She said in an interview that the Vatican should deal with its own problems -- for example, the recent sex scandal involving priests who have molested children -- "before they start beating up on politicians because of their support for the separation of church and state."
"This is so political that I am really outraged," she said.
Ferraro contended that a closer analysis of Kerry's record would find that he was in agreement with the church on most issues.
Church attendance can be a reliable indicator of political preference, as exit polls from the 2000 presidential election showed: More than half of those who go to weekly religious services voted for President Bush, while 41% of regular churchgoers chose Al Gore.
And a February 2004 poll of Catholics by Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., and Zogby International found that those who attended Mass regularly were more likely to support Bush.
Times staff writers Matea Gold, Susannah Rosenblatt and Richard Simon contributed to this story.
