Sunday, January 28, 2007

ROBERT DRINAN, 86

Drinan was the first Roman Catholic priest to serve as a voting member of Congress. From an Associated Press report:
An internationally known human-rights advocate, Drinan represented Massachusetts in the U.S. House for 10 years during the turbulent 1970s, and he stepped down only after a worldwide directive from Pope John Paul II barring priests from holding public office.

He was elected in 1970, after he beat longtime Democratic Rep. Philip J. Philbin in a primary -- and again in the November election, when Philbin was a write-in candidate. The only other priest to serve in Congress was a nonvoting delegate from Michigan in 1823.

Although a poll at the time showed that 30 percent of the voters in his district thought it was improper for a priest to run for office, Drinan considered politics a natural extension of his work in public affairs and human rights.
Drinan left Congress in 1980.

8 comments:

thom said...

Who received the point?

Ron Davis said...

God.

thom said...

Darn sneaky God.

Anonymous said...

Does He have a direct line, Ron?

Anonymous said...

Might as well give up playing if God gets in on the Game. He's pretty good at it, you know?

Anonymous said...

Touche!

Anonymous said...

Heh heh heh.

thom said...

Somebody tell Nietzsche he has to give his point back.