BISHOP BARS GORE AT CHURCH HOSPITAL

SCRANTON; PA, (ZENIT.org).- A Catholic bishop prevented Al Gore from making a campaign stop at a Scranton hospital. The Democratic candidate was forced to make a last-minute schedule change to move his appearance to a non-denominational facility.

Shortly before the vice president arrived on Tuesday night, Bishop James C. Timlin indicated that Gore's invitation to speak at Mercy Hospital had been revoked. "The Mercy Hospital has decided not to give Vice President Gore a platform, lest there be any misunderstanding about the hospital's Catholic identity and its commitment to the sanctity of life," he explained on Wednesday.

Gore moved his appearance to the corporate offices of Allied Services, a health-care company. His remarks were chosen to act as though he had never intended to visit the Catholic facility. "It was not an accident that I chose this place for the second of my series of speeches" on the economy, he said.

Catholic voters are being pursued by both Gore and Republican rival George W. Bush. They make up a huge voting bloc in the Midwest, where the race likely will be determined.

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