Massa - pro-choice Catholic - to resign

Congressman Eric Massa - a pro-choice Catholic - has announced he will resign effective Monday.

One reason is apparently a recurrence of cancer. That is terrible. I hope he can beat it.

Initially, he said just that he would not run for reelection. But now he's suddenly announcing that he is resigning - as news of an ethics probe has emerged. He has admitted that he made mistakes and said some inappropriate things - though at this point just what he did or said is not specified (some news sources report it involves allegations of some kind of sexual harassment).

I remember interviewing him back when I was a reporter and he was making his first run for Congress. There was something about him that made me uneasy. I did not vote for him either time that he ran.

Now this.

Interestingly, another of my pro-choice Catholic public officials, New York Governor David Paterson, is also facing ethics charges and may have to resign office.

Pro-choice Catholics who have betrayed their faith - lack of ethics: A link? Hmm.

If those two go, I'll just be left with one pro-choice Catholic public official representing me - New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. She hasn't been linked to ethics charges so far (though Paterson did appoint her). We'll just have to wait until the fall election to remove her from office, and hopefully give her time to consider the state of her soul.