Editorials
Contents Volume CVII, Number 18 .,m'|i'in,,', . I...'.~~. II. . r,v,.IP'Sh." ',',~9 m.. :9 --'-'.II IP" Correspondence546 Editorials547 The 'Catholic vote': David J. O'Brien...
...Dionne, Jr.554 Crossing the nuclear threshold: Thomas Powers556 Singers of family tales: Paul H. ConnoUy559 Psychology's theological quantum jump: David Toolan562 Screen: Colin L. Westerbeck, Jr.567 Books Fire in the Streets/Of Kennedys and Kings: Robert Hassenger569 The Dragon's Village: Nicholas R. Clifford570 From Magic to Metaphor: Joseph Powers572 A Draft of Shadows: Ne~eo E. Condini573 Marquand: Ronald DiLorenzo574 Annals of an Abiding Liberal: James R. Kelly574 Staff Editor: James O'Gara Executive Editor: Peter Steinfels Assistant Editor: David Toolan Editorial Assistant: Anne Robertson Columnists: John Garvey, Frank Getlein, Abigail McCarthy, Thomas Powers Movies: Colin L. Westerbeck, Jr...
...The participation of churchmen in the Nicaraguan revolution has drawn a good bit of attention, but in fact religious leaders are prominent in struggles for human fights in every quarter of the globe--South Africa, the Soviet Union, Korea, Philippines, etc...
...could it be that their failure is in not concentrating their efforts on what Mr...
...Reagan's statement, American churches have long and loudly, and often to distress from right-wing quarters, spoken out about what they believe...
...Poetry: Rosemary Deen, Made Ponsot Staff: Karen F. Silva, Harriette Balsky, Jacqueline Reeves Advertising Manager: Ruth E. Taylor Publisheri Edward S. Skillin Commonweal, AReviewofPublicAffairs,Literature and the Arts, is publishedbiweekly,except monthlyChristmas-NewYear's and Julyand August, by CommonwealPublishingCo., 232 Madison Ave...
...Contents Volume CVII, Number 18 .,m'|i'in,,', . I...
...At home the political mobilization of evangelical Christians has f'mally been registered in the media, and through the media conveyed to the rest of the country, perhaps with the effect of now exaggerating, after long ignoring, the evangelicals' power...
...We do not think that the recent letter of the West German bishops was wise and prudent either...
...A U.S...
...New York, N.Y...
...The abortion question was significant at both party conventions and proyoked the most charged moments of the debate between Ronald Reagan and John Anderson...
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...Within the Catholic church and some Protestant churches, Latin American liberation theology has restored an awareness of the political dimension of the Gospel and has sensitized many to the inevitable political implications of various church stances toward conflict within the social order, including that of "neutrality...
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...9 --'-'.II IP" Correspondence546 Editorials547 The 'Catholic vote': David J. O'Brien 549 The scarlet letter: E.J...
...Anderson is flat wrong, at least by any standards we know, in declaring the Medeiros letter a violation of churchstate separation...
...ADDRESSINGone paic laa pecofheela ion hip beween eligion and poli ic , Da id O'B ien a g einhi ie ha Ame ican Ca holicmo ganize mo e effec i ely if hey wi h o ee heien ibili ieand gene alal eep een ed inhe poli icalphe e...
...Contrary to Mr...
...foreign,$39...
...And we wondewhe heome ofhe cla i y and con enecen ly ob ained ahe na ional le el byhe chch wain faconly ob ainedbecae bi hop we e awa e of how na ow an a diencehe ea emenhad in any ca e . Mo e effec i e p om lga ion mighal o mean blandea emen...
...Onhe o hehand, O'B ien maynde eima e he di e gence ofiewwi hin Ame ican Ca holici m andhe p oblem ofe pec inghidi e gence . The fo m la ion "economically andocially libe al/c lally con ea i e" may be e y b oadlye a a de c ip ion of U.S...
...We do not think that the Boston cardinal's letter, coming as it did in the immediate context of an election, was in fact a wise and prudent action, and this quite apart from the general agreement that it failed in its apparent purpose...
...Ca holic Confe - enceep e en a i e c i icizehe FCC' , planoe eg ' la e"adio . O heepo: A USCC officialeifiebefo e Cong eon h man ighiola ion in So h Ko ea . A Lo Angelebi hop andwen y-nine p ieanno nceppo fohe J.P..S e enboyco...
...The Cle eland dioce eeaf..fi mi, policy ofclo ingCa holic chooloden a oidinghe de eg ega ion of p blicchool.Ca dinKonig i ihe USSR;Ronald Reagan i iCa din K ol, Chile'bi hopc i icizehe fai neofhe Pinoche egime'plebi ci e . Campaign foH man De elopmen gi e$6 milliono low-income g o pfigh inghe cae of po ey, Onhe edi o ial page: a defen e of Ca dinal Medei o and-a "g ecol mnaffi minghe poli icaland economicigh- ofhe ca ion.Iiceainly necea y, foinance,hahe epi copal leade hip de i e mean fo ipa o ala emeno be ac - ally comm nica ed down o he pa i h le el and o he p blic gene ally...
