Obama Moves Rankle Even Moderate Catholics

The majority of Catholics voted for Obama in November, but they haven’t exactly been singing hosannas to him since. Though Obama made no secret of his support for stem cell research and his intention to overturn the ban on family planning funding overseas, even moderate Catholics have been disappointed with the way he’s handled the moves, Time reports.

When Obama speaks of “restoring science to its rightful place,” some Catholics hear the black-and-white rhetoric of his predecessor. But such heavy-handedness might blow over, were it not for the loose coalition of Catholic organizations and leaders bent on denouncing him. They’ve railed against Kathleen Sebelius, his pro-choice Catholic HHS secretary, circulated unfounded rumors that the Vatican won’t accept his ambassador, and protested his commencement speech at Notre Dame. (More Barack Obama stories.)