Kerry says “I respect the bishops, but I respectfully disagree,” in speech on faith

FORT LAUDERDALE, USA, Oct. 25, 2004 (CNA) - In a campaign speech given in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday, Sen. John Kerry, hoping to win undecided Catholic voters, spoke of his faith and the way it influences his decisions, and of his relationship to the Church, saying "I love my church. I respect the bishops, but I respectfully disagree."

“I know there are some bishops who have suggested that as a public official I must cast votes or take positions on issues like a woman’s right to choose or stem cell research that carry out the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church,” he said.

"My task, as I see it,” said Sen. Kerry, “is not to write every doctrine into law. That is not possible or right in a pluralistic society,” he said. “But my faith does give me values to live by and to apply to the decisions that I make," he added.

Quoting the Gospels, Kerry emphasized his concern for social issues, saying that the concern for the most vulnerable members of society “is a moral obligation that is at the heart of all — all — of our religious traditions."

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-- - (David@excite.com), October 26, 2004

Answers

Holy innocents pray for us.

And thank you God for giving us the Grace to see through people like the "spin doctor"!

-- - (David@excite.com), October 26, 2004.

why is he a "spin doctor"? i think he clearly said where he stands regarding moral or "doctrinal" issues. could he have stated his position in a more honest, mature way, without equivocation?

george bush has yet to admit he's a puppet of the religious right.

-- jas (jas_r_22@hotmail.com), October 27, 2004.

could he have stated his position in a more honest, mature way, without equivocation?

yes, he could stop lying about his status as a catholic, he could admit to the fact that he is pro abortion, he could stop trying to portray the idea that the laws of men supercede the natural divine law (to which our forefathers would roll over in their graves if they could see it), and so much more

george bush has yet to admit he's a puppet of the religious right.

i dont think he's ever been dishonest about this. if you can't see that the man is a conservative christian, you should see a doctor about those eyes. In fact, its that very fact that makes me want to vote for him... he has CHARACTER, and he's not changing it to get the vote. While kerry is willing to throw away his supposed values in order to win the presidency, bush is merely saying "here's who i am and what i believe, if you think i can do the job then vote for me, but i won't change just to win." thats a position that takes guts, but its the way that democracy is supposed to be.

-- paul h (dontSendMeMail@notAnAddress.com), October 27, 2004.

Well said Paul.

-- Roger (niatross65@hotmail.com), October 27, 2004.

how can people can hold up this president as a model of christian values? is it because he professes to have recvd Christ as his personal savior? newflash- we ALL have. living the life is a totally different matter than just proclaiming yourself a christian.

when did it become convenient for him to find the Lord? after he tired of partying with his nickel bag and his magnum of tennesse jack?

have the bush family values rubbed off on jenna and her sister? one was arrested trying to buy booze, and both stood in front of america at the RNC and tried to be cool with their risque humor. (they came across as typical beautiful girls who are just stupid and sex- obsessed). sounds like the parenting here has fallen a little short.

kerry has never lied about being catholic or pro-choice. and like it or not, within reason, our civil laws DO supercede laws associated with religious beliefs. join the taliban if you think otherwise.

our forefathers would roll over in their graves if they were to see how too many political leaders in this country were so hypocritical with their corruption, cronyism, and public displays of spirituality. their personal lives are so stained with lies, family problems, drugs, sexual infidelity, etc.

george bush can stand up there and explain why he's against abortion or stem cell reasearch. this doesnt affect him personally in any way, shape or form. lucky him-- with this criteria, its so easy to be an abiding christian.

-- jas (jas_r_22@hotmail.com), October 27, 2004.

well the point is, Kerry claims to be a catholic while Bush doesn't. Now if you are Catholic then you have to follow the Catholic faith's moral teaching which includes that abortion is not a right but a sin.

Granted that Roe v Wade declared that women in the USA have rights to abortion doesn't mean that every politician has to increase funding for abortion (as Kerry has). Thus, because he has gone beyond the mandate of the court to promote what his faith says is a sin, he can't possibly claim to truly be Catholic.

