John Kerry has been experiencing some problems with American bishops who argue that politicians who support abortion rights, and perhaps even the citizens who vote for them, should be denied communion by the Roman Catholic Church. Polls suggest, however, that the average Catholic isn’t very supportive of this.

According to Polling Report:

“Do you think it is appropriate for Catholic bishops to refuse to give communion to elected officials who publicly disagree with the Church's position on issues like abortion, or is that not appropriate?"

Of Catholics, 17% said it was appropriate, 78% said it was not. This was a stronger opposition than all polled: 19% saying it was appropriate and 72% saying it was not. I’m sure that there are more than 17% of all Catholics who would characterize themselves as conservative and anti-abortion, which would mean that this poll (CBS News Poll. May 20-23, 2004) may represent a bit of a backlash.

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