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"Pope's pronouncements making trouble for GOP Catholics ," by Ben Schreckinger: "Earlier this month, [Pope] Francis recognized Palestinian statehood. This summer, he's going to issue an encyclical condemning environmental degradation. And in September, just as the GOP primary race heats up, Francis will travel to Washington to address Congress on climate change. Francis may be popular with the general public, but key Republican primary constituencies - hawks, climate skeptics and religious conservatives, including some Catholics, are wary of the pope's progressivism. ...

"This internal conflict flips a familiar script, in which Democrats like John Kerry and Joe BIDEN were labeled 'cafeteria Catholics' when their stances on social issues like abortion and gay marriage differed from those of the church. ... Catholic Republicans have some advice for their fellow Catholics in the GOP field: The candidates can continue to honor Francis' religious authority while safely disregarding his 'political opinion.'" http://politi.co/1IXaC9C


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