The Christian Science Monitor Mar 3, 6:23 PM EST
Hagee Endorsement of McCain Has Risks
By LIBBY QUAID Associated Press Writer
SEDONA, Ariz. (AP) -- Endorsed by an influential Texas
televangelist, Republican John McCain endeared himself to one
group of voters but risked alienating another with the
pastor's anti-Catholic views.
The controversy has been mild so far, but still, every vote
counts in a presidential election that is expected to be
closely contested.
Evangelical or born-again Christian voters were key to George
W. Bush's victories, but so were Roman Catholics, who chose
Bush over their fellow Catholic John Kerry in 2004 and over Al
Gore in 2000.
The televangelist, San Antonio megachurch leader John Hagee,
has referred to the Roman Catholic Church as "the great
whore" and called it a "false cult system" and "the apostate
church"; the word "apostate" means someone who has forsaken
his religion.
He also has linked Adolf Hitler to the Catholic church,
suggesting it helped shape his anti-Semitism.
McCain said he does not agree with some of Hagee's past
comments. "It's simply not accurate to say that because
someone endorses me that I therefore embrace their views,"
McCain told re****ters at a news conference Monday in Phoenix.
Catholic groups are pressuring McCain to go further and reject
the endorsement, which he announced at a news conference with
Hagee last week. The Democratic National Committee also is
publicizing Hagee's views.
"Indeed, for the past few decades, he has waged an unrelenting
war against the Catholic Church," said Catholic League
President Bill Donohue.
"Senator Obama has repudiated the endorsement of Louis
Farrakhan, another bigot," Donohue said. "McCain should follow
suit and retract his embrace of Hagee."
He was referring to Barack Obama, who said he would "reject
and denounce" any help from Farrakhan when pressed in last
week's Democratic presidential debate.
For his part, Hagee on Monday denied that he is anti-Catholic,
saying in a statement to the Christian Broadcasting Network,
"I have always had great love for Catholic people and great
respect for the Catholic Church. I am shocked and saddened to
learn of the mischaracterization of my views on Catholics."
However, Hagee did not explain exactly how his harsh
criticisms of the Catholic church had been mischaracterized.
It remains to be seen how much Hagee's views may hurt McCain's
standing among Catholics, a group that can hardly be
considered monolithic. Though they lean Republican, their
views span the political spectrum and split nearly evenly
along party lines.
Despite the recent publicity, Hagee is not well-known outside
his sphere of influence, which includes a congregation in the
tens of thousands and an even wider television audience.
"What he holds about Catholicism in my mind is despicable,"
said the Rev. James Heft, religion professor at the University
of Southern California. "I totally reject Hagee's view of
Catholicism, but I don't know how widely known it is."
If Hagee's views become well-known, the endorsement could hurt
McCain among some Catholics.
"If you offend even a small percentage, that could make the
difference in an election," Donohue said in an interview
Sunday.
Democrats are doing their best to keep the fracas alive, with
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean raising it
Sunday on CNN's "Late Edition."
"What about a guy who is a vicious anti-Catholic, who is
sup****ting John McCain, and John McCain does not denounce or
reject him?" Dean said.
So far, McCain has enjoyed strong sup****t from Catholics, who
make up about a quarter of the electorate.
He won far more of the Catholic vote, 47 percent, than any of
his Republican rivals thus far, according to exit polling.
Mitt Romney won 30 percent and Mike Huckabee won 9 percent,
doing well among Catholics in states where they did well
overall, according to exit surveys in 21 presidential primary
states.
McCain has been less popular among evangelical or born-again
Christians, which is where Hagee comes in. Huckabee, himself a
Baptist minister, courted Hagee last year by delivering a
sermon at his church. McCain has lost or split sup****t from
those voters and is working to bolster his standing.
And McCain is not guaranteed sup****t among Catholics, even
though he opposes abortion and the two Democratic candidates,
Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, sup****t abortion rights.
While the church places utmost priority on its opposition to
abortion rights, U.S. bishops issued voter guidelines last
November saying Catholics may vote for someone who favors
abortion rights - so long as the voter is not making his or
her choice because of the candidate's position on abortion,
and if the candidate sup****ts other positions that
substantially further the church vision of the common good.
Incidentally, McCain, Obama and Clinton belong to the
Protestant faith; McCain was raised Episcopalian but now
attends a Baptist church in Arizona.
McCain's response to the controversy has been tepid, Heft
said.
The Arizona senator's reaction stands in contrast to President
Bush, who specifically apologized to Roman Catholic leaders
for "causing needless offense" when he visited Bob Jones
University during the 2000 election. The Greenville, S.C.,
school teaches that Catholicism is a cult.
McCain's reaction also stands in contrast with his own swift
and unequivocal denunciation of a radio talk show host who
denigrated Obama last week in Cincinnati. McCain immediately
apologized and said he repudiated the statements of the radio
host, Bill Cunningham.
Regardless, Heft said McCain should be more specific and more
emphatic, and soon.
"You don't want to blow it on simple matters that you could
correct," Heft said. "He probably would be wiser just to say
he rejects his views on Catholics."
---
EDITOR'S NOTE - Libby Quaid covers the presidential campaign
for The Associated Press. AP Director of Surveys Trevor
Tompson contributed to this re****t.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MCCAIN_CATHOLICS?
SITE=MABOC&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-03-03-18-
23-38
--
A government, of, by, and, for: Rich, Elite, Freemasons.
But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the
light:
for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
The light ****neth in darkness;
and the darkness comprehended it not.
The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be
single,
thy whole body shall be full of light.
But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of
darkness.
If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great
is that darkness!
Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead,
and Christ shall give thee light.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
|
