Santorum as Popular as Ever

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, May 22 — After weeks of attacks in various media — and by prominent Democrats and homosexual Republicans — Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., seems to be still unscathed — at least in his home state.

Commenting on a Supreme Court case in an interview published April 22, Santorum remarked that overturning sodomy laws would undermine the legality of laws prohibiting polygamy and incest.

Santorum's constituents seem untroubled, according to the Associated Press. An independent poll released May 22 showed that the senator had the same 55% approval rating that he was earning in April, before all the publicity concerning his comments, according to the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

The AP speculated that some undecided voters might have been turned against Santorum, boosting his disapproval rating from 20% to 33%.

“The folks back home in Pennsylvania are largely unconcerned about Sen. Santorum's remarks about homosexual activity,” commented Clay Richards of the Quinnipiac Institute.

Some 58% of respondents to the same survey said homosexual activity is wrong, while 27% considered it acceptable and 14% were undecided.

Archbishop Criticizes Prime Minister

THE OTTAWA CITIZEN, May 29 — Ottawa Archbishop Marcel Gervais, leader of the Catholic Church in Canada, has criticized that country's parliamentary leader, Prime Minister Jean Chretien, for telling journalists that unlike President George W. Bush, “I am a Catholic and for abortion.”

In a confidential letter reported in The Ottawa Citizen on May 29, the archbishop addressed the issue. He referred to the letter from the pulpit at Notre Dame Cathedral.

“It has to do with his remarks recently about Bush,” the archbishop told congregants. “He threw in the abortion issue as something we could be proud of.”

The archbishop has in the past called for Catholic voters to “raise a stink” every chance they can get concerning government funding of abortion.

The Citizen reported that more than 2 million abortions have been performed in Canada since it was legalized in 1969.

Bishop Wuerl Says Boston Posting is ‘Speculation’

POST-GAZETTE, June 8 — Bishop Donald Wuerl of Pittsburgh brushed off as “speculation” reports in the Boston Globe that he was leading the list of candidates to be named archbishop of Boston. Bishop Wuerl, 62, said he was working full steam ahead on plans in his Pennsylvania diocese.

The Boston daily reported June 8 that some Church officials considered Bishop Wuerl the most likely candidate for the post. Cardinal Bernard Law resigned as archbishop in the midst of last year's sex abuse scandal.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said Bishop Wuerl has long been said to be among the top choices to replace Cardinal Law because of his “documented determination to remove known child molesters from ministry.”

The Pittsburgh daily noted that “Vatican decorum” prevents a bishop to say whether or not he is about to be appointed to another diocese. “However, the subtleties of Church diplomatic parlance are such that a bishop who knows he is about to be named to a diocese normally says he ‘can't comment’ rather than dismissing leaks as speculation,” the paper said.

Bishop Wuerl did not use those words, however.