...They ho ld pay a en ionohe findingofheecenGall p poll of e angelicalegie edoo e . Compa edoo ein gene al,ligh ly feweofhe e angelicalfa o edhe dea h penal y fo con ic ed mde eandligh ly mo e (one pe cen in bo h ca e ) fa o ed go e nmen effodi ec edowa d ocial p oblem . Sec la ob e eho ld al o nondea e he ecogni ion ha many chch leademake ofhe plali eali y ofhiocie y . Theame f on -page of he Boon a chdioce an papewhich caiedhe cono eial pao al le e al o ca ied an "elec ion me age" ha Ca dinal Medei oied join ly wi h he o heh ee Ma ache bi hop . Iged ci izeno an info medo e and liedhe following "majo ie " haood "beyond campaign he o ic" : abo ion, capi al p ni hmen , he a mace,nemploymen , ene gy need , ed ca ion, heal h ca e, hoing, and he " igho ea ." Iadded, "We do nop emeo inc people howoo e by endo ing candida e , no do weeek he fo ma ion of aeligioo ing bloc," bi did affi mhe need foci izeno "engage in p blic affaif om a po i ion g o nded in mo al con ic ion and eligiobelief ." Thi ikeaa modela emen ; and ho gh i wa con adic ed by he p ac ical imp l e of he ca dinal' own le e ,ch an "elec ion me age," oo, i paof he pice and woh no ing...
...The candidates' statements were revelatory...
...Reagan believes...
...The e a eome of hiconcl - ion we wo ld likeoecond, o heha may eq i e q alifiCom,nonweal : 548Howb oad o na ow iheCa holic ch ch' poli ical in ol emen ? Con idehe Boon Piloie one weekaf ehe''Medei olee F on -pageo ie: An i-aboiona emenbyhe pope encoagehe mo emenoepeal I aly'aboion law Boli ian bi hop , cha ge he new mili a y egim mde ,oe, and de en ion...
...he b ilding of comm ni ie ; and he fo e ing of he al e and ieha a e needed fo poli ical life .S a emenand o ganiza ional effoexplici ly di ec ed owa d poli ical i - e , no maehow efficien ly comm nica ed ocoo dina ed, will alwaybe limi ed byhe poli ical he e ogenei y of Ca holic...
...From overseas the examples of John Paul II and the Ayatollah Khomeini, in their very different ways, have reminded the world of the power of religious belief...
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...In a society where political debate is established and free, we believe that religious leaders should make statements on moral principles in such a way as to acknowledge the individual citizen's capacity and responsibility to make the often complex and delicate translation of those principles into support for a very particular candidate or I0 October 1980:547 a q i epecific piece of legi la ion . If eligioleadea e going o endo e candida e , hey ho ld clea ly doo a indi id al ci izen . Tho e p o i oa ed, we al ohinkhahe e ia g eadeal of o e kill and confion in he c i ici m of he ole of ch che in poli ical life . Too manyec laob eepe i in a Menckene q e amp ionhachchgoea e b ainle yokel ma ching o he o deof fi e-and-b imone p eache...
...Unsolicitedmanuscriptsare welcomebutcannot beconsideredor returnedunlessaccompaniedbya stamped, self-addressedenvelope.CHURCHES AND POLITICS I CONTROVERSYOVERreligion and politics has been born again...
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...Anderson agreed with his opponent that churches have "the right to take a position on moral issues" but found that exercising this fight by telling parishioners how to vote "violates the principle of separation of church and state...
...Conf ion a i e when c i ic , ei heonhe lefoigh , ai e a gene al objec iono "chch in ol emenin poli ic " whene ehey happen o di ag ee wi hhepecific poli ical po i ion aeligiobody may beppoing, bee no p oblem (o don'ee he ma e a "poli ical") whene ehe poli ical po i ion io heiliking .Thhe ACLUeea Fi Amendmeniola ion in he e lof Ca holic lobbying againabo ion bci ehe Ca holic bi hop ' oppo i iono capi al p ni hmen in cong eionaleimony . A mo e nde - andable o ce of confion ihe fachain poli ic , ain li e ae,yle andb ance canno be nea ly epa a ed . Be idehe ba ic fac ofhe e angelicaligh 'mobiliza ion on he ba i of eligiocon ic ion (which we defend) andhe pecific poli ical po i ionihaaken (many of which we deplo e), he e ihe p oblem of iimpli icyle ofan la - ing c ipalexoeligioimpe a i e in o poli ical opion , ayle ha doenei heeligion nopoli icaeice...
...Thaneedn'behe ca e when iiimply a mae of b ilding awa ene,h o ghhe chch'di ecexpe ience, ofhe need fojice, and of de elopinghe capaci ieo ac poli ically . The lae , ieemo, a e whaho ld be empha ized...
...The starting point for the Anderson-Reagan exchange was, of course, Cardinal Medeiros's pastoral letter urging voters in Boston-area primaries to vote "to save our children, born and unborn...
...Telephone: (212) MU3-2042...
...Reagan, for example, avoided direct comment on the cardinal's action but instead lamented an alleged reluctance on the part of the churches "to speak up in behalf of what they believe is proper in government...
...Ca holic , b ch an agg ega e cha ac e iza ion co eha p diffe ence , o look aonlyhe c lalide ofhe fo m la, o ehe pace of change inexoleohe deg eeo which fe al p o ec ion o woman'igho gho be backed byae o con iional amendmen . Iibecae ofhidi e gencehae enhe clea eof chcha emenally ha e "e cape" clae...
...Neither reply is satisfactory...
...Tha i why O'B ien' o heecommenda ion a eo impo - an: he ac al p e ence of he ch ch in ho e ocial milie whe e onfini hed wo k aaocie yeemmoappa en...
Vol. 107 • October 1980 • No. 18
