67 Comments

• peterson | Nov 11, 2012, 05:58 PM EST

  Good Catholics voted for Romney !!

• eiriamach | Nov 10, 2012, 07:57 AM EST

  Catholics also supported same-sex marriage initiatives in the states that had them on the ballot. In an election with Mormons and evangelical Christians voting for Romney by 78 percent, Catholics, even under severe pressure from their bishops, did not join them. Why? I suspect that the many demands for obedience coming from the USCCB pushed many Catholics over the threshold into the realm of Christian conscience, with the realization that voting is an exercise of freedom--and they voted for their own and others' freedom. As Arthur Michael Ramsey (a bishop himself) once put the point, "The bishops are not mystical persons to whom we owe some strange kind of undefined mysterious obedience" (An Era in Anglican Theology 137).

• pilib04 | Nov 09, 2012, 10:09 PM EST

  Glynwdr, not sure what country you hail from, but the percentage in the Electoral College is a staggering 62%-38% or 332 to 206. Glad to be of assistance to you. What country are you from?

• Siobhan39 | Nov 09, 2012, 04:05 PM EST

  My husband and I are Catholics and we voted for Obama - in spite of the letter from our bishop telling us we would lose our souls if we supported Obama.

• Glyndwr | Nov 09, 2012, 03:51 PM EST

  pilib04. Since when is a 50/48 lost being "beaten badly"?? One point in the popular vote can make a big electoral difference. By your measure, Gore and Kerry were beaten badly by Bush.

• EphraimKibbey | Nov 09, 2012, 02:59 PM EST

  Fan-of-StPat - Friedman does make some good points but the basis of any HEALTHY capitalist society remains competition. When you have immoral vulture capitalism that sucks dry a going concern and "too big to fail" which buys up the little guys just to be rid of them you limit competition and you lose jobs along with the purchasing power they represented. That stifles the growth of the economy. The government can play an essential role by giving small businesses the starting capital to compete with the megacorporations that TR tried to abolish with his trustbusting but that seem to be rearing their ugly heads again with the new century. Private investment capital may be too scared off by these megacorps to invest in the little guys. You mention Solyndra but obviously do not realize that it started under W. and that the investigation showed no wrongdoing by Obama's administration. On the topic of our navy, the Navy wanted to build more aircraft carriers and fewer ships of the line that were great in WWI before Air power became dominant but are now considered floating targets. Mittens disagreed with the Navy and said that the military "NEEDED" $2 billion that they had not asked for so that they could also build more of the obsolete types of ships. Of course Mittens said many conflicting things during his many years running for office so you may have heard one of his other positions.

• EphraimKibbey | Nov 09, 2012, 02:28 PM EST

  Tom Mo - I got your point that military strength and Ayn Rand selfishness are the answers to world domination but countered it with the FACT that PUBLIC ECONOMICS and the INTERNET will play a much bigger role. Our defence budget should be redirected into what will make the NEXT great super power and away from what made the LAST great super power. China is putting their money into their economy by supporting start ups, supporting super low prices for their exports and financing wholesale corporate espionage. Our politicians can't agree on tax rates for billionaires even when 70% of their constituents can.

• Fan-of-StPat | Nov 09, 2012, 01:28 PM EST

  It is true that Romney lost the election, but that does not mean everything he said about the economy is incorrect. The White House needs to work with the Republican majority House to obtain a reasonable/responsible budget rather than spending us to oblivion and financial insolvency. Financial insolvency caused by continuing imprudent moves, like funding Solyndra, to continue making the U.S. go over 16 trillion in debt will not only weaken the economy, but also our military (due to lack of funds). Then the U.S. will not be able to help anyone. We can do more social justice as a nation by keeping our economy strong. If our economy becomes weak, we will not be able to help as many people as a nation, let alone help ourselves as a nation. For pilib04: who died and left you the moral authority? Being fiscally responsible will enable the U.S. to do more social justice. I don’t think St. Patrick had a problem with helping people, do you?

