Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota has reportedly been
ordered by his bishop to stop identifying himself as Catholic.
Bishop Robert Carlson, who leads the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls, is said
by "The Weekly Standard" magazine to have written a letter to Daschle
telling him that, by continuing to identify himself as Catholic, Daschle was
perpetrating "a grave public scandal." The publication claimed the
letter instructed Daschle to "remove from his congressional biography and
campaign documents all references to his standing as a member of the Catholic
Church."
The Sioux Falls' Diocese office was closed for Good Friday, but Carlson had
issued a statement Thursday, parts of which were published in the Sioux Falls
Argus Leader newspaper.
"I would never break off dialogue or a pastoral relationship with
anyone," Carlson wrote, in part.
"However, other than inviting people to pray for the senator's conversion,
I do not believe it is appropriate for me to discuss my pastoral relationship
with the senator or anyone else," he continued.
Carlson's statement added that he would "continue to encourage Daschle to
reconsider his position on abortion and his support for the National Abortion
Rights Action League."
While Chris Bois, a staff member in Daschle's press office, would not confirm
or deny the existence of the letter, he emailed CNSNews.com the following
statement from Daschle:
"I have been a Catholic all my life, and I will remain one. Every
American's religious convictions are deeply personal, and I am not going to
participate in a debate that is intended to politicize anyone's religious
beliefs, especially during Holy Week," the statement said, adding that
Daschle would not discuss private, religious communications with reporters.
Bois would not acknowledge whether or not Daschle's office was in possession of
the letter. Asked to provide a copy of it, he offered the statement instead.
Judie Brown, president of the American Life League (ALL) - a pro-life
organization with a predominantly Catholic membership - believes it is
unfortunate that the communication between Carlson and Daschle was leaked to
the press.
"I'm very proud of the courage of Bishop Carlson and I respect his privacy
in this matter," she said. "He, I believe, is very upset about the
fact that this was made public."
Brown said that, because she had not seen the letter, she did not want to
comment on what Carlson might or might not have written to Daschle.
"I'm just going to say that [Carlson] is a very heroic bishop, who has
repeatedly done everything he possibly could to be a good shepherd to Senator
Daschle," she added.
As CNSNews.com previously reported ALL published advertisements in "The
Washington Times" and a number of diocesan newspapers around the country
exposing the "Deadly Dozen" Catholic members of the U.S. Senate who
are pro-abortion. The ad campaign was timed to coincide with the 30th
anniversary, Jan. 22, of the Supreme Court's Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing
abortion during all nine months of pregnancy.
"You can't be both Catholic and pro-abortion" declared the full-page
ad - designed to replicate a wanted poster. It identified the 12 senators under
the headline "The Deadly Dozen" and declared them "Wanted for
fraudulently claiming the Catholic faith."
In a letter mailed to the bishops responsible for those senators, Brown called
on the bishops "to actively prevent openly pro-abortion politicians like
the 12 in this ad from receiving Holy Communion."
Only Bishop Carlson responded.
"[W]hile Senator Thomas Daschle lists himself as a Catholic, it is my
understanding that he neither attends church nor receives Holy Communion on the
rare occasions when he is in church," Carlson wrote. "I have
documented this, and again would be interested if you have information to the
contrary."
Though Brown regrets that Carlson's letter to Daschle has been made public,
there is one public statement on the matter she hopes to see made sooner,
rather than later.
"Hopefully, at the end of the day, Senator Daschle will come back into the
church, in the fullness of grace," she concluded, "and repent
publicly of his involvement with abortion."