When Catholic Politicians Oppose Church Teaching

My brother archbishop to the south, Archbishop Cordileone, recently wrote a powerful piece that is representative of the views of a large number of the American episcopate and worthy of reflection by the lay faithful. Therein the Archbishop cited the example of Archbishop Joseph Rummel of New Orleans, who taught Catholic doctrine and held public leaders accountable. In that case, Archbishop Rummel worked tirelessly to end segregation and other forms of racism within his archdiocese. In doing so, Archbishop Rummel even went so far as to excommunicate three prominent Catholics who were vocal opponents of desegregation and scandalously leading other Catholics astray.