Catholics have long suffered the contradictions that lie with being a good Catholic and supporting liberal causes. This has often led to theories that the Kennedy family and Biden should be banished from the Catholic church. Like many Democratic officeholders who are publicly seen attending mass and then appoint pro-abortion judges, support trans rights and who are themselves divorced, in many cases more than once.
For those of us raised on a study of the Baltimore Catechism, religion can lead to a moral discomfort... I once worked with a woman who meticulously read the obituary section of the paper every day. When asked why she had such a morbid habit, she replied that she was checking to see if her ex had died. It was important to her because the notice of such a passing meant she could receive Communion at church.
People who go to mass, or try to go to mass when convenient, then vote for candidates who support gay rights, divorce, transexual rights, legal abortions, and the right of a Palestinian state in the homeland of the bible are what is known as "cafeteria Catholics". Others staunchly vote Republican because of a belief that such candidates, unseemly as they may be, support the rule of God as they were taught during Confirmation lessons.
Another tenet of the church is that of papal infallibility. I was taught in Sunday school that a pope cannot err. But what happens when a pope disagrees with an American president, over what the president perceives as a religious war? This leads to a new type of Catholic, the cafeteria Catholic upended by the food court Catholic. This individual not only chooses different plates from the steam table but chooses from completely different cuisines.
