Chaput, Diogenes, and Colorado’s new governor

Chaput, Diogenes, and Colorado’s new governor

Back on January 2, Diogenes at Catholic World News posted a blog entry about an inaugural Mass for Colorado’s new governor, Bill Ritter, a pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage Catholic. Noting Archbishop Charles Chaput’s vocal criticisms of Catholic politicians who jettison inconvenient Catholic doctrines, including his statement that they should not receive Communion, Diogenes wondered how the archbishop could allow a Mass planned for January 9 in honor of Ritter’s inaugural to go on.

Interestingly, the communications director for the Archdiocese of Denver wrote in and heavily criticized Diogenes for implying that Chaput was celebrating a Mass for Ritter. Although I think it’s clear that Diogenes did not imply it, I could see how some could get that impression. Evidently Diogenes did too so he issued a clarification.

Now the Rocky Mountain News has noticed the blog contretemps and its spillover into the real world. It notes that the communications director said on the blog that “Archbishop Chaput is investigating the source of this information regarding an inaugural Mass at Holy Ghost.” That’s kind of curious. Shouldn’t the archbishop be more interested in whether the information is true, not the source who made it public?

Also keep in mind Ritter’s own stated policy positions.

n Thursday’s State of the State message, Ritter, a lifelong Catholic and former missionary, pledged to restore funding for family planning and pregnancy prevention. He also said during the campaign that he wouldn’t seek to overturn abortion laws and voiced support for same- sex unions.

That said, I’m a bit perplexed by this statement from the communications director:

She said Chaput wouldn’t have stopped the Mass in any case: “He is aware of what people are saying, and the governor’s sometimes very ambiguous position on abortion, but at the same time he has not judged that the situation required his action.”

How is the governor’s position on abortion “ambiguous”? It seems very clear-cut to me and not at all different from other Catholic politicians like John Kerry and Mario Cuomo.

As for the Mass, it went on as planned and was characterized as a “family service”. It was celebrated by an out-of-town priest, a friend of Ritter.

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