Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. poses that question in this commentary.

Excerpt: “It has become commonplace in American politics: Certain Roman Catholic bishops declare that the faithful should cast their ballots on the basis of a limited number of “nonnegotiable issues,” notably opposition to abortion. Conservative Catholics cheer, more liberal Catholics howl. And that is usually the end of the story.

” Not this year. Catholics, who are quintessential swing voters and gave narrow but crucial support to Presidenti Bush in 2004, are drifting toward Barack Obama. And this time, some church leaders are suggesting that single-issue voting is by no means a Catholic commandment.”

From the Associated Press: VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday gave the Roman Catholic church four new saints, including an Indian woman whose canonization is seen as a morale boost to Christians in India who have suffered Hindu violence. The full story is here.

Oct. 23 will be the third anniversary of Benedict’s first canonization ceremony. Padre Gaetano Catanoso was named a saint on that day.

“The majority of Catholic voters has lined up with the winner of the popular vote in the last nine presidential elections. Don’t think this fact is lost on the 2008 presidential nominees of both major parties. As the election season moves into its critical final phase, Senators John McCain and Barack Obama continue their battle for the crucial Catholic swing vote in the pages of the October issue of U.S. Catholic magazine.”

Full story here.

The Jesuit magazine America weighs in on John McCain’s acceptance speech last night:

“Given the shameful way that George W. Bush defeated John McCain in 2000, you could not help feeling that a wrong had been righted as McCain accepted his party’s nomination. But, the John McCain of 2008 is a far cry from the John McCain of 2000. Then, he truly was a maverick. Today, saying it won’t make it so.”

The whole story is here.

Yonat Shimron at the News & Observer in Raleigh reports today: “In a rare joint appearance on the steps of the General Assembly, North Carolina’s two Roman Catholic bishops announced an initiative to create a unified voice on public policy issues affecting the state.

“The move represents an effort to flex a political muscle that has strengthened in recent years. For generations, Catholics represented less than 1 percent of the state’s population and North Carolina was considered by church leaders as “mission territory” ripe for evangelism. But with an influx of newcomers from Northern states as well as Mexico and Latin America, Catholics — numbering about 800,000 across the state — now want to be heard.”

Interesting fact: 30 years ago, the state’s Catholic population was about one-tenth what it is today. The vast increase is the result of Northeastern and Midwestern residents moving South (count me in that group), and of course, the state’s growing Hispanic population.

Shimron also writes: “As part of that initiative, (Raleigh diocese Bishop Michael) Burbidge (right) said the dioceses will send a questionnaire to gubernatorial candidates as well as to North Carolina’s U.S. House and Senate delegation asking their views on a host of issues. The results of that questionnaire will be posted on the Web site in October.”

Yonat Shimron, the News & Observer of Raleigh’s stellar religion writer, reports on the growth of the Catholic faith in North Carolina’s rural outreaches and the challenge the Raleigh diocese faces in supporting this growth.