• pilib04 | Nov 09, 2012, 12:45 PM EST

  I can't believe that there are morons here who are unaware that Romney got beat, beat badly I might add.

• pilib04 | Nov 09, 2012, 12:43 PM EST

  Fan-of-StPat is an insult to the community. If you wish to use the name of the patron saint of Ireland use it respectfully. There is nothing cute about your usage.

• Joe Kelsall | Nov 09, 2012, 12:28 PM EST

  Besides the fact that Obama was the best candidate, I believe that Roman Catholics would be reluctant to vote for a man with an obscure religion and lucky underwear.

• Fan-of-StPat | Nov 09, 2012, 12:10 PM EST

  [Continuation of 1st comment by this writer below]: By keeping the U.S. economy healthy via implementing the principles of Dr. Milton Friedman, America can help more people than is possible under any other economic system. If however, America continues down the road of going beyond our 16 TRILLION dollar debt, the U.S. will not be in a position to help ANYONE. E.g., this is analogous to you as an individual being over your head in credit card debt. I.e., as long as you are in SUCH GREAT debt, you CANNOT HELP ANYONE since you yourself are financially weak and drowning. The fact that the U.S. is beginning to drown in debt is evidenced by the recent loss of The U.S.’s AAA credit rating under the current Administration. The U.S. is currently becoming weaker by increasing its debt beyond 16 trillion and wastefully spending money on many irresponsible scams like Solindra that waste the hard-earned money of U.S. taxpayers and put more people in poverty by not following capitalistic/free market principles. Another example is the government funding the Chevy VOLT. It is my understanding that U.S. taxpayer subsidizes the VOLT such that every time a VOLT is sold, it costs the taxpayer $7,500. Now THAT is immoral and ultimately puts more people in poverty as a result of following the non-capitalistic principle of government subsidy for ultimately wasteful expenditures.

• Fan-of-StPat | Nov 09, 2012, 12:08 PM EST

  In response to earlier comments, I am quite sure Romney did not propose building WWI era ships. Anyone of common sense would understand that Romney wanted to update the military with ships of at least the current cutting edge technologies. Regarding economics instruction, at least read the work of 1976-Nobel-Prize-Winning economist Milton Friedmann called "Free to Choose" rather than only presenting a one-sided suggestion of Keynes. Keynes is not the only guy on the block when it comes to economic theory. In fact Friedman's free market principles have been put into practice to create jobs via the free market so that poor people have successfully worked their way out of poverty via the free market. There may have been a few capitalists who were "immoral", but the capitalist/free market economy has been proven to lead more people out of poverty than ANY other economic system known to man. Be sure to read the aforesaid "Free to Choose" to understand these concepts. Through the "Free to Choose"/free market concepts, America has enabled more people to be freed from the grasp of poverty than ANY OTHER ECONOMIC SYSTEM IN HISTORY.

• Frosty38 | Nov 09, 2012, 11:28 AM EST

  Elizabethbyrn34 his mom was part MICK and she went back to the Native Tribes. Somebody did the history on Ann . Google it

• Frosty38 | Nov 09, 2012, 11:18 AM EST

  I agree with Ephriamkibby Other then I want to wash out his mount with LUX SOAP FOX is so against The Dems FAIR AND BAL my butt . My husband watch that from morning till 5pm and he is a REPUBLICAN . I was born and raised under the TIP O.Neal days in East Cambridge Ma and my mom was a friend of his because my whole side was Northern Ireland only my Grandmom was Galway

• seamus60 | Nov 09, 2012, 06:21 AM EST

  So much hooli over a guessogram.lol

• Tom Mo | Nov 09, 2012, 01:02 AM EST

  Ephriamkibbey. Took me a while to even print your name. But you did not address my questian. Screw your econimic bull crap. My question was: Who do you want to be the power nation in the world. America? Or who else? F**k yourbulls*it.

