New York Post Online Edition: news
Since this link will disappear soon I'll take the liberty of copying the whole article
by DEBORAH ORIN
June 18, 2004 -- Sen. Ted Kennedy, one of America's most prominent Catholic politicians, has ripped into Pope John Paul II over threats to deny Communion to his close ally, Democratic nominee-to-be John Kerry, a new report claims.
"This pope gave Communion to Gen. [Augusto] Pinochet," the brutal Chilean dictator accused of murders and human-rights violations, Boston magazine quotes Kennedy as saying.
Earlier this year, a top Vatican official, Francis Cardinal Arinze, said pro-abortion rights Catholic politicians like Kerry (and Kennedy) are "not fit" to receive Communion.
The issue is haunting the 2004 campaign where the nation's 65 million Catholics are pivotal swing voters and a key question is whether Kerry's appeal as a fellow Catholic is outweighed by the fact that he disagrees with the church on abortion and same-sex unions.
Bishops in St. Louis and Nebraska have vowed to bar Kerry from Communion, but he has continued to receive the sacrament in churches in Boston and elsewhere. Polls suggest most Catholics oppose denying the sacrament.
Boston Archbishop Sean O'Malley has urged pro-choice officials to voluntarily "refrain" from Communion, but so far has refused to comment on Kerry specifically.
Kennedy's jab at the pontiff comes from an interview with Boston Globe political writer David Nyhan that will appear in an issue to hit the stands in two weeks, the magazine said. The report says Kennedy made the remark "dryly"(bold is mine) as part of a discussion about the threats by Catholic prelates to sanction Kerry.
"In no way should the remark be construed as derogatory toward the pope," a spokesman for Kennedy told The Post.
"The senator has immense respect for the Holy Father and his leadership in the faith and the cause of world peace," the spokesman added. "The senator was simply making a general point that every one who comes forward at Mass can receive Communion."
The pope did pray with Pinochet during his 1987 visit, but he also spoke out for democracy, praised anti-Pinochet bishops, met with opposition leaders and told reporters that Pinochet's regime was "dictatorial" and suggested the church could help overthrow it.
Kennedy's brother John was the first, and, so far, only Catholic U.S. president. -end of article
No Teddy Dry is not the same as sober
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