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U.K. has its own politicians-and-Catholic-Communion controversy
This story sounds vaguely familiar: A leading national politician disagrees with Roman Catholic teachings, but still attends Catholic Mass. The press goes nuts wondering if he'll take Communion, or if he'll be barred the elements. Church leaders and the politician's staff seem to differ significantly on the facts.

Only we're not talking about John Kerry, but British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Roman Catholic priest Timothy Russ is quoted throughout the British press today saying that Blair is on the verge of converting. Blair regularly invites Russ to celebrate Mass at Blair's retreat home, and used to attend his parish church. Blair's wife and three children are Roman Catholics, but he is a member of the Church of England. He says he attends Catholic Mass so his family can worship together, but Russ says that may be about to change.

"If you ask me do you think he wants to become a Catholic, I would say yes," Russ told The Telegraph. The Guardian quotes him saying, "Normally speaking, if you have someone committed like him, then yes, he will become a Catholic. … He didn't say to me, 'Can I become a Catholic?' What he said to me was, 'Can the prime minister be a Catholic?'"

But though Blair is apparently considering the idea, Russ says he still has a way to go. "He's obviously got to change a lot and recognize the sanctity of the family and the sanctity of life," he said. He's even harsher in an interview with The Times: "Tony Blair is a lazy thinker when it comes to certain ethical questions. … A lot of things would have to change in his modus operandi and in his way of thinking and working before he could be a Catholic." (That's not exactly a line to win converts.)

The Times (which requires readers from outside the U.K. to subscribe to read its stories online) focuses on one of the more controversial aspects of the issue: Is Russ giving Blair Communion? Russ won't say, but insists that he's allowed to under the doctrine of epikeia, which loosens interpretations of church law. After a few rows (as the Brits call them) on the subject, Blair has promised not to take Catholic Communion. But The Times says "there is a hint that pledge may have been broken."

Blair's office, by the way, says the Prime Minister isn't converting. And honestly, who can blame him? Forget the theology for a moment: If a priest—who would likely be your new priest—goes and blabs to the press about your spiritual journey, then publicly criticizes you as a "lazy thinker" with weak ethics, would you join his church?

Debate hits the biggies: faith, abortion, gay marriage, and getting "kicked around" by one's wife and daughters
If you missed the third and final presidential debate between George Bush and John Kerry, here's video on whether homosexuality is a choice, pro-life Catholicism, overturning Roe v. Wade, and the role of faith in policy decisions, and here's a full transcript.

Religion isn't the out-of-bounds area it used to be, says Fred Barnes in today's Wall Street Journal. "Bob Schieffer of CBS News asked two questions about religion. So far as I could tell, this was seen as quite proper. Both candidates were prepared and gave crisp answers. And their bottom line on religion was roughly the same: They are serious believers—Mr. Kerry a Catholic, Mr. Bush a Protestant—who are tolerant of other religions and indeed fully accepting of anyone who has no religious belief at all."

There was too much religion in the debate, Debran Rowland says in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "Wednesday night we saw what we hadn't wanted to see: 'God' is a candidate for the presidency. And to hear the Religious Right tell it, He hates women." She says she's especially troubled by Bush's comment that there are "too many abortions" in America, which she calls a sign of fundamentalism. But what he actually said was, "There are ways we can work together to reduce the number of abortions," such as supporting adoption promotion, maternity group homes, and sexual abstinence programs. Apparently Rowland believes that abortion is preferable to these.

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October (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48