• EphraimKibbey | Nov 09, 2012, 12:47 AM EST

  Tom Mo - If you want economics instruction aschew Ayn Rand and read all of Adam Smith's works. Especially read the one just before Wealth of Nations where he writes about the qualities needed in a GOOD capitalist to prevent the abuse of a nation's people by IMMORAL capitalists. Then read Keynes works. The battlefields of tomorrow WILL be the economy and the internet. Romney wanted $2 billion more to build more WWI era ships. Some business man! By the way, America has a less than spotless record on defending Freedom, protecting the weak and helping the poor. Ask the families in Chile, in Nicaragua, and in all the other places where we supported dictators who suppressed the freedoms of their poor, weak people in the name of the dominoe theory during the cold war. Yes the USSR and China were worse than us but that does not make our wrongs right. I didn't know ANYONE was PRO-colonialist anymore especially Americans. Remember that whole 1776 thing about the American COLONIES fighting to rid ourselves of our English overlords. The American line is supposed to be Independent voting Democracies - GOOD; Exploited Colonies - Bad. I can understand your confusion though because we do not always do as we say.

• EphraimKibbey | Nov 09, 2012, 12:16 AM EST

  Glyndwr - Not a TRUE Celt? Tell it to the 96% of the people of Ireland who said they supported Obama for re-election in a recent poll. I guess that the population of Ireland isn't celtic enough for you. 70% of Jewish voters in America also voted for Obama. Are they not Jewish enough because they voted for him while Fox says he is anti-Isreal? Please stop watching Fox News for anything other than a good laugh.

• Tom Mo | Nov 08, 2012, 10:49 PM EST

  IC I think that at the end of the next four four years the World will be in dire straits. Without America as a "Super Power" who will you have? Who do you prefer to be the dominant power in the world, willing to defend Freedom, protect the weak, help the poor. Obama wants to make all countries equal. Obama is a Godamn anti colonialist,and a communist.bent on destroying America as we know it. He is winning, and with the help of you usefull idiots he will win. And we will all lose. Read Atlas Shrugged, Liberty and Tyranny,John Adams.

• tombegs | Nov 08, 2012, 10:43 PM EST

  Just goes to show you how we Catholics listen to our pedophile-protecting bishops. THEY will tell us what to think about same sex marriage??? What is their position (?) on same sex child abuse. GIve me a break!!!!! They lost their authority the old fashioned way. by abusing it. The US Catholics' vote just showed how weak the hierarchy led by the Nazi now are.

• Glyndwr | Nov 08, 2012, 09:45 PM EST

  @cockney_celt I doubt any Republican is crying the way your Michael Moore (an Irish Catholic) did after the '04 election when he said he was bed-ridden for three days or the way your president B.O. always blames his failures on Bush. BTW, NO Obama supporter is a true Celt.

• cockney_celt | Nov 08, 2012, 06:46 PM EST

  Where is O'Dowd.Having a lie down Where is O'Dowd ? Having a little cry to himself because Romney lost ? Suck it in loser.

• barneyjo | Nov 08, 2012, 06:40 PM EST

  Absolutely anti-abortion, but pro-choice is a perfectly valid view, and should be for all genuine and sincere Catholics!!

• EphraimKibbey | Nov 08, 2012, 06:29 PM EST

  RosemaryKelly - These numbers and percents all come from exit polling and so are only estimates of what actually occured.

• handsome68 | Nov 08, 2012, 06:29 PM EST

  How can one even speak about "Catholics" as a monolithic group? In my own experience as a practicing Catholic, I find that there are at the very least two groups, i.e.: pro-life and social justice "Catholics". These two alone might as well be different religions entirely. And then there are so many types of "fallen-away" Catholics, some of whom think themselves holier than Mother Teresa, and the Pope wrong on every issue. I mean, youse liberal omadhauns should try defining your terms occasionally.

