An authentically Catholic candidate "can be from any political party," Olmsted writes, "but will never support matters that are intrinsically evil such as abortion, euthanasia or ‘same-sex marriage.'"

Catholic politicians who promote abortion or other "non-negotiable" moral offenses are cooperating in "grave sin" that must be confessed and publicly amended in order to receive the Eucharist, Bishop Thomas Olmsted says bluntly in his new booklet, Catholics in the Public Square.

The soft-spoken Phoenix bishop's booklet debuted at a legislative seminar at diocesan headquarters here October 7 following an 8 a.m. Mass at St. Mary's Basilica. One hundred thousand copies were quickly released for distribution at diocesan parishes.

Olmsted, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Priestly Formation, served in Rome for 16 years, nine of them in the Secretariat of State of the Holy See. He was installed as Phoenix bishop in December 2003.

The booklet, published by Basilica Press, of Irving, Texas, and available for sale nationally, is in the format of 29 straightforward questions and answers.

Concerning the question of the causes "that can ban Catholics from Holy Communion," Olmsted replies, in part: "Should some Catholic politicians who are presently pro-abortion obstinately persist in this contradiction to our faith, this becomes a source of scandal…
"If a politician is actively supporting and furthering the culture of death, he is not only causing scandal; he is sinning. Similarly, when a politician performs actions (like voting) that allow for abortions and even promote abortions, or that mandate the distribution of contraceptives by pharmacists and others, that politician is materially cooperating in grave sin.

"When this occurs, then the politician cannot receive Holy Communion without previously making a good confession. A good confession would require sincere sorrow for such sin and a firm purpose of making amendment. Since the harm done would be public in nature, the amendment should also be public."

To the question of whether "all political and social issues [are] equal" when a voter chooses a candidate, Olmsted replies:

"Absolutely not! The Catholic Church is actively involved in a wide variety of important public policy issues including immigration, education, affordable housing, health and welfare, to name just a few… However, when it comes to direct attacks on innocent human life, being right on all the other issues can never justify a wrong choice on this most serious matter."

The bishop proceeds to quote Pope John Paul II that the just cry for human rights "is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with the maximum determination."

Olmsted goes on to say that "a large number of candidates or politicians in our country … label themselves as Catholic. Regrettably, however, some of these are an embarrassment to the Church and a scandal to others by virtue of their support of issues that are intrinsically evil."

An authentically Catholic candidate "can be from any political party," Olmsted writes, "but will never support matters that are intrinsically evil such as abortion, euthanasia or ‘same-sex marriage.'"

As for Catholic politicians who claim to be "personally opposed to the killing of innocent unborn children" but say they can't impose their faith on others, Olmsted responds, "These claims are ludicrous."

Olmsted makes the distinction between basic human rights to be defended by the Church and the promotion of particular religious doctrine.

The bishop points out there is no effort by the Church to force the general public to attend Mass on Sundays or receive Catholic sacraments.

"While Catholics are called to bring their faith and religious views into the public square, they are also called to respect the religious freedom and civil liberties of all people," he writes. "In fact, the Church has genuine respect for secular governments that afford these protections to people of all faiths, as well as those without faith." The booklet doesn't address specific political races in any state.
Alejandro Bermudez, one of the founders of booklet publisher Basilica Press, told about 350 people at the diocese's legislative seminar that his company's goal is to provide very clear and orthodox publications. "I did not let Bishop Olmsted alone" for several weeks until he agreed "to come up with this booklet," the first in the "Shepherd's Voice" series, Bermudez smiled.

He said the next three booklets will have Francis Cardinal Arinze writing on prayer, Fargo, N.D., Bishop Samuel Aquila on liturgy and the Mass, and San Antonio Archbishop Jose Gomez on end-of-life issues.

Basilica Press may be reached at 888 570-5182 or on the Web at www.basilicapress.com. The address is 111 Ferguson Court, Suite 102, Irving, Texas 75062.

Before the legislative seminar, Olmsted celebrated Mass and delivered the homily at St. Mary's Basilica on the October 7 feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. He said nothing may seem further from the public square than the rosary prayer, but outside "Planned Parenthood facilities and other abortion mills all across the United States," Catholics pray the rosary every day, thus protesting "the shameful and unjust decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade.

"We pray for an end to this horrific evil," Olmsted told the basilica congregation. "We pray for mothers facing difficult pregnancies and for their babies in the womb. We also pray for the conversion of abortionists and of public officials who support and perpetuate this injustice."

The bishop noted the power of the Virgin Mary's presence in history, including her appearance as Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1531. This soon was followed by restoration of hope "to the disheartened Indian peoples of Mexico," the beginning of reconciliation between the Spanish Conquistadores and defeated Indians, and a massive religious conversion, he said.

In the 20th century, "the Nazi tyrant, Adolf Hitler, tried to destroy the identity and the culture of the people of Poland" and end devotion to the Virgin Mary, Olmsted said in his homily. Yet with the end of World War II, "Nazi Germany was defeated, not Poland. Hitler died a disgraceful death."

