The new issue of National Review features John O’Sullivan’s fascinating piece on the grandstanding of Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony, who has called on Catholics to pray and fast during Lent in order to defeat the House immigration reform bill. Here’s one eye-opener from the JOS essay:

IN THE DEMOCRATS’ POCKET?
Why, then, did Cardinal Mahony strike such a defiant pose when he was facing nothing worse than a conference call with other bishops and some legislative staffers? A partly charitable explanation is that he spoke without ever asking his fellow bishops, “Hey, do the Republicans really intend to lock us all up?” That would be the “tabloid” defense: too good to check. Another possible explanation is that Mahony — along with the other Catholic bishops and, even more, the clerical bureaucracy servicing them — was desperately keen to find an issue on which he could pronounce “Thou art anathema” to Republicans. Many bishops are abortion-weary and really dislike being seen as the political allies of George W. Bush and the Party of Greed. It’s not their fault: The Democrats keep forcing them into this position. But it irks them. And they look for other issues on which they can flaunt their liberalism.

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