Your Aug. 23 story on whether Carroll College would award an honorary degree to President Obama given his position on abortion fails to mention what that position is. "Pro choice" does not equate to "pro abortion." "Pro choice" means that although one abhors abortion, and wishes it to be extremely rare, one also believes the government has no business dictating the decision; this should be up to the woman in consultation with her doctor and clergy. This raises the question: How many persons who were honored by Catholic colleges over the past 50 years were "pro choice," and in how many instances were the college and the church even aware of the honoree's position?

The article raises additional questions. Since colleges and universities ostensibly embody the values of free and unimpeded inquiry, tolerance and inclusiveness, should their accrediting bodies withhold accreditation from Catholic institutions that discriminate on the basis of one's position on abortion? In a republic whose constitution forbids the establishment of a religion, while protecting the free exercise of all varieties of religion, is it legitimate for one denomination to either advise the withholding of votes from political candidates or publicly humiliate office holders on the basis of one controversial element of church doctrine? Is the church hierarchy beginning to look like a single-issue lunatic by elevating the abortion issue above all the teachings of Jesus?

Decades ago, when the Catholic bishops were focused on social justice and love and forgive, rather than social control and judge and condemn, they spoke on behalf of the poor, and they criticized American capitalism as unjust in its insensitivity to widespread poverty. But in those happy times, no bishop to my knowledge advocated withholding communion from politicians whose conservative views led them to oppose public measures to help the poor. Should the Catholic Church in America return to its roots? If it does not, was Barney Frank right when he said, "These people believe life begins at conception and ends at birth"?

Lawrence K. Pettit, of Helena, lives at 2567 Overlook Blvd.