Page 15 - HOH

A2 UP FRONT
Saturday 4 June 2022
Continued from Front now that was never there
An even larger majority – in my upbringing," he said.
77% -- said that Catholics "Maybe they're watering
who identify as LGBT should down Catholicism ... Now
be allowed to receive people are being able to
Communion. That con- make up their own rules."
trasts sharply with a policy Ed Keeley, a 62-year-old
issued by the Diocese of public school teacher in
Marquette, which encom- Houston, also was raised
passes Michigan's Upper Catholic. He described
Peninsula, saying pastors abortion as "a hard sub-
should deny Communion ject," saying he believes in
to transgender, gay and the sanctity of life but that
nonbinary Catholics "unless abortion should be allowed
the person has repented." in specific cases, including
Natalia Imperatori-Lee, a rape or incest.
professor of religious stud- He finds it "ridiculous" that a
ies at Manhattan College, priest would deny Commu-
said the rift between rank- nion to someone because
and-file Catholics and the of their views on abortion or
bishops "reveals a break- politics generally.
down in communication Last year, some conserva-
and trust -- shepherds who tive bishops, including Cor-
are far removed from the dileone, argued publicly
sheep." Caroline McDonald, left, a student at Georgetown University, Lauren Morrissey, with Catholics for that President Joe Biden
Choice, and Pamela Huber, of Washington, join a abortion-rights rally outside the Supreme Court,
"This is a precarious time for Monday, Nov. 1, 2021, as arguments are set to begin about abortion by the court, on Capitol Hill — a lifelong Catholic —
the U.S. Catholic church," in Washington. should not receive Com-
she added in an email. Associated Press munion because of his
"U.S. Catholics are, on the support for abortion rights.
whole, accustomed to liv- "They are striving to exer- More than two-thirds of cism as a young adult, ap- However, Pope Francis
ing and working in a plu- cise the role outlined for U.S. Catholics disagree preciates the centuries-old conveyed his opposition
ralistic society and this them in Scripture, namely, with church policies that consistency of Catholic to such a stance, saying
poll reinforces the notion to patiently and persistently bar women from becom- doctrine. Yet she differs Communion "is not a prize
that they want the public teach the faith, whether ing priests. And 65% say the from the church on some for the perfect."
square to remain pluralis- convenient or inconve- church should allow openly major social issues, includ- Cordileone's recent denial
tic, free from coercion, and nient, to clear up confu- gay men to be ordained. ing abortion. of Communion for Pelosi
oriented toward care for sion." The poll was conducted just "It's a woman's right to de- was supported by several
the vulnerable populations Beyond the bishops/laity after the leak of a draft Su- cide," said Barnes, 65. "It's of his clerical colleagues,
among us." rift, the poll highlighted oth- preme Court majority opin- something that you have including the archbishops
The Rev. Frank Pavone, er challenges facing the ion that would strike down to kind of reconcile your- of Denver, Oklahoma City,
national director of Priests church, which is the largest Roe v. Wade. The views of self, and it's between you Portland, Oregon, and
for Life, said the poll results denomination in the U.S. U.S. Catholics, as expressed and God." Kansas City, Kansas. How-
didn't surprise him, and un- For example, 68% of Cath- in the poll, were in line with Pedro Gomez, a 55-year- ever, Archbishop Michael
derscored a need for anti- olics reported attending the overall American pub- old border patrol agent in Jackels of Dubuque, Iowa,
abortion clergy and activ- religious services once a lic, both in regard to sup- Rio Rico, Arizona, is a life- issued a statement describ-
ists to redouble efforts to month or less. Compared porting abortion's legality long Catholic who prays ing the action as "misguid-
change people's positions. to five years ago, 37% said and preserving Roe. every night and attends ed."
"For us working on pro-life is- they were now attending However, there were sharp church regularly. He under- "As Jesus said, it's the sick
sues, these kinds of polls are less often; 14% said they differences among major stands the need for abor- people who need a doc-
like a summons," he said. were attending more of- religious groupings. While tion in cases of rape, incest tor, not the healthy, and he
"You've got to be doing ten. 63% of Catholics said abor- or saving the life of a moth- gave us the Eucharist as a
your work -- maybe you've Over that five-year span, tion should be legal in all er, but he said he considers healing remedy," Jackels
got to do it better." 26% percent of Catholics or most cases, that stance the procedure to be the said. "Don't deny the peo-
As for conservative bish- said their opinion of the was held by 74% of main- killing of a child. ple who need the medi-
ops, "their awareness of the Catholic church had wors- line Protestants and only Gomez was surprised that cine."
gaps that the polling re- ened, while 17% said their 25% of evangelical Protes- most U.S. Catholics support He also contended that
veals is precisely one of the opinion had improved. tants. some degree of abortion abortion was not the only
reasons they feel the need Most said their opinion Sharon Barnes of Dallas, rights. critical "life issue" facing the
to speak up," Pavone said. hadn't changed. who converted to Catholi- "There's a lot of gray area church.q

Feds: Capitol Police officer indicted on civil rights charge

By MICHAEL BALSAMO ing on the homes of mem- driver flying into the air. drove around the man, a Capitol Police parking
WASHINGTON (AP) — A bers of Congress in George- U.S. Capitol Police policy leaving the victim lying in garage, parked the dam-
U.S. Capitol Police officer town around 11:30 p.m. on prohibits officers from pur- the roadway, and fled from aged police sedan, falsi-
was indicted on federal June 20, 2020, when he suits outside of the grounds the scene. Prosecutors say fied a report to say he had
civil rights charges after he started pursuing two mo- of the Capitol without per- Smith "knowingly drove started his shift later and
was involved in an unau- torcycles. Prosecutors say mission from a supervisor. away from the scene of then went inside and got
thorized high-speed chase, Smith "followed closely be- Smith did not seek any ap- the crash without render- keys for another vehicle,
crashed into a motorcycle hind these vehicles at a proval and did not alert ing aid, alerting medical prosecutors said.
and then tried to cover it high rate of speed" before dispatchers that he was in- authorities, and taking any The Metropolitan Police
up, prosecutors said Friday. he swerved his marked volved in a chase, prosecu- other reasonable steps to Department later contact-
The officer, Thomas Smith, patrol car into one of the tors say. obtain help for the victim." ed Capitol Police about
was supposed to be check- motorcycles, sending the Authorities allege Smith He then drove back to the crash. q