The homepage of a group called Roman Catholics for Obama ’08 misrepresents Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput’s words on whether Catholics can vote in good conscience for a pro-choice politician.
The group quotes the archbishop as saying:
“So can a Catholic in good conscience vote for a pro-choice candidate? The answer is: I can’t, and I won’t. But I do know some serious Catholics — people whom I admire — who may. I think their reasoning is mistaken, but at least they sincerely struggle with the abortion issue, and it causes them real pain. And most important: They don’t keep quiet about it; they don’t give up; they keep lobbying their party and their representatives to change their pro-abortion views and protect the unborn. Catholics can vote for pro-choice candidates if they vote for them despite — not because of — their pro-choice views.”
In his web column of May 19, Archbishop Chaput comments on the group’s use of this quote:
“What’s interesting about this quotation – which is accurate but incomplete – is the wording that was left out. The very next sentences in the article of mine they selected, which Roman Catholics for Obama neglected to quote, run as follows:
“But The archbishop ends with some advice for the group: “Changing the views of ‘pro-choice’ candidates takes a lot more than verbal gymnastics, good alibis and pious talk about ‘personal opposition’ to killing unborn children. I’m sure Roman Catholics for Obama know that, and I wish them good luck. They’ll need it.” To read the full column, click here.
