CHANGE MY LOCATION
Local
California News
Multimedia News
Catholics at the top are mixed blessing for Church
SEE THE LATEST ON THIS STORY
Related Topics: WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - The governor, the lieutenant governor and the presiding officers of the House and Senate are all Catholic, but that is a mixed blessing for the Catholic Church and the issues it lobbies for in Annapolis.
Only in rare cases do these leaders and Catholic lawmakers support all the positions the church favors — opposition to abortion, embryonic stem cell research, same-sex marriage and the death penalty, and support of its anti-poverty agenda and funding for textbooks at nonpublic schools.
Last year’s election results brought “a new and challenging reality” to Annapolis, longtime Maryland Catholic Conference lobbyist Richard Dowling said. Catholic lawmakers are in line with the church’s position “in various ways at various times for various issues,” he said.
Dowling notes that Maryland Catholic voters back a national trend in which Catholics in other states have become more supportive of Democratic candidates. Based on exit polling by CNN on Nov. 7, Catholics voted 53 percent for Gov. Robert Ehrlich, a Protestant, and 46 percent for Mayor Martin O’Malley, and 54 percent for Lt. Gov. Michael Steele for Senate over the winner, Rep. Ben Cardin.
“Increasingly, I think Maryland Catholics are becoming concerned about the radical drift that’s marked policy-making over the course of the last decade or so, and they’re adjusting their voting preferences accordingly,” Dowling said.
He sees O’Malley more likely to support a statute recognizing same-sex marriage than he did Ehrlich, but the governor has said he would sign a bill abolishing the death penalty, a move the church supports.
Dowling found it “significant and heartening” that O’Malley said he did not want to give embryonic stem cell research priority over the adult stem cell studies in allocating the $25 million in grants he has in his budget.
O’Malley hosted a reception for Catholic Schools Week on Thursday, he attended Catholic schools for most of his education, and sends his children to Catholic schools. But in this year’s budget, he put the same $4 million for the textbook and technology program at private schools that Ehrlich did last year.
The church had sought $6 million, Dowling said, the original funding for the program when it started under Gov. Parris Glendening. At the same time, more private and Christian schools are applying for the reduced funding.
llazarick@baltimoreexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
11:33 AM MST on Thu., Apr. 17, 2008 re: "National Baptist Convention will boost Baltimore economy"
Report as inappropriate
7:40 AM MST on Fri., Jun. 29, 2007
re: "Anglicans allege ‘intimidation’ in attempt to name defendants"
Report as inappropriate
Examiner Reader said:
If the national Baptist Congress of Christian Leaders can sink an estimated $40,000,000 into the Baltimore economy couldn't they invest that money into building their own educational complex to house that and other conventions and keep the money in the black community and leave a legacy to future generations?
4 agree | 4 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
robroy said:
It is sad that the love of Christ as what binds the church together has been replaced by the threat of lawsuits. As Paul said, "The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?" Win or lose, the Episcopal church is COMPLETELY DEFEATED.
203 agree | 203 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree