Bully pulpit

Commonweal, Nov 5, 2004 by Nancy M. Shea

I am a distressed seventy-one-year-old cradle Catholic who doesn't know whom to write to so I chose you. Two Sundays ago, a visiting priest came to my church and gave a homily stating that the five wounds of Christ are the reasons Catholics should vote in this election. He listed these as abortion, cloning, gay marriage, euthanasia, and stem-cell research. He did not mention preemptive war, the death penalty, poverty, homelessness, or a myriad of other important "life" issues. He didn't explicitly tell us to vote for George W. Bush, but it was obvious that this is what he meant. He said that "Holy Mother Church" forms our consciences and that we should listen to her. I was appalled.

I wrote a letter to him expressing my horror that he used the pulpit to tell us how to vote. I stated that the "church" has been wrong in the past and has admitted it, most notably concerning its mistreatment of the Jews. I have not heard from him, nor do I expect to. I feel strongly that one has a right to form his or her conscience and that one should vote based on that conscience.

NANCY M. SHEA

Savannah, Ga.