But he does. So he's either a complete idiot (which is distinctly possible given his low IQ, lower test scores and grades than Bush) or he's lying about truly being a Catholic.

Now Bush isn't Jesus Christ and he's not John Paul II. But as far as Methodists goes, he's come down on the Catholic side of more issues than Kerry has, so a Catholic can vote for him without too many qualms of conscience.

-- joe (joestong@yahoo.com), October 27, 2004.

living the life is a totally different matter than just proclaiming yourself a christian.

no kidding, thats why kerry needs to clean up his proabortion act, or stop lying to get votes. living the life IS a totally different matter. He CLAIMS to believe that abortion is wrong, while enabling people to do it. he doesnt even make the claim when it comes to stem cell research, and yet he also claims to be a catholic in good standing. these are MUTUALY exclusive.

when did it become convenient for him to find the Lord? after he tired of partying with his nickel bag and his magnum of tennesse jack?

you know, i bet you've had alchohol before. I bet that hippy mode kerry probably smoked pot or was in a room full of the smoke at least once during his hippy days. i know for a fact that kerry has three purple hearts while he managed to only miss two duty days (wow, must have been three serious injuries there)... and, conveniently enough, three is exactly the number you need to be shipped home such that he could turn on his compatriots and spin some stories up to get a media boost.

have the bush family values rubbed off on jenna and her sister?

who cares? im not voting for them, i'm voting for bush.

kerry has never lied about being catholic or pro-choice.

every time he says he is against abortion he lies. every time he claims to be a catholic in good standing he lies. his bishop has even declared that people in his situation should not present themselves for communion.

and like it or not, within reason, our civil laws DO supercede laws associated with religious beliefs. join the taliban if you think otherwise.

what a ridiculous statement. the country divines its authority of governance only so long as it accords with the law set forth by God. Christians know this, it is a fundamental reason WHY we give to Ceasar what is his. however, orders of the government are only valid if they do not conflict with the natural law established by God. besides, when one says that the laws of man supercede the laws of God, it is to say that God's wisdom and desires for man are irrelevant compared to what man wants. this is stupidity.

Further, i resent the comment that those who believe thus are necessarily violent fundamentalists. it is one thing to know something is wrong, and wish for it to be enumerated as such in law, as compared to violently murdering those who violate that law. Do you believe that murder is wrong? do you believe that murderers should be punished? why dont YOU join the taliban, you moral fundamentalist you? see how silly that arguement sounds?

our forefathers would roll over in their graves if they were to see how too many political leaders in this country were so hypocritical with their ...public displays of spirituality

apparently you havent read many of the founding documents of this country. you miss several key facts that are important to note fromt he deist belief maintained by the forefathers. that is, that man is to seek to follow the moral law... it was for this purpose that we are created. and who created the moral law in the eyes of our founding fathers? God. the whole belief of our nation's authority rests on the concept that we follow the natural law established by God. Where does this manifest itself (evidence)? its even on the seal of the united states.... take a look, annuit coeptis means "He has blessed us with many things." WHO DO YOU THINK THEY MEANT??? KING GEORGE? no, it was God.

george bush can stand up there and explain why he's against abortion or stem cell reasearch. this doesnt affect him personally in any way, shape or form. lucky him-- with this criteria, its so easy to be an abiding christian.

really? you do know that laura bush has a relative who is dying of alzhiemers and could probably benefit from stem cell research right? you also know then, that bush is only opposed to EMBRIOYINIC stem cell research right? if you know that, then you probably know that embrionic stem cell research has yet to yield any results, while research on adult stem cells HAS produced right?

or what about abortion... you know that the majority of proabortion advocates have never had an abortion right? you know that more than one third of pro-life advocates who are women have had an abortion right? so, these people who ARE qualified to judge a posteriori are against it... what does that tell you?

-- paul h (dontSendMeMail@notAnAddress.com), October 27, 2004.