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  Kerry meets with Cardinal McCarrick of Washington, DC
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ContributorGerald Farinas 
Last EditedGerald Farinas  Apr 15, 2004 05:02pm
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CategoryNews
MediaNewspaper - Oregonian, The (Portland)
News DateThursday, April 15, 2004 06:00:00 AM UTC0:0
DescriptionKerry meets with Cardinal McCarrick of Washington, DC
The Oregonian

John Kerry, a Catholic politician whose votes on abortion and gay marriage are at odds with the church's teachings, met privately Thursday with Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the Washington archbishop heading a task force examining whether there should be church sanctions for such politicians. Aides to Kerry said the meeting had been in the works for months, but it came just days after McCarrick, in a national television interview, raised the specter of punishing Catholic politicians who break with the church in supporting abortion rights and stem-cell research. The first Catholic poised to get a presidential nomination since John F. Kennedy in 1960, Kerry has been criticized by some church leaders for taking stands in conflict with his faith's teachings while regularly attending Mass and receiving the sacrament of communion.

McCarrick is heading a seven-member task force, created last year by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, to study what steps to take against Catholic politicians who vote and support positions at odds with church teachings. Among the options are denying access to Catholic schools or hospitals that might be venues for campaign events to excommunication. The task force was established after the Vatican issued a decree that said Catholic politicians have a duty to uphold the church's "nonnegotiable ethical principles" — specifically mentioning opposition to both legalized abortion and recognition for same-sex couples.
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