• EphraimKibbey | Nov 08, 2012, 06:26 PM EST

  exmarine54 - And yet, the message He left in that 2000 year old book triumphed on Tuesday. He said that the second most important commandment was to "Love thy neighbor as thyself." No where is he ever quoted as admonishing people to "Hate the other." He said that EVERYONE, (everyone includes the poor, the women who must make the awful choice to have an abortion, the doctors who preform such abortions, the people who use contrception, the Muslims, the illegal aliens, the atheists, the gays, those of other races, those who are not christian enough for you, even those who hate you (Love those who dispise you)) is your neighbor. His is the biggest tent of all. The Democrates are ever enlarging their tent while the new republicans seem to want to alienate anyone who does not look, act or believe exactly the same way they do. (It has been shown that even Ronald Reagan would not qualify now.) He said "judge not lest you be judged." Don't you "CHRISTIANS" get it yet? How many millennia will it take? You are still doing the opposite of what he said to do when ever you treat another person with less dignity than you would like to be treated. Many non-christians come by this understanding inately or logically so with all of the guidance left to you as a Christian, why can't you see the path he pointed out for you. For the Bishops, remember his admonition about what awaits those who mislead his children.

• RosemaryKelly | Nov 08, 2012, 05:46 PM EST

  How does ANYONE know how many Catholics voted for Obama? That information is not on one's registration card.

• Commonsence | Nov 08, 2012, 05:07 PM EST

  We returned Monday from a business trip to Europe including Ireland. Worried about storm preventing us from voting, but made it. We were very comfortable talking about the US election while there, if the Irish, both in the Republic and NI as well as Brits could have voted Obama would have carried those countries by 90%. As for the Catholic US vote reflecting the national vote, Catholic men supported the GOP by a much wider margin than women. After all they don't carry a child!

• exmarine54 | Nov 08, 2012, 05:05 PM EST

  Isnt it amazing that a bishop in Maine can only see the Vatican's perspective on who and what is moral or immoral....it's as IF they cant truly get a different perspective on reality....and that a book written 2-3 thousand years ago by men should be able to shed light on EVERYTHING that future people will be confronted by will be dealt with in that Bible book? amazing and asinine to honestly believe that people THOUSANDS of years ago will have such a mature perspective on LIFE....and incredible that many people ONLY hold that that 2000 year old perspective should REIGN their perspective, their knowledge, their credence, and their sense of MORALITY....enuf said.

• alisaann | Nov 08, 2012, 04:18 PM EST

  Elizabethbyrn34: weither you get married in a church or a court house, you MUST get a MARRIAGE LICENSE to make it LEGAL in the eyes of the LAW....and GOD MADE EVERYONE, and that inludes GAYS...and NO woman or child should be FORCED to carry a fetus of from RAPE.....unless you plan to PAY THE MEDICAL BILLS AND RAISE said children , DON'T TELL OTHERS HOW THEY SHOULD LIVE. ALISA

• barneyjo | Nov 08, 2012, 04:11 PM EST

  PRAY PAY AND OBEY NO MORE!!!!!!!!!!

• Gearoid4 | Nov 08, 2012, 04:04 PM EST

  While one should not put trust in earthly rulers to reflect the moral order of the Creator, they should at least uphold some of the core principles of the Faith to which they publicly expressed their allegiance. Abortion-on-demand and the legislative attempts to subvert the true nature of marriage are plainly in opposition to Christian and other religious beliefs.

• alisaann | Nov 08, 2012, 03:59 PM EST

  i think, it's GREAT.....i LOVE IT....the catholic churchs SHOULD lose their TAX BREAKS and be MADE TO PAY TAXES, for telling their members WHO they should or shouldn't vote for.....GOD MADE EVERYONE, AND THAT INCLUDES "GAYS"....LOVE IS LOVE. ALISA

• michaelidaho | Nov 08, 2012, 03:55 PM EST

  The only thing this statistic proves is that Catholics reflect the population at large. Some Catholics are very conservative on all issues, some favor social justice issues, some like to go to Mass only for the major holidays but really do not believe most of what the Church teaches, and some dislike the RCC, and all other organized religions, to varying degrees. As a result, it is just plain silly to write an article about the so-called Catholic vote or voice amazement that the Catholic vote has determined the last few elections. Of course it has. Catholics are a reflection of society at large and do not represent a cohesive, readily identifiable cohort.

