South Carolina Priest: No communion for Obama supporters

[Aizen]

A South Carolina Roman Catholic priest has told his parishioners that they should refrain from receiving Holy Communion if they voted for Barack Obama because the Democratic president-elect supports abortion, and supporting him "constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil."

The Rev. Jay Scott Newman said in a letter distributed Sunday to parishioners at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville that they are putting their souls at risk if they take Holy Communion before doing penance for their vote.

"Our nation has chosen for its chief executive the most radical pro-abortion politician ever to serve in the United States Senate or to run for president," Newman wrote, referring to Obama by his full name, including his middle name of Hussein.

"Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exits constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ's Church and under the judgment of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27705755/?gt1=43001
 

[Alcon]

Seems reasonable to me.

[Lunar]

[Bacon King]

Wow, looks like someone's angry.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I'm not Catholic.

[Eraserhead]

Catholicism is no longer relevant. It needs to done away with.

[King]

Not showing much love for the first Catholic veep.

[MaxQue]

I hate when so-called catholics destroy my religion. The Church should force him to choose between politics and religion. We had a priest in the parliament and Vatican forced him to choose between the two. Same should happen. 

[memphis]

I hope the IRS screws this guy sideways. They won't though. They're too chickensh!t to go after the institutions that pay them zero dollars.

[Хahar 🤔]

I hate when so-called catholics destroy my religion. The Church should force him to choose between politics and religion. We had a priest in the parliament and Vatican forced him to choose between the two. Same should happen. 

Who was he?

Priests have served politically in the past. For instance, Ludwig Kaas, one of the most important men in early 1930s Germany, was ordained.

[LanceMcSteel]

Religion is the opiate of the masses.

[Verily]

I hate when so-called catholics destroy my religion. The Church should force him to choose between politics and religion. We had a priest in the parliament and Vatican forced him to choose between the two. Same should happen. 

Who was he?

Priests have served politically in the past. For instance, Ludwig Kaas, one of the most important men in early 1930s Germany, was ordained.

Raymond Gravel, the former gay prostitute turned Catholic priest who was elected as a Bloc MP in a by-election last year in 2006, then stood down for the election this year. Of course, the church was none too happy with him for his past, anyway. Wikipedia suggests that he was forced to choose between the priesthood and politics precisely because of his particularly strong pro-abortion views.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Gravel

[Bacon King]

Oh, what is it with politicans named Gravel...

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Wonderful! My church has gone on night raids of members suspected of voting for "that one" and properly punished the perpetrators.

[ChrisFromNJ]

Wonderful! My church has gone on night raids of members suspected of voting for "that one" and properly punished the perpetrators.

What is the name of your church? The IRS may need a call.

[Person Man]

Yes. I hope this dude hears from the IRS.

Anyways, the typical Catholic response should be- "If you support pro-choice candidates and causes, we will molest your children".

[Workers' Friend]

I'm not a Catholic nor an Obama supporter so - Ah well.

But still, kinda expected.

[Keystone Phil]

Ridiculous

[Torie]

I am quite confident this priest does not reflect Catholic doctrine on this and is rogue, and he needs to be slapped down.

What does agitate the powers that be is if a Catholic in public advocates making or keeping abortion legal, thereby creating a "public scandal," which is kind of a quaint way of saying that it is disrespectful of the Church to at once claim one is Catholic, and then advocate public policies inimical to its most fundamental principles, aka kind of a copyright violation really. 

[Zarn]

While the priest shouldn't refuse communion, anti-Catholicism has to be the most acceptable form of bigotry in the 'West.' This thread certainly backs up my claim.

[JSojourner]

Consistency has been called the hobgoblin of small minds.  And that may be the case sometimes, but not...uhhhh...consistently.  :-)

In other worse, a dose of consistency would earn this particular clergyman my respect.  If the church's teachings on the Sanctity of Hunman Life are so absolute and essential to faith as to be salvific, then consistency demands that church teachings about divorce, racism, war, pollution of the environment, the death penalty, contraceptives and poverty be equally elevated to communal issues.

Were I a Catholic priest, it would never occur to me to deny the sacrament to someone who voted for John McCain or any other candidate who advocated policies that oppose Catholic teaching and morality.  The same should be true for those who voted for Obama, who also advocates decidedly non-Catholic ideas.

Pluralism is a tricky thing, inside the church as well as out.

I am glad this minister is atypical.  Most of my Catholic brothers and sisters "get it".

[Workers' Friend]

Consistency has been called the hobgoblin of small minds.  And that may be the case sometimes, but not...uhhhh...consistently.  :-)

In other worse, a dose of consistency would earn this particular clergyman my respect.  If the church's teachings on the Sanctity of Hunman Life are so absolute and essential to faith as to be salvific, then consistency demands that church teachings about divorce, racism, war, pollution of the environment, the death penalty, contraceptives and poverty be equally elevated to communal issues.

Were I a Catholic priest, it would never occur to me to deny the sacrament to someone who voted for John McCain or any other candidate who advocated policies that oppose Catholic teaching and morality.  The same should be true for those who voted for Obama, who also advocates decidedly non-Catholic ideas.

Pluralism is a tricky thing, inside the church as well as out.

I am glad this minister is atypical.  Most of my Catholic brothers and sisters "get it".

Wait, you're actually a Catholic Priest?

[paul718]

Consistency has been called the hobgoblin of small minds.  And that may be the case sometimes, but not...uhhhh...consistently.  :-)

In other worse, a dose of consistency would earn this particular clergyman my respect.  If the church's teachings on the Sanctity of Hunman Life are so absolute and essential to faith as to be salvific, then consistency demands that church teachings about divorce, racism, war, pollution of the environment, the death penalty, contraceptives and poverty be equally elevated to communal issues.

Were I a Catholic priest, it would never occur to me to deny the sacrament to someone who voted for John McCain or any other candidate who advocated policies that oppose Catholic teaching and morality.  The same should be true for those who voted for Obama, who also advocates decidedly non-Catholic ideas.

Pluralism is a tricky thing, inside the church as well as out.

I am glad this minister is atypical.  Most of my Catholic brothers and sisters "get it".

I agree wholeheartedly. 

[Jeff from NC]

I don't support any notion that the Catholic Church should deny Communion to Catholics (it doesn't allow communion for non-Catholics, but that's because you have to be educated in what the Eucharist actually means).  But suggesting that people who commit abortion refrain would make sense.  Suggesting that people who keep abortion legal makes less sense.  Suggesting that people who vote for the guys who keep abortion legal makes even less sense, especially because there are other issues to weigh - often ones where the politician has much more effect (like spending, taxes, wars, etc).

[JSojourner]

Consistency has been called the hobgoblin of small minds.  And that may be the case sometimes, but not...uhhhh...consistently.  :-)

In other worse, a dose of consistency would earn this particular clergyman my respect.  If the church's teachings on the Sanctity of Hunman Life are so absolute and essential to faith as to be salvific, then consistency demands that church teachings about divorce, racism, war, pollution of the environment, the death penalty, contraceptives and poverty be equally elevated to communal issues.

Were I a Catholic priest, it would never occur to me to deny the sacrament to someone who voted for John McCain or any other candidate who advocated policies that oppose Catholic teaching and morality.  The same should be true for those who voted for Obama, who also advocates decidedly non-Catholic ideas.

Pluralism is a tricky thing, inside the church as well as out.

I am glad this minister is atypical.  Most of my Catholic brothers and sisters "get it".

Wait, you're actually a Catholic Priest?

Nope.  I am a licensed lay minister in the Episcopal Church.  But not ordained.  I'm really not nice enough for that.  And I fart too much.