In today's world, Olmsted continued, "We have a duty to do more than just feel bad when unborn children have no legal protection from abortion or when the institution of marriage is threatened. We have a duty to stand strong against euthanasia and embryonic stem-cell research.

"Not all social issues are of equal importance, either," he said, pointing to an address by Benedict XVI this year to European politicians, in which the pope called attention to "principles which are not negotiable." Olmsted said the pope cited protection of life "from the first moment of conception until natural death," and "the natural structure of the family, as a union between a man and a woman based on marriage."

Olmsted urged his listeners to "be well-informed about the candidates and the key public issues, and then vote on the basis of a well-formed conscience. Know which issues are non-negotiables, that is, always and everywhere to be opposed. Be a faithful citizen of our country by being a faithful member of the Church."

Later in the morning, Ron Johnson, executive director of the Arizona Catholic Conference, told the legislative seminar that "religious discrimination … is on the rise," and some people find it "completely acceptable" to "force people of faith to violate their beliefs."

Johnson recalled that after he began his job with the state Catholic Conference, he experienced his first veto by Arizona's liberal Democratic governor, Janet Napolitano. She vetoed a legislative bill in 2003 that would have exempted faith-based organizations from having to provide contraceptive coverage in employee health insurance.

The liberal feminist governor, a strong advocate of permissive abortion, went on to issue more than 125 vetoes in her first four years, far and away the most vetoes of any Arizona chief executive in a comparable period. Napolitano, currently running for re-election, ruled by veto in a state less liberal than she.

Planned Parenthood seems to have the right to insist on birth-control pills in insurance coverage, Johnson told the audience, but the Church has no rights to demur.

"It seems that … ‘advocates of tolerance' have none" when it comes to forcing people of faith to comply with the government, he said.

The Wanderer asked Olmsted what he would say to Napolitano. "I think I would want to talk about each human person's dignity and their protection under the law… I find it hard to understand why" Napolitano or another person in public life wouldn't recognize the right to life, he said.

As for his booklet, "I'm just hoping this will be informative for people who read it," to think about their responsibilities, Olmsted said.

Also speaking at the legislative seminar, Marci Moffitt, M.D., a Catholic, told of how she had been pressured out of a job she loved, teaching medical residents to become doctors at Maricopa Medical Center, the county hospital, because she opposed Planned Parenthood's designs to train the students to do abortions. Moffitt said she had served as director of academic affairs, overseeing eight medical training programs at the hospital.
Alan Sears, head of the Alliance Defense Fund, a national legal-activist organization to defend religious freedom and traditional values, told the legislative seminar that those "caught in the confusion of sexual behavior are not, and never will be, our enemy." He cited the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the need to treat homosexuals with respect and sensitivity. However, Sears said, the activist homosexual agenda against the family and the Church is the foe.

The main office of the state's largest daily newspaper, The Arizona Republic, is one block from diocesan headquarters, but the following morning's Republic ignored the October 7 debut of the bishop's booklet and legislative seminar. However, the Sunday, October 8, Republic ran a Gannett News Service story on page 21 about "voters' guides and other communications about politics in … houses of worship" elsewhere. The Gannett story mentioned the conservative Family Research Council and the liberal Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, providing Web addresses for each.
Meanwhile, the October 8 issue of Tucson's liberal Arizona Daily Star, published about 120 miles from Phoenix, ran an article by one of its own reporters who covered Olmsted's presentation, even though a Republic reporter couldn't take the trouble to walk across the street to write it up for Sunday morning.

The Tucson paper's 13-paragraph story by reporter Stephanie Innes ran across four columns atop page B-4, a page for regional Arizona news, under the headline, "Diocese's booklet tells voters that matters of abortion, gay unions ‘intrinsically evil.'"

Star reporter Innes wrote: "Though Olmsted stressed his booklet is nonpartisan and not intended to endorse any candidate, Catholics adhering to it would have little choice in some of the political races in the upcoming November 7 general election, including that of Arizona governor. Of the two frontrunners, incumbent Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat, supports legal abortion while her Republican opponent, Len Munsil, is anti-abortion."

The facts about Napolitano are powerful things that the Republic tries to avoid, determinedly preferring to portray her to voters as a pragmatic moderate instead. In a lengthy article starting on the October 8 front page, the Republic reviewed her first four years as governor. Not one word spoke of her serious troubles with the Phoenix Catholic diocese. Instead, the article began by mentioning a prayer breakfast Napolitano attended just before her inauguration in 2003.

In December 2004 Bishop Olmsted had issued a directive that politicians who consistently support intrinsically evil acts like abortion are never to be given platforms or awards at diocesan venues. The publicity-fond Napolitano has been noticeably absent from the annual Red Masses at St. Mary's Basilica held to mark the beginning of the legislative session here.

In his diocesan newspaper column last year, Olmsted cited Napolitano as an official who forces people to violate their consciences.