The following comes from an October 9 story in the Los Angeles Times.
DUBUQUE, Iowa — Dr. Jack Dolehide remembers the trinity on display in his boyhood home in Chicago in the 1960s: There, in the center, was an iconic image of Jesus. On one side, Mayor Richard J. Daley, the city’s legendary Democratic boss. On the other, President Kennedy.
Then one day about 1969 or ’70, the unthinkable occurred. Dolehide’s father took down the politicians’ portraits, ripped them into pieces and threw them away. He had become a Republican
Today, Jack Dolehide, 57, is a well-established physician in Dubuque and among many Catholics who plan to vote for Mitt Romney for president. Like the nation at large, Catholics — once strongly associated with the Democratic Party — are almost evenly divided between Romney and President Obama.
That divide will be in sharp focus Thursday when the two vice presidential candidates, Democratic incumbent Joe Biden and his challenger, Rep. Paul D. Ryan, meet in Danville, Ky., for their only debate of the fall campaign. When they step onto the stage, it will spotlight a first in American history: Never before have both major-party tickets for the White House featured a Roman Catholic.
It would be hard to find better representatives of the two poles of American Catholicism. Both men are deeply steeped in their faith, yet they disagree on issues of crucial importance to the church and to society: abortion, healthcare, the government’s role in caring for the poor.
“Joe Biden might not be the perfect liberal Catholic, but boy, he comes pretty close,” said John Green, a political scientist at the University of Akron who specializes in religious influences in politics. “Paul Ryan might be a tad more libertarian than your average conservative Catholic, but he’s not far off.”
Dubuque, with its scenic perch on the Mississippi River, has been called “Little Rome” for its many hills and its heavy Catholic population. Thin brick steeples notch the skyline. When Ryan spoke here recently, it was to a crowd at Loras College, one of the city’s two Catholic colleges. Biden, campaigning here in June, slipped away at the end of the day to bring ice cream to the nuns at the Sisters of St. Francis. It was not his first visit.
In a largely Protestant swing state, Catholics still make up an important voting group, much as they do nationwide. A recent poll showed Iowa Catholics, like their counterparts nationally, mirroring the state split, which at the time (before the first presidential debate) had Obama leading Romney, 49% to 45%.
In conversation, Catholic voters here demonstrate why it is said that there is no Catholic voting bloc in the United States anymore. Views on the election span the spectrum, from those who say they could never vote for Obama and Biden because of their pro-choice stance on abortion to those who question the morality of Romney’s and Ryan’s budget choices.
Somewhere in between are many who say they don’t mix faith and politics, and are making their decision based on which candidate would be the best steward of the economy.
“It’s a big church,” said the Rev. Gabriel Anderson, the priest at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, as he took a break from serving roast beef to his parishioners at an after-Mass festival Sunday. “We have a lot of diversity. We have a lot of cultural reference points.”
He pointed out, however, that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has been unusually outspoken this year as it battles the Obama administration over a healthcare mandate that would guarantee insurance coverage of contraceptive services for employees of church-affiliated institutions. Included would be “morning after” pills that the church considers equivalent to abortion.
“The bishops, of course, are really calling for a strong pro-life vote, and they’re really stressing that this year,” Anderson said. “And that’s kind of a game-changer.”
He introduced two parishioners, Tom and Margaret Schaefer, who fully support the bishops’ campaign.
“We’re 100% pro-life,” said Tom, “and I will be voting for Romney and Ryan.”
“As will I,” Margaret added.
The couple — he is a semi-retired police investigator; she is a former elementary school teacher now working as a substitute — have other reasons to support the Republican ticket. Both are critical of Obama’s handling of the economy and foreign policy. Both believe Romney can do better. But abortion “is just foremost,” Tom said.
“And Vice President Biden — for all that man should know from his experiences, his comments are ill thought-out, and quite frankly, I don’t think he’s very intelligent,” he added. “And if he professes to be a Catholic and stands on a platform supporting abortion, then as far as I’m concerned, he’s a Catholic in name only.”
That is not an uncommon view among conservative Catholics. The next evening, at a Bible study group in a stately, white clapboard house a few blocks from the church, there was general agreement that there would be only one true Catholic on stage in Kentucky: Ryan, who modified his no-exceptions abortion stance when he joined the ticket with Romney, but still says he would ban abortion in all cases except for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother.
Biden “is not living his Catholic faith,” said Connie Hardie, a retired nurse and healthcare consultant who was hosting the group….
To read entire story, click here.
