Hypocrisy in the Name of God

While there are numerous examples of this, I'm referring right now to the Vatican and to the leaders of the Catholic Church.

An OpEd in today's Times, written by Kenneth Woodward, states that the Catholic Church and Democrats are on a collision course, and the temper of the piece makes me sense Mr. Woodward feels the Dems are the guilty party.

Yet that brings us to an excellent example of the hypocrisy. The Catholic Church, as run by a few select men - always men - has specifically singled out Democrats for their pro-choice, pro-gay rights stance. For example, one potentate felt that candidate John Kerry should be denied communion, while a Denver bishop felt that anyone communicant who voted for someone who was pro-gay rights, pro-choice, pro stem cell, and heck,pro-humanity, should be kept from partaking of the eucharist.

Again and again, no specific mention is made of denying the symbolic act of communion to Republicans who are pro-death penalty and pro war, for example. And who's going to deny Rudy Giuliani or Tom Ridge, both pro-choice Catholics, from taking communion?

Democrats did not make this an issue now. Higher-ups in the church did, and pointedly during a tense election year. The Church has interjected itself again and again.

And on this hypocritical note, let me add something I also found in The Times early this morning:

Cardinal Bernard F. Law, who was forced to resign as leader of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston after a long and painful sexual abuse scandal involving clergy members, was chosen by Pope John Paul II on Thursday to head a basilica in Rome.

A man who allowed children to be molested again and again over the years is being honored with a post within the Vatican. Apparently to the Pope and other leading Catholics, human life is only precious until it is born. Then, that life can be mistreated again and again by the church's own priests.

If they want to behave this way, I think it's time for the Vatican to lose its seat in the UN, for the Catholic Church and its priests to lose their tax advantages here in the U.S. They aren't above the law, and they certainly do not appear to be above practicing both partisan politics and abuse.