"Giuliani Catholics"

Deal Hudson

According to the Des Moines Register, Giuliani faced the Catholic question one more time yesterday.

Asked whether he was a traditional, practising Catholic, Giuliani invoked the "individual conscience" clause of the Catholic left.

He added that his candidacy had no "special appeal to the Catholic vote."

I wonder if he really believes that?  I think it is smart to distance himself from any overt appeals to Catholic voters, but I doubt if he really believes that he has no "special appeal" to them.

I think he views most Catholic voters as being much like himself -- Seeing their faith as a matter of "individual conscience," so much so that marrying outside the Church does not present a problem of remaining in the Church. 

What Giuliani needs to know is that the kind of Catholic he is, and the kind of Catholic voter he represents, is not a "Catholic" voter in any meaningful sense. 

"Giuliani Catholics" don't vote any differently than the general voting population. Catholic voters only begin to show distinctive voting patterns when they are deeply involved in practising their faith and upholding its teachings.

Giuliani as the GOP nominee, or Giuliani in the White House, adds legitimacy to the "Giuliani Catholic," the Catholic that neither partakes of the sacraments or defends Church teaching in the public square.