Rev. Robert Drinan-- Human Rights Advocate-- Dies At 86

Rev. Robert Drinan, the Roman Catholic priest who as a member of Congress and as a Georgetown Law School teacher served as a champion of international human rights died yesterday at the age of 86. Before entering Congress, Drinan served as Dean of Boston College Law School. Today's Washington Post chronicles his life, as does a release from Georgetown University. Elected in 1971, Drinan was the first Roman Catholic priest to serve as a voting member of Congress. He reluctantly resigned in 1981 after the Vatican ruled that priests could not hold legislative positions. (Code of Canon Law, Sec. 285(3)). Drinan authored 12 books, including Can God and Caesar Co-Exist? Balancing Religious Freedom & International Law (Yale Press, 2004); God and Caesar on the Potomac: A Pilgrimage of Conscience (Michael Glazier, Inc., 1985); Religion, The Courts, And Public Policy (McGraw-Hill Book, 1963).