For decades the Roman Catholic Church here in the US has been a supporter of the Democratic Party, because of its thrust for Social Justice. In fact, I have heard, that unfortunately some of the misguided clergy here in the US voted for bo. Now how does that coincide with what you are saying?.
the Democrat/Republican split of the Catholic vote in elections
50/47 – 2000 Al Gore
52/47 – 2004 George W. Bush
54/45 – 2008 Barack Obama
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholicism_and_American_politics
For what the Vatican teaches on how Catholics should vote in a democratic society, see:
CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
DOCTRINAL NOTE
on some questions regarding
The Participation of Catholics in Political Life
vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20021124_politica_en.html
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…fundamental teaching of the Second Vatican Council is that «the lay faithful are never to relinquish their participation in ‘public life’, that is, in the many different economic, social, legislative, administrative and cultural areas, which are intended to promote organically and institutionally the common good».[10]** This would include the promotion and defence of goods such as public order and peace, freedom and equality, respect for human life and for the environment, justice and solidarity**.
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relativism, of course, has nothing to do with the legitimate freedom of Catholic citizens to choose among the various political opinions that are compatible with faith and the natural moral law, and to select, according to their own criteria, what best corresponds to the needs of the common good. Political freedom is not – and cannot be – based upon the relativistic idea that all conceptions of the human person’s good have the same value and truth, but rather, on the fact that politics are concerned with very concrete realizations of the true human and social good in given historical, geographic, economic, technological and cultural contexts. From the specificity of the task at hand and the variety of circumstances, a plurality of morally acceptable policies and solutions arises.
It is not the Church’s task to set forth specific political solutions – and even less to propose a single solution as the acceptable one
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The Christian faith is an integral unity, and thus
it is incoherent to isolate some particular element to the detriment of the whole of Catholic doctrine. A political commitment to a single isolated aspect of the Church’s social doctrine does not exhaust one’s responsibility towards the common good.
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When political activity comes up against
moral principles that do not admit of exception, compromise or derogation, the Catholic commitment becomes more evident and laden with responsibility. In the face of
fundamental and inalienable ethical demands, Christians must recognize that what is at stake is the essence of the moral law, which concerns the integral good of the human person. This is the case with laws concerning
abortion and euthanasia (not to be confused with the decision to forgo extraordinary treatments, which is morally legitimate). Such laws must defend the basic right to life from conception to natural death. In the same way, it is necessary to recall the duty to respect and protect
the rights of the human embryo. Analogously, the family needs to be safeguarded and promoted, based on
monogamous marriage between a man and a woman, and protected in its unity and stability in the face of
modern laws on divorce: in no way can other forms of cohabitation be placed on the same level as marriage, nor can they receive legal recognition as such. The same is true for the
freedom of parents regarding the education of their children; it is an inalienable right recognized also by the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. In the same way, one must consider society’s** protection of minors and freedom from modern forms of slavery** (drug abuse and prostitution, for example). In addition, there is** the right to religious freedom **and
the development of an economy that is at the service of the human person and of the common good, with respect for social justice, the principles of human solidarity and subsidiarity, according to which «the rights of all individuals, families, and organizations and their practical implementation must be acknowledged».[21] Finally, the question of **peace **must be mentioned. Certain pacifistic and ideological visions tend at times to secularize the value of peace, while, in other cases, there is the problem of summary ethical judgments which forget the complexity of the issues involved.
Peace is always «the work of justice and the effect of charity».[22] It demands the absolute and radical rejection of violence and terrorism and requires a constant and vigilant commitment on the part of all political leaders.
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I am with Raymond Arroyo, they need to be stripped of their Catholic identity. I believe the Bishops would have authority to do this, even though they do not have authority to do much else.