Catholic bishop criticizes governor.

Byline: David Steves The Register-Guard

The Catholic Church's Portland archbishop issued an unprecedented public rebuke Tuesday of Gov. Ted Kulongoski for hosting an event for an abortion rights group, calling the Catholic governor's action embarrassing and scandalous.

Kulongoski, who was raised in a Catholic orphanage in the 1940s and has remained a practicing, lifelong Catholic, also has supported abortion rights throughout a political career that dates to 1974, the year after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right to abortion in its Roe vs. Wade decision.

Although the church adamantly opposes abortion, it has never publicly criticized Kulongoski as it did Tuesday when Portland Archbishop John Vlazny chastised him for hosting an event this Friday for the abortion rights group NARAL Pro Choice. Vlazny called it "a source of embarrassment for our church and a scandal for the Catholic community."

Kulongoski spokesman Rem Nivens said that while the public upbraiding was unprecedented, the governor would continue to embrace both his Catholic faith and his public advocacy for abortion rights.

"He said that the archbishop is the governor's pastor and he only has respect and admiration for him, but that they respectfully disagree on this issue," Nivens said.

The Catholic Church increasingly has grown concerned about politicians who, as Catholics, do not uphold the church's policies. In 2004, a Catholic archbishop forbade Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president, from taking Communion because he supported abortion rights.

Portland Archdiocese spokesman Bud Bunce said Vlazny has never issued a statement publicly criticizing an elected official by name until Tuesday.

The deciding factor in Vlazny's decision to do so now, Bunce said, was that "this is a governor who is a Catholic, who makes it clear that he is a Catholic, hosting an event for an abortion group."

In his statement, Vlanzy said, "For a Catholic governor to host an event of this sort seems a deliberate dissent from the teachings of the Church."

Adding to the archbishop's displeasure, Bunce said, was that the NARAL Pro Choice event is two days before the Catholic Church's "Respect Life Sunday" celebration of Mass. Vlazny called on Catholics to "express their displeasure to the governor and to remind him of the demands of personal integrity as a member of our faith community" by calling his office and by attending Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral in Portland on the same day that Kulongoski hosts the abortion rights event.

Nivens said that while the governor has not been listed as an official host for past events held by NARAL Pro Choice, he has attended and spoken at them. He is not scheduled to speak at Friday's event.

"In general, it's not a new level of engagement by the governor on this," Nivens said. "He's always been open about his support for the organization's work."