The Politics of Denying Communion to Catholic Elected Officials
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Date
2014-02-08
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Citation of Original Publication
William D. Blake and Amanda Friesen, The Politics of Denying Communion to Catholic Elected Officials, The Forum, Volume 11, Issue 4, Pages 671–682, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/for-2014-0002.
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©2013 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston.
©2013 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston.
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Abstract
In his 2004 presidential campaign, John Kerry, a Catholic, was threatened with being denied Holy Communion because of his pro-choice voting record. This article investigates the extent to which communion denial impacted Catholic elected officials and analyzes public attitudes regarding communion denial for Kerry. The results of our analysis suggest that, despite heavy media coverage, few bishops endorsed the communion denial and few pro-choice Catholic officials were threatened. While the data also indicate there are meaningful political implications for public attitudes on communion denial, the tactic does not command support from many Catholics.