Word: martino
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...Such comments didn't endear him to the parishioners who organized the forum or to his immediate superior, Philadelphia Cardinal Justin Rigali. As head of the USCCB's Committee on Pro-Life Activities, Rigali is just as opposed to abortion as Martino. But he is a much more politic figure. Many think Martino finally went too far this spring, when he started training his sights on Bob Casey Jr., a Democratic Senator from Pennsylvania and a staunchly pro-life Catholic. Casey's late father, a former governor of Pennsylvania, is revered by Catholics for speaking out against the Democratic Party...
...Whether Martino is leaving willingly or not, his departure means that one very vocal critic of the Administration has lost his bully pulpit. That may come as a relief to some within the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) who have become increasingly disturbed by the politicization of some church leaders this year, most notably in protests against President Obama's invitation to speak at Notre Dame and the role of some church officials at Senator Ted Kennedy's funeral service and burial. (Read "After Kennedy's Death: Silence from the Pope...
...Martino seemed to take special pleasure in castigating institutions and individuals that he felt were failing to properly represent Catholic values. He could be abrasive, blasting Misericordia University in Dallas, Pa., for inviting an openly gay writer and former Clinton Administration aide to speak. The university, declared Martino, was "seriously failing in maintaining its Catholic identity." Earlier this year, Martino threatened to shutter Scranton's cathedral on St. Patrick's Day if any local Irish-American organizations included pro-choice politicians in their celebrations...
...During the 2008 campaign, Martino focused particular attention on vice-presidential nominee Joseph Biden, a Scranton native and Catholic Democrat. The bishop declared that Biden would be denied communion if he tried to receive it at any church in the diocese, which covers the northeast quarter of the state - "I will be truly vigilant on this point," said Martino. And he warned his parishioners that there would be dire consequences for supporting Biden and the Democratic ticket. In October, Martino directed that a letter be read at all Sunday masses, charging that a vote for a pro-choice politician...
...Finally, shortly before Election Day last fall, as David Gibson of AOL's Politics Daily reported, Martino showed up unannounced at a voter-education forum at a Honesdale parish to criticize organizers for discussing the comprehensive election guide endorsed by the USCCB instead of the letter he had drafted for the diocese on abortion. "No USCCB document is relevant in this diocese," Martino declared of the guide he objected to, which stated that there were a lot of issues, not just abortion, that Catholic voters should consider when making a decision about whom to support. "The USCCB doesn't speak...