Religion: For Catholic Candidates

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"Any general blanket boycott of Roman Catholic candidates for public office seems unwise and unfair." So says Paul Blanshard, the lawyer-author who almost a decade ago—in his book American Freedom and Catholic Power—sweepingly attacked Catholic influence in the U.S. But to his plea for fairness. Blanshard added some major qualifications. Voters, he suggested (in a revision of his book to be published in March), should ask three questions of any Catholic candidate for the presidency.

¶U.S. Catholics "boycott" public schools unless "they receive special permission from their bishop." Question: "Do you personally approve or disapprove?"

¶Catholic bishops have denounced the Supreme Court's interpretation of the First Amendment, have argued that the Constitution actually permits the distribution of public money to parochial schools. Question: "What is your personal conviction concerning 1) your bishops' attack on the Supreme Court, 2) the payment of Government funds to parents for major parochial school costs, and 3) the payment of tax money for such 'fringe' benefits as bus transportation?"

¶The church "denies the right of both non-Catholics and Catholics to receive birth-control information," and in some states has managed to make "prohibition of birth control legally binding." Question: "Do you personally approve or disapprove of your church'spolicy on this?"

Boston's diocesan Catholic paper The Pilot quickly came back at Blanshard: "The three questions are expressed in a manner that misrepresents authentic Catholic teaching on the subject in question. Catholics have no 'boycott' of public schools: the American Catholic hierarchy have never made an 'attack on the

Supreme Court'; moreover, the church plainly cannot legislate for any but her own members...Paul Blanshard knows very well the proper answer to his own questions; he is not, however, looking for answers. He is instead attempting by this technique to cast a cloud of suspicion about any candidate who is a Catholic."