuclear power
Qaeda in talks on freeing European hostages: paper | International |
NASA set for shuttle launch to Hubble telescope
U.S. soldier kills 5 at U.S. base in Baghdad: military | International |
OECD sees slowdown ease in some big economies
Israeli PM in Egypt, prepares for White House trip | International |
Obama to unveil healthcare savings plan
Pope in Israel, says will honor Holocaust dead | International |
Myanmar junta allows doctor to see ailing Suu Kyi | International |
Global ocean talks underway in Indonesia
Conference weighs how oceans reduce climate change
Demjanjuk at Ohio home; Germany expects him Tues.
EU to find Intel anti-competitive: sources | Technology |
Iran to free jailed US journalist, lawyers say
STIMULUS WATCH: Early road aid leaves out neediest
Mich. man kills wife with chain saw in accident
British leaders apologise over lawmakers' expenses
NM farmers work to preserve native chile varieties
Obama's Day: Health care, basketball
MPs targeted in latest British expenses row
Appeals court hears Indian trust case
Court battle over HK tycoon's billions begins
Exodus from Pakistan's northwest as fighting rages
Pop star Kylie dreams of film roles, not U.S. success | Entertainment |
Malaysia Indian protest leader to end exile abroad
Star Trek a rare hit among TV adaptations | Entertainment |
China bolsters disaster preparedness system
Reports: Japan's opposition leader to resign
Malaysia offers US help in fighting piracy
Japan opposition chief plans to resign: media
Japan pop icon Komuro gets suspended jail term
HSBC says first-quarter profits up
Hope mixes with grief among China quake survivors
China's inflation weakens further in April
Censor-defying Chinese director back at Cannes
Samsung forecasts tough year for chipmakers
Sony expects first loss in 14 years amid downturn
Chinese hurt in PNG nickel mine attack: reports
Indian vehicle sales up 1.1 percent in April
Report: Shinsei and Aozora Banks to merge
Seoul shares end firm; energy, utility issues help
Mitsubishi swapping $600 mln Morgan Stanley shares
Janes' Addiction singer hurts leg at Atlanta show
Lebanese billboard beauty sparks ugly election row
Malaysian racial riots cast shadow after 40 years
Arab-American comedians break the funny barrier
Global ocean talks underway in Indonesia
Indonesian president's party wins elections
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01