Religion: How Catholics Should Vote

A conscientious Catholic must regard it as a sin "to vote for a Catholic candidate merely because of his faith . . . Catholics are bound in conscience to vote for the candidate whom they consider best suited for the office, whatever may be his religious affiliation."

Thus last week said Father Francis J. Connell, of Washington's Holy Redeemer School, in Baltimore's Catholic Review. Added Theologian Connell: "There is nothing in the Catholic religion that should prevent a Catholic from being a good President. But it might be detrimental to the church or to Catholics to have a Catholic President. Almost any national misfortune or calamity that would occur would be ascribed to his religion by many."