.- On a local radio show Wednesday morning, Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri commented on the recent publicity of Rep. Patrick Kennedy and Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, saying that Kennedy made “outrageous statements about the Catholic church.”
Rep. Kennedy was confronted by Bishop Tobin for his attacks on the Catholic bishops' opposition to abortion funding in health care legislation. Kennedy then revealed that Bishop Tobin had asked him to refrain from receiving communion because of his public, pro-choice stance.
In addition to calling Rep. Kennedy's remarks “outrageous,” Gov. Carcieri, a Republican, told WPRO-AM that they were also uncalled for.
According to his government website, Gov. Carcieri is a self-professed “family man” with four children and 14 grandchildren. A Catholic, Gov. Carcieri was elected as Rhode Island's 57th governor in January of 2003.
