Opinion
 

Religion and politics should not mix with one another

By David C. Salinas

Recently, Michael Sheridan, bishop of the Colorado Springs diocese, sent a letter to members of his diocese in which he said any Catholic politician who is pro-choice or in favor of stem cell research (and any Catholic who votes for him or her) "place themselves outside the full communion with the Church and jeopardize their salvation."

He also said the right to life is "the right that grounds all other human rights" and that "this issue trumps all other issues." He wrote that the pro-life movement has lowered the abortion rate and that "we cannot allow the progress that has been made to be reversed by a pro-abortion president, Senate, or House of Representatives."

Interestingly, he equates the right to living exclusively with the issue of abortion. If the bishop cares so much about human life, why not write letters telling people to vote against a president who took us to war on faulty information? Many innocent Iraqi civilians died; did they not have a right to life?

Why doesn't he write that candidates in favor of the death penalty (something the pope is against) should not be supported by Catholics? Or is Sheridan trying to say that because John Kerry is Catholic and pro-choice, Catholics should instead vote for a pro-war, pro-death penalty candidate?

A couple of weeks ago, President Bush went to the Vatican for a photo opportunity with the pope. After he met with the pope, and mistakenly called him "sir" instead of "your holiness," he spoke with Cardinal Sodano, the pope's secretary of state. In this meeting, Bush apparently "complained that the U.S. bishops were not being vocal enough in supporting (Bush) on social issues like gay marriage, and abortion," a Vatican official said.

Bush's press secretary, Scott McClellan, confirmed that the meeting took place, saying it was a "good private discussion." But the Vatican official present during this meeting said, "It was the Vatican's interpretation that (Bush) wanted (the bishops) to get involved in time for the campaign."

As a Catholic and supporter of John Kerry, I am deeply troubled by these bubbling issues in the Church. Politics and religion don't -- and shouldn't -- mix. Sheridan is bad enough, but for a man who is not Catholic to urge the church to get involved in the campaign is beyond disgusting.

Salinas, a columnist for The Daily Cougar, 
can be reached at dccampus@mail.uh.edu.