• eiriamach | Nov 08, 2012, 03:46 PM EST

  Oh silly me! Why am I trying to educate PhlutieP? He thinks there's still a "Soviet Union" and that the Soviets are trying to orchestrate the "overthrow of the Catholic Church." The Soviets went the way of history more than 20 years ago. Read up on the 21st century, PP, and then breathe deeply, take a giant step forward, and try opening your eyes.

• BARNEYKX | Nov 08, 2012, 03:36 PM EST

  to me Romney was and is a phoney baloney full of what makes the grass grow green in Texas. Everytime I heard him say he would create X million jobs I wanted to bring up, as he is one of the reasons for the high unemployment rate in the US being CEO of the Bain Investment Company which closed upteen plants in the USA and shipped them overseas to China,Sri Lanka, etc etc. also some in Canada as well

• eiriamach | Nov 08, 2012, 03:33 PM EST

  Nicomax is right. I'd add only that PPhan and others-- I include Card. Timothy Dolan with his sour grapes letter of congratulations to Obama-- have forgotten a core Catholic principle, one that I agree with: "no one is permitted to identify the authority of the Church exclusively with his own opinion" [Pastoral Constitution of the Church, "Gaudium et Spes, 1966, section 43]. But the seductive temptation to be "man in charge" wielding "authority" under the guise of scripture has tripped up many a Catholic in public life as well as in blog comments. Please, before you cite the bible as the source of your "authority," do take the time to read it. Its most important moral teaching is to refrain from ever using it as a set of moral rules for controlling others' lives.

• olovely | Nov 08, 2012, 03:31 PM EST

  Obama's polices and viewpoints (and may I say, his health care reform) are much more in keeping with Catholic thought. The Bishops just want the power, which is why they wanted the GOP.

• cillowen | Nov 08, 2012, 03:19 PM EST

  you mean spanish the irish fear browns feel secure with their betters

• Nicomax | Nov 08, 2012, 02:36 PM EST

  P-Phan and others on this site seem to either not know about, or have conveniently forgot that the US Constitution specifically states, 'There shall be no religious test for any public office in the United States'- If there was such a test, Gov. Romney would have done much worse since there are a lot of people who hold no quarter for that latter-day belief system.

• irishpjk | Nov 08, 2012, 02:21 PM EST

  wtf Obama won because the GOP blew it, because of their lack of spine when the left wing liberals went after G W Bush they ran from him like he was a leper, hung his ass out dry big time. Here was an honest man who put the USA ahead of everything, did the right thing as he saw and let the chips fall where they will. Had the party got behind him they would be much stronger today also would have a lot more respect from people like me and mine. On the other hand look at the other party Bill Clinton disgraced the office embarrassed his family, lied to the congress (which Martha Stewart went to jail for doing) and today he is their hero. By the way get the word out the rich voted for Obama, why? Because he said tax the rich (wink, wink.) they know their tax loopholes are safe because they shell out the cash to and rub shoulders with the party. The poor voted for him, why? because he said he would tax the rich and give to the poor, but no one told the poor that only a dime on the dollar filters down to them, and most of that is squandered on fraud when it gets to them, the really down and out will stay that way while political hacks and cheaters make out like bandits.

