There's a quote floating around the Internet attributed to Dante: "The hottest place in hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of crisis." This isn't exactly what he wrote. The neutrals weren't bad enough to get into any circle of hell proper. Instead, they were outside the first circle, chasing a slogan-less banner.
I think the empty banner image is a good one for so-called pro-lifers using their Catholic faith - a faith I share - to declare all Catholics must vote for George W. Bush instead of John Kerry only because of their positions on abortion.
It's inaccurate to call Bush the pro-life candidate. The Catholic church opposes the death penalty, yet as governor of Texas Bush signed off on 152 executions.
Pro-life? By George, what about Iraq? Over 1,200 coalition troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis have died because of this war, an unjust one by the standards of the Catholic Catechism (a war should only be started, it says, if in response to another nation's attack that leaves "lasting, grave, and certain" damage - Iraq never attacked us). Don't forget, Catholics, the Pope urged Bush not to attack Iraq.
Your Voice columnist Rich Leonardi ("Why Kerry may get a 'chili' reception," Oct. 21) claims that Kerry had a "confrontation" with bishops over Communion and abortion. Don't tell me those bishops speak for my Catholic Church. To borrow right-wing language, those are "activist" bishops threatening to withhold Communion from Kerry.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement warning that in the polarized climate of an election, "politics can lead to circumstances in which...sacramental practice [i.e., the Eucharist] can be misused for political ends." Any bishop or Catholic who claims Kerry shouldn't receive the Eucharist is doing so. If politics aren't behind this decision, then why aren't Catholics viewing pro-abortion Republican Catholics such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Rudy Guiliani as unsuitable to receive Communion?
Catholics should vote, as the USCCB's "Faithful Citizenship" tells us, on a preponderance of issues. Choose the candidate whose policies will make the world a better place, who will work to avoid war unless just and necessary, and who will take care of all people.
Choosing Bush on only one issue is like chasing a blank banner. It won't land you in hell, though it might make the next four years seem like hell.
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Gary Leising is a Catholic and poet who lives in Clifton.
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