Catholicism and Politics

Tension grows between leaders in the Catholic Church and the politics of abortion. The Archbishop of Atlanta and the bishops of Charleston (SC) and Charlotte (NC) charged Wednesday that politicians who support abortion rights are "cooperating with evil." The issue ignited in January when Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis said he would deny communion to John Kerry, Democratic nominee for president; in June, the U.S. Bishops Conference delegated policy decisions on what to do about politicians whose public stances contradict church dogma.