IN THEORY:Reconciling politics, religion

Cardinal Roger M. Mahony this week denounced proposed California legislation that would allow mentally competent individuals who have six months or less to live to obtain drugs that can end their lives. Mahony singled out Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, who has said he was "ready to buck my church" on the issue. A Nunez spokesman framed it as an issue of "individual choice, where the overwhelming majority of Catholics have a different perspective than the official position of the church." With surveys showing many evangelical Christians setting aside their opposition to abortion to support pro-abortion-rights GOP presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, are you concerned about this apparent trend of voters and elected leaders prioritizing politics over religious beliefs?

International cooperation, the war in Iraq, nuclear weapons, the environment, immigration, healthcare or education? Voters must prioritize the issues and vote for candidates who best represent their concerns, recognizing that it will seldom be a perfect fit. What a welcome change to see some groups voting for reasons other than to oppose legal abortion and gay people's civil rights. All of the issues are spiritual issues, not just those dealing with pelvic morality.

What are the pros and cons of permitting terminally ill people to have access to drugs to end their lives? I believe it should be a legal option, but one that is limited and monitored carefully. As a hospice chaplain, I met with many people who were worried about becoming physically or mentally incapacitated and who would prefer dying quickly to being a burden to others or experiencing helplessness.

Much more needs to be done to prepare people spiritually for the challenges of aging and the final stage of life.

Another issue is freedom of choice in a democracy where faith groups have different teachings on ethical issues. There is a difference between what is legal and what is moral. The "Vatican 24" was a group of Roman Catholic nuns who believed that abortion should be legal and that individuals in the United States should be free to follow their own faith's teachings and guidance in making ethical decisions. It is common knowledge that the official teachings of the Catholic Church on sexual issues are not embraced by the majority of rank-and-file Catholics. Catholics who run for public office are in a tough spot.