Oct 24, 2004 / 22:00 pm
In a campaign speech given in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday, Sen. John Kerry, hoping to win undecided Catholic voters, spoke of his faith and the way it influences his decisions, and of his relationship to the Church, saying "I love my church. I respect the bishops, but I respectfully disagree."
“I know there are some bishops who have suggested that as a public official I must cast votes or take positions on issues like a woman’s right to choose or stem cell research that carry out the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church,” he said.
"My task, as I see it,” said Sen. Kerry, “is not to write every doctrine into law. That is not possible or right in a pluralistic society,” he said. “But my faith does give me values to live by and to apply to the decisions that I make," he added.
Quoting the Gospels, Kerry emphasized his concern for social issues, saying that the concern for the most vulnerable members of society “is a moral obligation that is at the heart of all — all — of our religious traditions."