• rose528 | Nov 08, 2012, 02:19 PM EST

  the only people who voted for FLIP/FLOP Willard were the wealthy, corporations, and white so called "christian" ( who really don't follow the teachings in the bible )but preach it. FLIP/FLOP Willard belongs to a nazi/fascist party it is called the repulsive party of NO (republicans)

• eiriamach | Nov 08, 2012, 01:32 PM EST

  PHlutieP, what willful ignorance! You say "'Oppression and coercion' is a strong term for doctrinal beliefs from the Bible." Please cite chapter and verse of any biblical reference you can find that preaches depriving gays and lesbians of equal civil rights or depriving women of the right (Christians call it the moral obligation) to control their childbearing. You cannot do so because no such words are to be found in the bible. Jesus spoke no word on either topic but much about the freedom essential to the children of God. Your mean-spited wielding of flawed papal teachings as a weapon against women and gays is not only alien to the spirit of the Gospel and Christ's teaching, but the few times that the Gospel portrays Christ as angry, it's your kind of Pharisaical will to control others that arouses his anger.

• Seanmor | Nov 08, 2012, 01:31 PM EST

  philib: it Is not a sin to be a male white Christian, and neither is it a crime - at least not yet -to be such a person. I never give explanations, make excuses nor offer apologies for being a law-abiding, tax-paying, loyal U.S. citizen who honorably served in the nation's defence forses and married a New England Mehodist who is a D.A.R. member and respects the Constitution that guarantees us many precious freedoms, including the right to worship God as we choose. Catholics who defy their bishops by voting for a president who strongly supports the killing of the unborn and same-sex unions are grossly violating the rules of the church in which they claim membership.

• eiriamach | Nov 08, 2012, 01:14 PM EST

  PhlutieP, you've been duped by the bishops' campaign to associate the Affordable Care Act HHS mandate with abortion. It involves contraception, NOT abortion. The bishops told a nefarious lie on Catholic laity, who use or have used contraceptives in the same numbers as other Americans. The bishops knew Catholics in the pews would not oppose contraceptives, so they counted on convincing Catholics that the ACA promotes abortion. Nothing could be further from the truth! The ACA will decrease the number of abortions nationwide. Take the time to read up on Dr. Peipert's St. Louis study that shows "Free birth control led to dramatically lower rates of abortions and teen births." With more than 6 Million unintended pregnancies in the US each year, HHS based its mandate on sound science. The St. Louis study showed, "The effect on teen pregnancy was striking: There were 6.3 births per 1,000 teenagers.... Compare that to a national rate of 34 births per 1,000 teens in 2010. There also were substantially lower rates of abortion, when compared with women in the metro area and nationally: 4.4 to 7.5 abortions per 1,000 women in the study, compared with 13.4 to 17 abortions per 1,000 women overall in the St. Louis region.... lower than the national rate, too, which is almost 20 abortions per 1,000 women" (NY Times). Ignore it and drift further from reality and truth!

• CelticQueenUSA | Nov 08, 2012, 01:03 PM EST

  Wise people do not need to be lead around by the nose when voting. The wise ones did really well. Go Barack and God bless you with a cooperative congress.

• PhlutiePhan | Nov 08, 2012, 12:12 PM EST

  @bcoc1124: In response to your vulgar stand, I would remind you that Jesus the Christ fulfilled the Old Testament and came through "Route 66" just like very man and woman. @tony whelan: God allows free will. Therefore, you cannot say that He endorses Obama any more than he did Joseph Stalin or George Washington. @eiriamach: The Affordable Care Act has an abortiofactant component which will move more toward open abortion with the election of Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Baldwin to the Senate. "Oppression and coercion" is a strong term for doctrinal beliefs from the Bible. You have been tokin' too long on the philosophy of Teilhard de Chardin and his beliefs in a world socialist government. The overthrow of the Catholic Church is within God's free will. It will happen and will be orchestrated by the Jesuits and the Soviet Union. It does not hurt to have an openly Marxist president who is also a sympathizer of Islam.

• pilib04 | Nov 08, 2012, 12:11 PM EST

  Looks like the Nuns on the bus were right.

