Church vs. State

A Little Background Info


This country is known for it's separation of church and state, which is stated in the First Amendment of the Constitution, however, that doesn't mean that religious and government officials don't butt heads with each other on certain political issues. For example, last November, Patrick Kennedy, the Congressman from Rhode Island was supposedly banned from receiving the Holy Eucharist because of his political standpoint on the issue of abortion. According to the Providence Journal, Kennedy claims that Bishop Thomas Tobin directed the priests from his parish to stop giving him the Eucharist.
Kennedy, a member of the most politically influential Catholic families in the country, is pro-choice and has openly criticized the Catholic view of abortion. There has been an undeniable history of conflict specifically between the powerful Kennedy family and the Catholic Church. John F. Kennedy declared independence from the Pope while running for President in order to gain more support from Democratic candidates. Patrick's father, the former Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, was also denounced for his support and efforts to legalize abortion back in 1975. According to Boston.com, Ted Kennedy had written several letters to the Pope, claiming that he "tried to be a faithful Catholic" throughout his life, regardless of his political stance on abortion.
Although this seems like old news, Patrick Kennedy is now being hit with the most criticism from the church. According to Boston.com, Bishop Tobin has stated in reference to Patrick Kennedy that " If you freely choose to be a Catholic, it means you believe certain things, you do certain things. If you cannot do that in conscience, perhaps you should feel free to go somewhere else". He has also claimed that Kennedy's comments about refusing to give him communion were wrong. In this clip from NECN.com, you can see the tension that exists. It doesn't seem like Bishop Tobin and Patrick Kennedy will see eye to eye any time soon. What will be interesting to see is what happens in the future as far as health care reform and how church officials will react. Kennedy supports Obama's plan for universal health care, which originally states that government would pay for abortion. I will be covering church reactions during political debate, as well as the opinions of voters of different backgrounds.