Nothing makes me sicker than to see poll ratings for Catholic voters showing a large percentage for any democrat let alone a man who even supports infanticide and has the record of his votes to prove it. These people are so ill informed of the Catholic faith that they should do us all a favor and quit calling themselves Catholic. They are not!! I don’t see why the bishops don’t publicly ex-communicate these heretics. But no, they waltz up to receive the body of Christ and all is well. Have the priests also lost their faith and belief in the Church or is it anything goes. What a national disgrace, not to mention the loss of souls that follow these miscreants.
Joe BIDEN is a Catholic HERETIC and SCHISMATIC – per definition in the CCC.
His previous Bishop forbid him to even speak in a Catholic school.
Biden believes in himself and his personal made-up religion – which was not instituted by Christ.
No Catholic can vote for anyone who supports the non-negotiable items of:
ABORTION, EUTHANASIA, EMBOYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH, HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE, or violates FREEDOM of RELIGION.
On internet go to: ” What Catholics REALLY Believe SOURCE ” for:
links to:
” Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion” by Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict)” ;
” Voters Guide for Serious Catholics “;
” Where do Candidates stand on Key Issues “;
” A Comparison of the 2012 Republican and Democratic Party Platforms ”
” Test of Fire ” short video.
To say that ” both men are deeply steeped in their faith” is wrong. One cannot be a Catholic and support the “Party of Death”, allowing the murder of innocent babies in their mother’s womb and homosexual acts which are intrinsically evil. Taking “ice cream to the nuns” is a nice gesture but hardly overcomes the democratic plarform.
Is Joe Biden, under the Roman Catholic Canons etc. already ex-communicated from the church or isn’t he.????? Or, is this supposed to be something that we really can’t determine? He is nothing but as described by a political statement of a leech in the government with all of the automatic benefits. He like O’bama is not what he appears to be. Biden is nothing but hot air and again, a parasite like so many!
This reporter did an awful job. He did not correct the Sister who stated false information about Paul Ryan leaving readers to believe she is acurrate. Although he appreciated her economic theory, she was an aethiest and he disapproves of her Objectionist theory. When recently asked about Ayn Rand, Paul Ryan said this:
““I reject her philosophy. It’s an atheist philosophy. It reduces human interactions down to mere contracts and it is antithetical to my worldview. If somebody is going to try to paste a person’s view on epistemology to me, then give me Thomas Aquinas. Don’t give me Ayn Rand.”
Ryan does not want to get rid if the welfare state. He wants to reform it to a truly “sustainable” level. We cannot stay on our current economic course and provide adequately for the poor in the future.
I wonder if the Nuns on the Bus let her off just in time for Biden’s visit. Okay, that was a little snarky. Maybe maybe she is just honestly misinformed. Let’s hope it is the latter.
I look at BIden and the reality sets in, we will always have traitors.
Biden may not have the mental capacity to be a traitor.
Amen!
I find it extremely heartbreaking that there are so many Catholics, especially religious who hold “social justice” above abortion. They fail to realize there is NO social justice in a society that kills unborn babies by the millions. I pray that our country gets some sense and votes to promote and preserve the sanctity of life. God Love You.
What we have in the United States is a situation in which about half of Catholics are “Cafeteria Catholics,” picking what they want to follow and what they do not according to their own thoughts and convenience. This has been developing for decades, facilitated by pitifully weak leadership on the part of the bishops. Once in my life I have heard a priest say in his homily that if you are “pro-choice” you should not claim to be Catholic.
That should happen once every month at least, certainly not just once in more than sixty years. It’s imperative that bishops do their jobs, and they have not done so.
VP Biden is a Catholic by birth, but not by practice. Oh, he will rant and rail that he is and that the Catholic Church permits him to exercise his “conscience” to vote for funding for abortion and other moral crimes. But, in reality, Biden is a sad figure, although one for whom we owe prayer. He was the object of an awful personal tragedy and has tried, by all accounts, to live an upright life (according to his version of moral). If anything, Biden, far more than Obama, is a tragic figure of Shakespearean dimensions. Sure he is a political hack, but he is also a Catholic father and husband, and one that says he reveres the Church. Failures of many priests and bishops to confront Biden — and other Catholic politicians — has at least confused those that might have been saved (and might yet be saved). Biden is certainly responsible for his own scandalous behavior, but how many, including Biden, might have turned out differently had the right friend, clergy, or bishop reached out with the proper words and warnings. Instead, we have had the “Bernardin School” of bishops who have done so much to destroy Catholicism. Think of this, as Catholic Congressman Ryan raises the sword against Biden tonight.
The only Catholic in tonight’s debate is Paul Ryan!
