I Was Nurtured In The Church; I

I Have No Question That The Roman Catholic Church Teaches That Abortion In Virtually All Circumstances Is Wrong. I Think The Church's Position At All Times In Modern History Has Been That It Is Unequivocally Opposed To Abortion.but That's Not The Question For A Catholic Who Is A Public Official. I Happen To Subscribe To The Church's Position As A Person. Still The Question, As Governor Mario Cuomo Suggested, Is: What Is Your Obligation As A Civic Leader? I Agree Entirely With John F. Kennedy. I Answer Only To My Conscience In My Public Life And That's That.

If The Bishops Are Saying That It Is Divine Revelation That Seven Percent Of Unemployment Is Morally Unacceptable And That That Is A Teaching Which Must As A Matter Of Faith Be Accepted By All Catholics, I Respectfully Dissent.

On Areas Like Abortion Where There Is Major Disagreement Among The Mainstream Religious Groups In The Judeo-christian Tradition, I Believe That Requires A Lot More Caution. The Jewish Position On Abortion Is Very Different From The Roman Catholic Position. That Is Reason To Be Cautious About Enacting Laws Rather Than Saying To The Religious Group: Instruct Your Followers On These Matters As Matters Of Personal Religious Belief.

We Must Identify Our Enemies And Drive Them Into Oblivion.

I Am One Of Those People Who Deeply Resents Not Having Been Born In The 19th Century, When There Were Still Open Places To Explore.