Democrats usually find a way to hold their positions without wading into a culture wars fight that might prompt everyday Catholics to side with the church against the party. The White House is unwisely pushing the church on an issue that, whatever the legal decision might finally be from the courts, does indeed raise questions of religious liberty.

More than 80 percent of Catholics believe that contraception is morally acceptable. But the bishops, who for years let unchaste priests abuse the faithful with impunity, are taking the most extreme stance possible.

The effort focuses on racial justice, poverty, and other issues where evangelicals don't necessarily agree with Republican ideology. Although the organizing is officially non-partisan, it could mean a great deal to the Obama re-election campaign.

Nuns have had to be tough all through their historical move into the West. This latest abuse by the Catholic Church is nothing new -- just another notch in their belts.  

A vigil outside St. James Cathedral was one of dozens across the country protesting the Vatican's wide-ranging investigation of the women who are members of the church's sisterhood. Said one protester of the nuns: "They staff hospitals and schools and orphanages.  They've done a lot more of the church's real work than other people who are investigating them."

Connelly writes, "Archbishop J. Peter Sartain sent me two letters in April:  One was the annual Catholic Appeal asking money for good works, the other an appeal for discrimination, namely repeal of the just-granted legal right for my gay and lesbian friends to marry."  

Egan writes, "A few weeks before the doctors issued her death sentence, my 81-year-old mother was making plans to visit a trio of national parks, and she joined a book club, though she complained about the silly selections."  

The Oregonian reports, "Conroy, 61, was a theology teacher at Jesuit High School when the opportunity to be House chaplain arose."  

"I joined the Church of Scientology in 1970, and by the end of the decade, I was at the top of my game. I was a full Lieutenant. Only fifty people in all of Scientology outranked me. I’d been First Mate of the Flagship; and a few years later, I was working directly with the Commodore [Hubbard], planning public relations strategies for Scientology worldwide." 

The News Tribune reports, "Washington still ranks low in religious affiliation compared to other states, according to a once-a-decade study released today."