 Sharp criticism from Catholic Church authorities put Ferraro on the defensive during the entire campaign , with abortion opponents frequently protesting her appearances with a level of fervor not usually encountered by pro @-@ choice Catholic male candidates such as Mario Cuomo and Ted Kennedy . In a 1982 briefing for Congress , Ferraro had written that " the Catholic position on abortion is not monolithic and there can be a range of personal and political responses to the issue . " Ferraro was criticized by Cardinal John O 'Connor , the Catholic Archbishop of New York , and James Timlin , the Bishop of Scranton , for misrepresenting the Catholic Church 's position on abortion . After several days of back @-@ and @-@ forth debate in the public media , Ferraro finally conceded that , " the Catholic Church 's position on abortion is monolithic " but went on to say that " But I do believe that there are a lot of Catholics who do not share the view of the Catholic Church " . Ferraro was also criticized for saying that Reagan was not a " good Christian " because , she said , his policies hurt the poor . To defend Ferraro , the pro @-@ choice group Catholics for a Free Choice placed an October 7 , 1984 , full @-@ page ad in The New York Times titled " A Catholic Statement on Pluralism and Abortion " . 