• pilib04 | Nov 08, 2012, 12:10 PM EST

  50-48, was there any doubt! Catholics aren't stupid. They don't let the old, white, male bishops pull the lever! The bishops need to start focusing on rooting out the pedophiles (for some of them that might be a self-rooting) from the ranks of the clergy.

• PhlutiePhan | Nov 08, 2012, 11:58 AM EST

  From "Cardinal Newman", the rest of the numbers are even more eye opening. Protestants were 57-42 for Romney. No relig affiliation was 70-26 for Obama. Regular church goers were 59-39 for Romney while it was 62-34 for Obama for those never going to church. In addition, the under 30 crowd voted 5 million more for Obama. This is really bad news for every religion but especially for Catholics. It all started with Vatican II and the deals orchestrated by the Jesuits for a concordat with the Soviet Union in the name of social justice. Obama is the perfect embodiment of social justice and the worst nightmare possible for the doctrinal values of the Catholic Church.

• TheGroove | Nov 08, 2012, 11:42 AM EST

  If you don't support your church, why then are you still a Catholic? A promise of everything for everyone can only last until there is no more in the stores to give. November 6th witnessed a vote to empty the stores.

• eiriamach | Nov 08, 2012, 11:36 AM EST

  This statement by hermitTalker is absolutely false: Obama tried "to force all US citizens who owned businesses colleges or health care centers to violate their consciences by providing surgery and pills that cause abortions or prevent women from conceiving (sterilization)." There is NO such mandate in the Affordable Care Act. Hospitals remain free to offer and not to offer particular health care procedures. What WAS at stake was the hospitals' female employees' freedom to use or not use the contraceptive services offered free by insurance companies to female employees. If Catholic hospitals interfere with that choice, they will pay expensive fines. Money! That's what the bishops were defending, not any moral principle required by natural law. Again, natural law requires respect for FREEDOM of conscience for all, not just for bishops (who don't need to make birth control decisions).

• eiriamach | Nov 08, 2012, 11:28 AM EST

  For centuries, there has been a huge divide between biblical Christianity and papal moral doctrine, which has defied the most basic tenets of natural law (e.g., the obligation to give equal treatment under the law and to respect the moral autonomy of all). Catholics who actually read the bible imbibe the spirit of Christ's own opposition to oppression and coercion by law and by pharisaic religious officials: "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matt 11:30). Most Catholics voted the most basic of American values--individual freedom of conscience vs constraints enforced by theocrats like Paul Ryan. Today the nation is a step closer to 'liberty and justice for all' with the passage of same-sex marriage initiatives and the ouster of "God's will" coerced-pregnancy-for-rape-victims candidates, and we are a step closer to the kingdom of God on earth. Real Catholics (I mean Christians) should rejoice in the outcome.

• tony whelan | Nov 08, 2012, 11:14 AM EST

  A lot of catholics prayed before they voted that they were making the right choice. The church teaches us that we should not question Gods judgement we believe our prayers were answered and that Obama was Gods choice for president. Now it looks like the church leaders are questioning Gods will. Did you people ever think that may be you are wrong and Gods will is that Obama should win. You tell us to pray and when it looks like our prayers are answered you question Gods will. Looks like the church leaders believe they know better than God what's best for us. I put my faith in God.

• hermitTalker | Nov 08, 2012, 11:08 AM EST

  JFK speaking in the context of the 1960s era, said the bishops were GOP - no evidence of that recorded- while priests, not the people were Democrat as were most of the people until the race left for abortion lost a lot of them. The bishops' agenda for 2012 had nothing to do with the Vagina brigade but the effort by Obama to force all US citizens who owned businesses colleges or health care centers to violate their consciences by providing surgery and pills that cause abortions or prevent women from conceiving (sterilization). The Oba-media of course twisted that around to skew the actual story which some of you stupidly bought. The pope and US bishops only care for the Nstural law which opposes rape, murder and thieving bankers and over-reaching government control as well as abortion and same-gender unions re-named marriage. Jews and Baptists and Evangelicals in general who know their Natural law and Bible that endorses it, and atheists who think agree that evil is evil and "choice" and privacy" does not allow us to murder or steal and not even to kill animals indiscriminately for the heck of it or for fun. Common sense beats dumb any day. Check with Forrest Gump's Momma!

