b
--------
Kerry Marks Easter with Communion at Catholic Mass
2 hours, 7 minutes ago
By Patricia Wilson
BOSTON (Reuters) - Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites), a Roman Catholic whose abortion views led some in the church hierarchy to say they would deny him Communion, received the sacrament during Easter Mass at Bostons Paulist Center on Sunday.
As the first Catholic at the top of a major party ticket since John F. Kennedy in 1960, Kerry has stirred a new debate over religion and politics that has left some wondering if he would be turned away when he sought Communion because of his support for abortion rights.
The discussion of Kerrys eligibility for Communion arose after Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis advised Kerry not to present himself for Communion at any church in the city. A few other bishops have issued similar warnings.
Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the archbishop of Washington who heads a panel studying how to handle politicians with views that diverge from Catholic doctrine, said Kerry should follow church teachings.
I think there are many of us who would feel that there are certain restrictions that we might put on people, that there are certain sanctions that we may put on people, McCarrick said on Fox News Sunday. But I think many of us would not like to use the Eucharist as part of the sanctions.
The head of Kerrys Boston diocese, Archbishop Sean OMalley, has suggested that Catholic elected officials -- without mentioning any by name -- who support abortion rights should abstain voluntarily from Communion, but has not asked priests to stop offering it.
Archbishop OMalley has no public statement as to the questions regarding Senator Kerry and his Catholicism, Rev. Christopher Coyne, spokesman for the archdiocese said. The matter has been brought to his attention and I do not know when or if he will make a public statement on this matter.
Kerry and his wife Teresa attended Easter services at the Paulist Center, close to their Beacon Hill home and the church at which they generally worship.
As he entered, Kerry was asked if he would take Communion. He responded with a firm yes.
Worshipers filled the spartan room and its balconies. Many stood for the hourlong family-oriented Mass beneath a huge suspended crucifix carved from oak.
It was a wonderful service, the four-term Massachusetts senator said as he left.
DIVERGENCE FROM CHURCH
Kerrys positions on abortion and other issues reflect those of many of Americas 65 million Catholics, most of whom are concentrated in big U.S. states with the most electoral votes in the Nov. 2 election, like California and New York.
In Kennedys day, non-Catholic voters were afraid another senator from Massachusetts might follow Papal Doctrine too strictly. Now, some conservative Catholics are criticizing Kerry for not adhering to it closely enough.
A practicing Catholic and a former altar boy, Kerry also supports stem cell research, civil unions for gays and lesbians, issues he calls matters of conscience.
I fully intend to practice my religion separately from what I do with respect to my public life and thats the way it ought to be in America, he told reporters in Ohio last week. There is a separation of church and state in America and we have prided ourselves about that all ... of our history.
The Paulists are a Catholic religious order like the Jesuits or Dominicans.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story