I think Catholics vary in their political persuasions depending on what state they live in. I live in Pennsylvania which was once one of the most Republican states in the country. From the time of the Civil War through the election of 1932, Pennsylvania did not cast its vote for a Democrat even once. For the first time in over 70 years, Pennsylvania cast its electoral votes for Franklin Roosevelt in the landslide election of 1936. Since then the state has gone back and forth between Democrats and Republicans. Roman Catholics are a very important part of the Democratic party here. Ethnic Catholics such as Irish, Polish, Italians and other Slavic nationalities are overwhelmingly Democratic. President Kennedy was much revered by Catholics here. Since the 1970’s some upper class and upper middle class ethnics have drifted into the Republican party. The Republican party here is very strong in rural areas and most Protestants are Republicans. Philadelphia used to be a Republican city but today the large black and Catholic population make it a very Democratic area. The south central part of the state has only a small percentage of Catholics and is strongly Republican. Pittsburgh and Scranton are Catholic and Democratic areas. Joe Biden is from Scranton and is popular there. I don’t really know the view of Catholics here in regard to Paul Ryan.
Mark,
Biden was forbidden to speak in the Catholic Schools by his Bishop. Because he is a heretic and schismatic.
Biden was born in Scranton but Delaware is where he has chosen to make his home.
On internet search: “Biden’s Bishop will not permit him ”
In that document Bishop Saltarelli notes that, in line with the US Bishops Conference policy, “Our Catholic institutions will not honor Catholic politicians who take pro-abortion legislative positions or invite them to speak at our functions or schools.”
Biden is a hypocrite! Calling him self Catholic on TV, but still defending the right to kill children! This man makes me sick, I am just watching the debate between him and Ryan. I am so upset! Biden is truly what is wrong with our church today! He is awful, he just tried validating abortion to American people on national TV! He lied and said he honors the churches teachings and that he considers himself to be a good Catholic but won’t impose his faith on others! LIAR! How dare him state that he won’t impose his religious beliefs on abortion. Really? He is a liar, if you truly believe that it is a baby from the get go, why would any true man with integrity approve murdering it! So he will impose the devils views on us on pro-choice agenda’s! He is a big hypocrite, he is doing what he says he won’t do in the opposite way, when it comes to his personal beliefs. He is dishonest and a crooked politician!
Mr Biden you are imposing abortion on us all! You are not to be trusted and I pray that God have mercy on us all and help us get you fired! You and Obama do not need the comforts of running our country anymore! May God hear the cries of all the unborn! May he help us vote our faith more and tell you that what you just said on TV, is unacceptable!
I pray that you are denied communion! You need to repent since you are on a role of leadership, for your soul’s sake, they need to deny you receiving communion!
Just got done watching the debate. Biden was laughing, smirking, mugging, attacking, pointing his finger, gesturing wildly with his hands. Did anyone notice when Biden was answering the question near the end about his Catholic? faith and how it shapes him that BIDEN SEVERAL TIMES HAD HIS FINGER(s) IN FRONT OF HIS MOUTH AND HIS CHIN as if he knew what he was proclaiming was a bunch of B.S. against the Catholic faith? Any other body language experts there in CCD land come to that same conclusion?
No wonder Biden’s bishop has told him not to receive Communion. He IS a Happy Warrior all right as the Dems are trying to portray him — straight out of Looney Tunes.
Biden should, or rather, MUST be excommunicated, as well as ALL the politians who are heretics in what they believe and in how they legislate when they are against solid, traditional Catholic teaching. Amen
So where is the USCCB in all of this? Why don’t they say something? This country still defends the 1st Amendment i.e. Freedom of Speech at least for the moment! It is not a time to fearing the rash of the federal government (Obama and Biden) if the USCCB educates and warns american catholics not to vote for the cold, deceiving, godless, socialists. Afterall, Obama, Biden, Pelosi, Reed, and other politicians have taken the first steps in assaulting the American Catholic Church by forcing abortions, abortificants, and other deadlly means to kill our innocent baby citizens down our throats by implementing Obamacare. Early repercussions are already being felt by our senior citizens and their lost Medicare benefits drawn away to pay for Obamacare. So where is the USCCB that supported Obamacare in all of this today after being lied to by the administration? I don’t hear the USCCB speak up as a body, and few if any members who speak up individually in public. The USCCB needs to get the word out to the diocese and the consequences so catholic voters will know how they offend God if they vote for pro-abortion/death candidates. They either need to hear the undivided truth now before elections, or face the consequences on their day of judgment! They also need to comprehend the shortness of this life compared to the length of eternity in Heaven or hell.
I would be morally ashamed to be in any way connected with the USCCB.