“Obama won a majority of Catholic voters, in part because he was able to convince them that he was both the right man to lead the country, and was generally in tune with their values.”

That’s the assessment of Time magazine, in this article about the Vatican’s critical response to President Barack Obama’s decision last week to overturn the pro-life Mexico City Policy.

And Time predicts that Obama’s moves to promote abortion are going to provide Pope Benedict XVI with an opportunity to remind everyone that opposition to abortion is central to Catholic values:

“In his public speeches and private diplomacy, Benedict will use his notable intellect to reaffirm for American Catholics what those values are. It would be a chance to influence abortion legislation both in the U.S. and around the world.”

The Time article serves as confirmation that the vigorous opposition of Church leaders in Rome and in the United States, and the efforts of lay Catholic Americans, are succeeding in communicating the message that Obama’s anti-life initiatives are incompatible with basic Church teachings.

Along with noting the quick condemnation by Vatican officials of Obama’s repeal of the Mexico City, Time cites the forceful opposition of the U.S. bishops to the president’s pro-abortion agenda. The article also notes the brief but powerful pro-life video Catholicvote.org released last week as Obama was inaugurated.

There’s one important thing Time gets wrong, however:

“On abortion in other words, Benedict might be itching for a fight with Obama,” the article suggests. “If so, the new President will have to work hard to keep from getting bruised.”

The Pope doesn’t welcome the prospect of having to battle against Obama to defend the cause of life, of course. The Holy Father, the U.S. bishops and faithful lay Catholic Americans all would prefer to work constructively with the president instead, both in promoting the sanctity of all human life and in promoting other issues of key importance.

But it’s true that faithful Catholics are determined to fight for human life, if Obama continues to institute the pro-abortion platform he campaigned on. And it’s also true that Obama will pay a heavy political price in terms of Catholic support if he refuses to change his course on the life issues.

— Tom McFeely