The Battle Inside the Church

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) and Nuns and Bishops

As you know, the Catholic Church is playing a big role in the final decision-making of a lot of pro-life Dems. But the details are more complicated than you might realize. The Conference of Catholic Bishops is on one side; U.S. Catholic Nuns and the Catholic Hospital Association are on the other. And a number of wavering members have been consulting priests who’ve been visiting Capitol Hill to get precise explanations of the theological issues, where the institutional church stands and one imagines just what their own obligations are as Catholics. Brian Beutler has the story.