Tim Russert the Catholic

I deeply regret the loss of Tim Russert, and prayed the rosary last night for the repose of his soul. His family must be in terrible pain, and I hope their Catholic faith is a comfort to them at this time. I think especially of "Big Russ" Tim's father living alone in Buffalo.
May Our Lady comfort you at this time.
I appreciate that Tim went to weekly Mass, and by all accounts was a loving father to his son Luke, and good husband to his wife, who writes for Vanity Fair.
HOWEVER, before we canonize Tim, as some Catholic sources already are, let's remember he worked for pro-abortion Governor Mario Cuomo and Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, two Catholic politicians who raised the ire of our late beloved Cardinal John O'Connor for their stand on life issues. Here is an excerpt from a TV interview with Al Gore on which he pressed him for a consistent stand on life issues.
RUSSERT: When do you think life begins?
GORE: I favor the Roe vs. Wade approach, but let me just say, Tim, I did—
RUSSERT: Which is what? When does life begin?
GORE: Let me just say, I did change my position on the issue of federal funding and I changed it because I came to understand more from women—women think about this differently than men.
RUSSERT: But you were calling fetuses innocent human life, and now you don’t believe life begins at conception. I’m just trying to find out, when do you believe life begins?
GORE: Well, look, the Roe vs. Wade decision proposes an answer to that question—
RUSSERT: Which is?
The quote ends here, which is a shame, I wonder what Al Gore answered to that one!
HT Get Religion
I'm happy he pressed politicians on life issues, I just wish he hadn't worked for pro-abortion Cuomo and Moynihan because they called themselves Catholic. Here's a statement from the American bishops to remind Catholic voters what is most important this election.



BISHOPS RESTATE PREEMINENCE OF LIFE ISSUES

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops today reaffirmed its rejection of embryonic stem cell research and human cloning.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue called on Catholics to support the vote that was taken today in Florida:

"It is important for all Catholics to acknowledge that the first and most important issues affecting public policy are the life issues. To maintain that other issues are the moral equivalent of matters like abortion, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning and direct euthanasia, is to denigrate the privileged position that the life issues have in Catholic teachings.

"The bishops referred to the harvesting of embryonic stem cells as "the deliberate killing of innocent human beings, a gravely immoral act." They also said that "Human cloning is intrinsically evil," something which "shows disrespect for human life in the very act of generating it.’ These words were chosen carefully, and they reflect the sentiments of Pope Benedict XVI who recently said abortion was a 'non-negotiable' issue for Catholics.

"The life issues, then, are of preeminent importance to Catholics. To discuss social justice, for example, while being dismissive of the life issues is profoundly un-Catholic."