Hello, my name is Father Paul McLaughlin, and I am the pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Marlborough, MA. As a parish priest and as a member of The Interfaith Alliance, I come here today to expose the Catholic Alliance for what it really is: a front group for televangelist Pat Robertson and his political ambitions.

A couple of weeks ago I received by mail an envelope which claimed to contain an important message for Catholic voters. I was immediately suspicious because official Catholic messages do not usually arrive with this kind of marketing hype. (As a priest, I read a lot and keep up on most things really Catholic). My suspicions were confirmed when I opened the envelope and found inside a message from the "Catholic Alliance." The words "Catholic Alliance" were printed in large type. Right below it, in much smaller type, were the words "of the Christian Coalition."

Make no mistake about it: there is nothing Catholic about the Catholic Alliance. As the fine print proves, this group is not an official Catholic organization. Rather, it is a fraudulent group designed to fool Catholic voters and increase the political power of Pat Robertson. That's why Bishop Hubbard of Albany, New York, warned that this group does not speak for Catholics on matter of public policy. And that's why Bishop Sullivan of Richmond and Bishop Keating of Arlington--the two bishops of the state in which Pat Robertson has his headquarters-- will not allow Pat Robertson's group to pass out their biased voter guides in Catholic churches.

Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition is trying to exploit the fears and concerns of Christians in the Catholic Church. But we will not be used! Catholics do not need Pat Robertson to tell them how to vote or to tell them what Christianity is all about--we have our own minds, our own consciences, and our own sources of guidance. Pope John Paul II, the Bishops, and other leaders of the Church have clearly stated the Church's teaching in regard to social questions and issues of morality. And in most areas, the teaching of the Church is in direct conflict with the agenda of Pat Robertson and his Catholic Alliance.

I know there are problems with public education. I agree with that welfare needs reform. Like most Catholics, I, too, believe that abortion is wrong. But I also firmly believe that we must confront these issues in a spirit of love, not hate; with an attitude of humility, not arrogance; and in a way that unites us rather than divides us as a people. As Christians, we must appeal to people's hopes and not their fears. And whatever else, we do, we must always uplift the downtrodden.

That is the way a real Catholic acts. That is the way of true faith. Thank you.