That our parishioners may vote against the mass murderer of the unborn, we pray to the Lord

Here's an excerpt from this week's parish bulletin message by Monsignor John J. Malloy, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Church in San Francisco (the Italian Cathedral of the West!):

The culture of Death is a clear and present danger to our American Society. The Holy Father is outspoken in his cries against it, but, unfortunately, too many of our Catholic population do not support his teachings. The result is: our role in forming godly ideas and ideals of American policy is torn by division. We are a divided America and a divided Catholic population. Unfortunately, the division impinges on the very foundations of our Church and our society. Our Catholics need to know the truth of these hot button issue and vote the truth.

"Now all eyes" as John Mallon wrote in Inside the Vatican "are on the U.S. presidential election and the outcome may well be the decisive factor in whether the Culture of Death or a civilization that cherishes life will prevail throughout the first half of the 21st century, Unfortunately, John Kerry, a Catholic, is the Culture of Death 's champion."

Now the issue of whether a champion for abortion, calling himself a Catholic, should or should not be admitted to Holy Communion is called into question. Does not the law of the Church require certain conditions for worthy reception of the Eucharist? Are politicians, or any Catholic, exempt from the law?

The church is portrayed as authoritarian, telling politicians (and Catholics) how to vote. Nothing could be farther from the truth, The church is authoritative and not authoritarian…. And abortion and single sex marriage is contrary to God's law, which is above church or state law…

Unfortunately, too many of our judges are taking the law in their own hands and, despite the will of the people, changing the constitutions by "fiat" (e.g. marriage laws). Voters beware, and, voters, use your right to uphold God's law. If Catholics stand together, we can sway a close vote on issues of life and death, truth and license. If all Catholics had voted to uphold life, for example, we would not have the horrors of abortion we suffer through today. If all Catholics vote a right conscience, we will stay the Culture of Death that threatens to engulf our land.

Rev. John J. Malloy, SDB

This is one priest in one church in a state Kerry is expected to win and a city where he's expected to get 105 percent of the vote. Nor do I have any sympathy for Kerry, who at this point must be wishing he'd hitched his deep-personal-faith wagon to the Presbyterian or Episcopal Church. But this document is an overt voters' guide that cites a candidate by name and very clearly instructs readers on how to vote with regard to that candidate. If, say, the Reason Foundation issued such a document, its tax-exempt status would be yanked. Where are McCain and Feingold? When Democrats work the black church circuit, Republicans complain, rightly, about pulpit politicking. Do they really want to get the priests involved in campaigning too?