Page "John Kerry presidential campaign, 2004" Paragraph 19

Archbishop Raymond Burke said that he would deny Kerry communion over his position on abortion.

The issue led to comparisons between Kerry's presidential campaign and that of John F. Kennedy in 1960.

While Kennedy had to demonstrate his independence from the Roman Catholic Church due to public fear that a Catholic president would make decisions based on Vatican commands, it seemed that Kerry, in contrast, had to show obedience to Catholic authorities in order to win votes.

According to Margaret Ross Sammons, Kerry's campaign was sufficiently damaged by the threat to withhold communion that it may have cost him the election.

Sammons argues that President George W. Bush was able to win 53 % of the Catholic vote because he appealed to " traditional " Catholics.