Letter to the Editor, Star Banner, October 12, 1999

To the Editor,

Concerning the presidential election in 2000, Columnist A. James Rudin asks, "Are we electing a president or a high priest." He says it's clear religion will play a dominant role in the upcoming race.

He noted in Alfred Smith's unsuccessful campaign in 1928, his opponents charged Smith, as president, would "bring the pope to the White House." During the 1960 race, similar concerns were raised about John F. Kennedy. More recently, Protestant presidents, recognizing the growing size of Catholic voters, eagerly welcomed visiting popes.

In 1973, the Vatican said Catholics lacked enough political influence in the US for Catholicism eventually to be the religion of the world. The US bishops were told to work directly with lawmakers to influence our laws. They selected "Abortion" as the issue to test their influence. The bishops had successes with President Reagan. Reagan re-established diplomatic relations with the Vatican, ordered no US funds in the United Nations to go to nations favoring birth control or abortions, and had his CIA director, Bill Casey, meet more than 32 times in private audiences with the pope in relation to forcing changes in governments in Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia, .Presidents Bush and Clinton joined the pope in gaining independence for Catholic dominated Slovenia and Croatia from Yugoslavia. Clinton now helps on East Timor, 90% of whose people are Catholics.

For many years, atheistic Russia outlawed the Catholic religion. Pope Pius XII anticipated Hitler would defeat Russia in WWII and had plans for assigning clergy to follow the Nazis as the Nazis marched through Russia. This did not happen. Russia recently reaffirmed the outlawing of the practice of Catholicism. Pope John Paul II asked Clinton to intervene, he did, and now it is legal to practice Catholicism in Russia.

Rudin claims religious themes loom even larger on the home front: ABORTION. PUBLIC FUNDS FOR RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS. RELIGIOUS CHARITIES ADMINISTER WELFARE FUNDS AND SERVICES. EVOLUTION OR CREATIONISM. EXPANDED HOME SCHOOLING. MANDATED PRAYERS IN SCHOOLS. GAYS AND LESBIANS. ASSISTED SUICIDE. EUTHANASIA. BIRTH CONTROL. POPULATION CONTROL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN WORLD. TEN COMMANDMENTS POSTED IN SCHOOLS.

To deal with these issues, Rudin asks, "Are we electing a president or a high priest?"

James M. O'Hara