Life is issue 'fundamental to our core,' says congressman

Published: 2003-11-04

ST. PAUL, Minn. (CNS) -- Life is one of the "issues that are fundamental to our core," says U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy, R-Minn., a Catholic lawmaker who helped start a weekly rosary group and a pro-life study group on Capitol Hill. In an editorial meeting with The Catholic Spirit, newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis, Kennedy said he believes the church's effectiveness diminishes when it loses its focus on core theological issues and moves into economic concerns. "As (papal biographer) George Weigel would have said, not all issues are created equal," he said. "There are some issues that are fundamental to our core ... the basis of society. Life is one of them." Although Kennedy, 46, strongly opposes abortion, euthanasia and stem-cell research, he said he is less certain about whether capital punishment falls into the category of essential "right-to-life" issues.

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