c. 2006 Religion News Service

WASHINGTON _ It was “a dark night” in 1992 when national Democrats refused to allow former Pennsylvania Gov. Robert P. Casey to speak about his anti-abortion views at their national convention, his son said Thursday (Sept. 13).

These days, Democrats such as his son, Robert P. Casey Jr., are being encouraged to speak out on their faith and positions on abortion. Democrats are trying to eliminate the “God gap” that has saddled the party with a secular image and alienated many religious voters over the last 30 years.

“It’s always difficult in the context of politics and government to talk at length about issues like faith and religion,” Casey said after a speech at Catholic University’s law school.

A 1988 graduate of the law school, Casey spoke as part of the Pope John XXIII Lecture Series. His father spoke in the same room in 1994.

Casey, the state treasurer, is challenging U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., in a contest of two devout Roman Catholics. Santorum has strong support from religious voters.

How candidates such as Casey use their faith is being watched by Democratic leaders and potential presidential candidates, and could have huge implications on the 2008 presidential race, experts say.

After years of ceding the issue of religion to Republicans, some Democrats are trying to show that religion is just as important to them. They say that Democratic principles on issues including charity, caring for the poor and stewardship of the environment are more attuned to biblical principles than GOP policies.

“Religion is not the exclusive domain of Republicans, as it’s made out to be,” said Jesse Lava, executive director of the recently formed Faithful Democrats group.

Democrats say they are perceived as less religious because Republicans have made a more organized effort to reach out to faith groups since the 1970s. Groups such as the Christian Coalition have helped shape GOP policies.

“There’s a great debate going on among Democrats about how to handle the issues of faith and values,” said John Green, a University of Akron expert on religion in politics.

Had Democrats done a better job reaching out to moderate Catholics and mainline Protestants, Green said, John Kerry might have defeated President Bush in 2004.

Democrats such as Lava and Mike McCurry, President Clinton’s former spokesman, and David Wilhelm, former Democratic National Committee chairman, are trying to get more Democrats to talk about the importance of faith in their lives. They have formed a slew of groups to raise Democrats’ religious profile.

“The reality of the perceived Republican monopoly finally started to sink in, and I think there is a light bulb going off in a lot of Democrats’ heads that if we don’t fight back and reclaim our faith, then we will have ceded the public square to the other party,” Lava said.

In his speech, Casey spoke about the need to unite the country for the “common good” advocated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to lift up the poor, address issues from health care to poverty and restore the nation’s credibility around the world.

“All around the world, America is losing the moral authority,” Casey said. “Many of our leaders have lost their moral compass and they no longer seem to believe that government should be and must be to promote the common good.”

Issues such as abortion have been used mostly to divide voters, Casey said. He pledged to work to seek common ground on ways to reduce the number of abortions. Like Santorum, Casey has said he opposes abortion.

Several Catholic groups criticized Casey and the law school for inviting him to speak because some of his positions run counter to those of the Catholic Church.

“There exists a real sense of duplicity with Casey speaking at a Catholic institution while accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars from radical left-wing groups that attack the church,” said Joseph Cella, president of Fidelis, a conservative Catholic advocacy group.

Asked to explain his position on civil unions, Casey told the Rev. Raymond C. O’Brien, one of Casey’s professors when he was at the university, that it was important to draw information from many sources before making a decision on public policy.

O’Brien said later that he thought Casey did a good job answering the question but needs to be able to better articulate his reasons when he disagrees with church doctrine to win over religious voters.

KRE/JL END LIEBERMAN

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