It's rare these days to find Catholics who want to enter into public service as Catholics. Most want to be "personally Catholic" and "publicly Liberal."
Wherever the Catholic standard does not agree with the constantly shifting standard of "public reason," for too many Catholic politicians, their faith loses every time. That's bad for them, for the faith, and for the common good too. It's bad for Catholic children to see very public Catholic role models teach with their laws things contrary to the Faith they share. It's bad for non-Catholics to see Catholic politicians teaching to citizens through their legislation things which are untrue and immoral.
For this reason, bishops have an obligation to help hold Catholic politicians to the standard of their own faith. In a recent letter, Bishop Thomas A. Daly of Spokane did just that, writing that Catholic politicians who support abortion must not present themselves for communion at Masses.
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