In the wake of the death of JP II, there have been countless posts on this site about the subject. Among other things, we have seen diaries questioning the existence of God and lambasting the Church. These diaries fail to recognize the basic fact that Rove clearly recognizes--the Dems must win the Catholic vote in order to cobble together an electoral majority.
Catholic voters are a swing block, and they tend to be visible in swing states such as FL, OH, and PA. Hispanic voters, the party's best potential growth area, are largely Catholic, and those who aren't tend to be fundamentalists/evangelicals. Roughly 60% of the Dems in Congress (including Pelosi, Kennedy, Kerry, and Kucinich) are Catholic.
We all know that Church teachings on abortion, homosexuality, and feminism, esp under JP II, are abhorrent to many Kossacks. There are, however, a much broader body of teachings that are in line w/ fundamental Dem principles.
Today's first reading at Mass came from Acts of the Apostles, and it spoke about none of the early Christians being in need b/c they shared all of their goods in common. W/ all due respect to Marx and Engels, they effectively stole "from each according to his/her ability, to each according to his/ her need" from the New Testament. Over the course of the past century, the 2 parties have had fundamental differences on wealth and poverty issues. We all know which of the parties has at least tried to come closer to the ideal set forth above.
JP II, as one diarist noted, effectively crushed the promise of Liberation Theology in Latin American. OTOH, he was an open and a vociferous critic of Rummy's less than excellent adventure in Mess-o-potamia long before it started. The Vatican performed considerable behind the scenes diplomacy w/ Security Council members w/ Catholic populations to rally international opposition to this awful war.
As a lifelong Cafeteria Catholic, I have come to realize over time that there really isn't any other kind. In 2003, it was fascinating to watch William Bennett and other self-appointed Defenders of the Faith wrestle w/ the fact that their views on a literal life and death issue were clearly at variance w/ papal teachings. Anyone who is serious about seeing the Dems ever return to power must understand the need to appeal to Catholic voters. Those who simply dismiss the Church and its adherents out of hand are playing directly into Rove's hands.