The Centre for Applied Research in the Apostolate said opinion studies showed that the vote of Catholics for the forthcoming US presidential election is almost evenly split between the candidates. While President Barack Obama enjoys 47 per cent of the vote, Mitt Romney garners 45 per cent. One-in-four US voters is Catholic.

On the other hand, Romney has a strong lead among Protestants. His 51 per cent strongly over-shadows Obama’s 40 per cent. Those without a religious affiliation largely favour Obama, with 63 per cent saying they will vote for him and only 27 per cent saying they will vote for Romney.

The Catholic vote is given importance as the general maxim is that whoever wins it will win the election. However, some commen­tators question whether the ‘Catholic vote’ exists given the divisions among Catholics.

Canadian bishops to discuss Motion 312

The Canadian Parliament will soon be discussing Motion 312. This motion, presented by pro-life MP Stephen Woodworth, proposes the creation of a commission to re-examine the law that states that “a child becomes a human being only at the moment of complete birth”.

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said: “The Church holds that a human being comes into existence at conception.” It added that “the lives of human beings are, therefore, sacred at every stage in our existence – from beginning to natural end.”

They invited all Members of Parliament to take into full account the sacredness of the unborn child and each human life and to have the “courage to do what is best to protect and further the common good, which is based on respect for the human dignity of all”.

Cardinal, comedian trade jokes seriously

Faith, humour and spirituality were the subject of a debate between television comedian Stephen Col­bert and Cardinal Timothy Dolan. An audience of 3,000, mostly made up of cheering students, took part.

Colbert, presenter of The Colbert Report, explained that he sees the Church as teaching joy, which he called the “infallible sign of the presence of God”. He said he loves the Church despite its human flaws. “I love my Church – warts and all.”

Dolan set the tone by bowing and kissing Colbert’s ring at the beginning of the frolicsome evening. The cardinal said a person of faith should be cheerful because of Christ’s resurrection and God’s message of “hope, not despair; faith, not doubt; love, not spite”.

Rylko finds hope in new movements

Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, the president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, believes “the Church looks with great hope to the ecclesial movements and the new communities” in the upcoming Year of Faith.

In an article in L’Osservatore Romano, the cardinal said “these groups offer specific itineraries of faith generated by their respective charisms for the very purpose of living the faith in a new way, in the world’s new social and cultural settings which surround us. They are itineraries of faith which make it possible to discover day after day the beauty of faith, which enables us to rediscover the ‘taste for God’.”

Rylko said: “Faith is neither an obstacle nor a burden; rather, it is a precious gift that unfolds new and fascinating horizons in our life. We must rediscover faith as a true, deep encounter with God.”

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)

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