It's time to run for Pope again

It’s Time To Run For Pope Again: Kerry, Bush, and the Ghost of Nixon

Last December, The Washington Times reported that "America's 275 active bishops are gearing up a new task force that could bring Catholic politicians in line in a way not seen before in American politics." Consequently, a few American Bishops have already announced that they would deny Senator Kerry the Holy Eucharist because of his steadfast defense of womenÂ’s reproductive health choices.

There are currently 150 Catholics serving in Congress, and three of the ten 2004 Democratic presidential candidates (Kerry, Kucinich, and Clark) were (and are) practicing Catholics.
Link

In true neocon fashion, The Washington Times story does not mention the church’s staunch opposition to the death penalty. Have any Bishops threatened to deny the Eucharist to Catholic Republicans who support the death penalty?

The last time the Democratic Party chose a Catholic as their presidential candidate, the Pope, Blessed John XXIII (1958-63) was in the middle of his reign. In 1960, Republicans questioned Senator John F. Kennedy’s separation of church and state credentials repeatedly. JFK defeated Richard M. Nixon and proved to the nation that the US Constitution dictated his policies, not Il Papa.

Looking back, the concern demonstrated by Republicans in 1960 seems totally insincere and political. Had abortion been the law of the land at the time, Republicans surely would have attacked JFK the same way they are attacking JK today. To George W. Bush and his Republican attack machine, there are either good Catholics or bad Catholics, not just Catholics. Many devout Catholics struggle daily to reconcile the pastoral and the ecclesiastic. George W. Bush isn’t concerned about the decisions which impact Catholics’ personal lives; he is only concerned with their decisions on Election Day.

A Perfect Political Storm 2004 is now brewing

The combination of Kerry, an ailing Pope, and the heir to Nixon’s 1960 attempt to divide and conquer the nation’s Catholic voters could be volatile in this crucial election year.

Senator Kerry, like his illustrious monogramsake, has been forced to defend both his personal religious beliefs and Constitutional commitment (even when Catholics obviously don't object to his stance) while the Supreme W. Court-appointed pResident pits one Catholic against another.

The Gospel According to Polling Report
“Do you think it is appropriate for Catholic bishops to refuse to give communion to elected officials who publicly disagree with the Church's position on issues like abortion, or is that not appropriate?"

Of Catholics, 17% said it was appropriate, 78% said it was not. This was a stronger opposition than all polled: 19% saying it was appropriate and 72% saying it was not.
Link

The Pope is definitely ailing. John Paul II (1978- ) is as frail as can be. Last October, Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, candidate for the papacy, said the pontiff "is nearing the last days and months of his life."
Link

Earlier this month, Born Again Methodist, George W. Bush, told the ailing Pope, "Not all the American Bishops are with me." Link

Papal Politics Makes Skull and Bones Look Like Child’s Play

The Catholic Church’s exorbitant pay offs and attempts to cover up abuse scandals have called into question the Church’s previously pious reputation and inadvertently invited us to explore further the inner politics of the Vatican, itself. Considering how some glass cathedral dwelling Bishops, Cardinals, and even the Pope, himself, have decided to inject the church into our current presidential election, it is fitting that American voters learn more about papal politics.

Much like our local and state-level politicians, who aspire to higher and higher political offices, many Catholic priests aspire to become Bishops, who aspire to become Archbishops, who aspire to become Cardinals, who aspire to become Pope. Behind the scenes, political campaign supporters and Catholic clergy alike also harbor aspirations: the political appointments (jobs) and the enhanced prestige afforded them when their chosen candidates' aspirations are realized.

Many Catholic clergy have already begun to line up behind various Cardinals, who are rumored to be serious papal candidates. As voting records are highly scrutinized in our election years so are Apostolic Succession credentials in papal election years. The Apostolic Succession traces one’s principal consecrator and then that man’s principal consecrator, etc. A limited number of men today under the papable age of 80 can trace their Apostolic Succession all the way back to one of the original apostles. Running for Pope makes membership in Skull and Bones look like child’s play.

Time.com’s The Papacy (Link) is a “must read” for anyone curious about

The men who would be Pope (and why some Cardinals are suddenly striving to demonstrate their Vatican-worthy Catholic credentials)

How a new Pope is elected

Newswire stories deemed importance to the church

And much more

The best site for quick reference during the next papal election is Catholic-pages.com’s Electing a Pope. (Link).

Storm Warning

George W. Bush (R- former Texas Governor) hopes voters don’t know and don’t care how Popes are elected. He also hopes that his efforts to convince all American Bishops to deny his Democratic Party opponent, Senator John F. Kerry, the Holy Eucharist will secure The Catholic Vote on November 2nd. With so many of his supporters abandoning him because of his disastrous policies and embarrassing incompetence, Bush needs every Catholic voter he can coerce.

The inevitable papal election could enable George W. Bush and his minions to replicate (in reverse) Nixon’s 1960 strategy of religious divide and conquer in 2004, even if a new Pope isn’t chosen until after the November 2nd presidential election. And it doesn't matter if Catholics just don't care; BushCo will be able to divert attention from treason, torture, and the theft of our nation's treasury every time a Bishop or Cardinal questions JK's religious commitment.

Aftermath

As long as Republicans encourage ambitious clergy to further their own political agendas by injecting dogma into our political process, our American history of respecting the separation of church and state remains in jeopardy.

If Democrats don’t demand that George W. Bush and his attack machine stop seeking to divide religious congregations based on the Republicans’ own personal political aspirations, the Ghost of Nixon will rise again, and America will become a house even more divided.