• lafayquinn | Nov 08, 2012, 11:05 AM EST

  My bishop and priests weren't endorsing any candidate (which none should) they were, however, endorsing an ideology, which is their God given, and Constitution given right. Remember, Separation of Church and State does not mean that a church can’t speak its mind and advise its flock how to vote. Separation of Church and State is a limitation on the government to establish a state religion or give preference for one over another. That being said, I can’t see how a church going Catholic can vote for a candidate who openly attacked one’s Catholic faith. The Cafeteria is closed, you cannot pick and choose what you like about the faith and still call yourself Catholic. And why is it the bishops are backward? Why can’t it be society that is backward? Just because everyone is doing it, doesn’t mean its correct. Jump off the Brooklyn Bridge, and see what I mean. The church doesn’t hate women, it doesn’t hate gays, it doesn’t hate anyone. And the church does have some very bad seeds (not defending those monsters), but the majority are good people. But there would be a lot less attacking and vitriol if people just took some time to learn what the church espouses, and give up the 19th century papist attacks. People attack what they don’t understand.

• seagreen | Nov 08, 2012, 10:51 AM EST

  The bishops are management, and will continue to issue edicts that will be beneficial to themselves and the organization.

• markday | Nov 08, 2012, 10:06 AM EST

  JFK put it best when he said that the bishops always vote Republican while the people in the pews vote Democrat. But this time the bishops really fell on their faces by pushing the so called "contraceptive mandate" button and the anti-gay vote. They are slipping into irrelevance and soon few will pay attention to the guys in the pointy hats.

• bcoc1124 | Nov 08, 2012, 10:00 AM EST

  The republicans and bishops need to learn a lesson - stay out of our vaginas A Boston Irish Catholic

• slainte9 | Nov 08, 2012, 09:53 AM EST

  Orange Central is still distorting the position of the bishops in the US. While SOME bishops may have endorsed or appeared to have endorsed as a group their position was that there is no Catholic candidate: there are seven issues important to Catholics, vote your conscience.

• Elizabethbyrn34 | Nov 08, 2012, 09:53 AM EST

  Irish Catholics who voted for Obama forgot their Irish Heritage. Obama discriminates against Catholics and doesnt believe in freedom of religion for anyone. Marriage is a god given right between a man and a woman. Not a civil right between the same sex. Marriage is a sacrament. Along with the US is based on our God given rights and Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. With out life you have no need for rights.

• jimgordo1 | Nov 08, 2012, 09:46 AM EST

  jimmiem - By what warped standard do you figure that? or, more to the point, where's your proof?

• Paradigm | Nov 08, 2012, 09:46 AM EST

  Divided Irish - not a surprise - proves it never really took the Unionists to do that!

• Breathnach | Nov 08, 2012, 09:43 AM EST

  Since under law churches are supposed to stay exempt from politics if they want to remain exempt from taxes, it follows that since they are bullying from the pulpit and interfering the the political process, let them pay taxes. That would soon soften their cough - if they are not already chastened by the refusal of the flock to be swayed from the pulpit. Of course play the violin and cue the "only cafetaria catholics voted for Obama". A bit of self-reflection by the bishops and they might realize they've lost all moral authority for protecting abusers of children. God be with the days when parishioners were scared of the priest and let us rejoice that those days are long over.

• JimmieM | Nov 08, 2012, 08:40 AM EST

  Well actually he doesn't he has a strong hold over the ballot counting machines....which counts very much more important.

• MichaelJTully | Nov 08, 2012, 08:04 AM EST

  That is a kick in the butt for the crazy bishops, will they ever learn, or are they too backward.