S.C. Priest: No Communion for Obama supporters

[DrPresident]

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2008/11/priest_says_no.html

The pastor of St. Mary Catholic Church in Greenville, SC, is urging parishioners who voted for Barack Obama not to present themselves for Communion unless they go to confession first because they have cooperated with "intrinsic evil'' by voting for a candidate who supports abortion rights over a candidate who does not. The Rev. Jay Scott Newman told the Greenville News that he doesn't intend to deny anyone Communion, but made it clear that his view is that Obama voters should not present themselves without seeking penance first "lest they eat and drink their own condemnation.''

Newman is the only priest in the U.S. known to have taken this position -- the Catholic bishops met this week in Baltimore and this idea was not even discussed, at least in public session. Newman has posted on his parish web site the following letter explaining his rationale:

Dear Friends in Christ,
We the People have spoken, and the 44th President of the United States will be Barack Hussein Obama. This election ends a political process that started two years ago and which has revealed deep and bitter divisions within the United States and also within the Catholic Church in the United States. This division is sometimes called a “Culture War,” by which is meant a heated clash between two radically different and incompatible conceptions of how we should order our common life together, the public life that constitutes civil society. And the chief battleground in this culture war for the past 30 years has been abortion, which one side regards as a murderous abomination that cries out to Heaven for vengeance and the other side regards as a fundamental human right that must be protected in laws enforced by the authority of the state. Between these two visions of the use of lethal violence against the unborn there can be no negotiation or conciliation, and now 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. We must also take note of the fact that this election was effectively decided by the votes of self-described (but not practicing) Catholics, the majority of whom cast their ballots for President-elect Obama.

[Dark]

1. OK, just give us you share of the taxes.

Then say whatever the hell you want.

[davidpdx]

2. This guy either needs to be removed

or they need to revoke the church's non-profit status. It IS a political statement despite his rantings.

[susanna]

3. When he asks the same of his flock vis a vis

pre-emptive war and non-Geneva-approved torture, we can talk.

Until then, he can find something more worthwhile to do. Just my two cents.

[TexasObserver]

4. Violation of Church and State. Violation of 501(c)(3).

[Guaranteed]

8. What's "Church and State"? A band?

And what's 501(c)(3)?

Legal citations should be complete in concept and reference.

[TexasObserver]

13. try google

It'll do you good to learn something without having someone else spoon feed you.

[BeyondGeography]

5. Another "lover of life"

:eyes:

[mwei924]

6. Shouldn't this Douchebag be dealing with the sexual predators in his own church?

[Blue_Tires]

7. maybe he can 'test' his parishioners, inquisition-style

and i don't mean in that funny, Mel Brooks musical style, either!:sarcasm:

[Liberal_in_LA]

9. If I were catholic, I'd take Communion wearing a "Yes We Can" button.

[timber84]

19. Amen

Might be worth a drive down there just for that.

[funflower]

10. Barack "Hussein" Obama? I thought racist insinuations were out for Catholics, even in SC.

And where does he get off concluding Obama is "the most radical pro-abortion politician ever to serve"? Has Obama ever even cast a vote on the issue?

And, yes, his church needs its tax-exempt status revoked right NOW.

[No Elephants]

11. I forgot. Someone please remind me. When did Obama have an abortion again? this is not about

abortion, but about theocracy. It is about some members of the Catholic Church and other religions forcing their will on people who do not believe as they do in every particular. Jesus never did that.

And, since the pastor of this church is mentioning specific candidates, rather than issues (which are bad enough for Democrats) this letter should cause that church to lose its tax exempt status. Anyone care to send a copy of that noise to the IRS anonymously? How about all of us. come on, everyone. Save that website to favorities, wait until Obama has been in office a few months, then print it out and send it. I'm thinking June 1.

[votetastic]

12. but Obama overwhelmingly won the Catholic vote

Didn't he get the memo?

[kerry-is-my-prez]

14. The Catholics need to branch off again into another - the are waay too poltical.

I know several long time Catholics who are getting really tired of being told to vote Republican.

[RC]

15. I wonder what his views are on supporting War Mongers that have caused the deaths

of over a million men, women and children? His views with the ongoing bombing of wedding parties. How about all the children and their parents reduced to a pink mist during "Shock and awe"? Is there even any correlation in his mind? Until the already born matter at least as much as a fetus, then people like this are hypocrites and have no room to speak.

[Caretha]

16. Onoes!

You need to confess before you get the wafer & wine, ie, body & blood of Jeezus! You're going to hell, HELL I tell ya!

I feel sorry for people who believe this nonsense. Doesn't it strike you as a little macabre that you gotta eat & drink the body & blood of "YOUR SAVIOR". What ritualistic ignorant bullshit! Invented by the power elite of 3rd century George Bush's. When will people grow-up?

[LostinVA]

17. I;ll repeat what I said in another thread: that's against Church teachings, he can't do that

His Bishop needs to discipline him.

[MrCoffee]

25. I would imagine that Rev. Wackjob is going to have some explaining to do.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

18. I'm sure someone has contacted his diocese by now........

At least I hope so.

I don't think a priest can put conditions on taking communion. But what do I know, I'm just a silly agnostic.

[mrgorth]

20. When the hell

is someone going to move against these bishops/priests that are republican operatives? Why is nothing ever done?

[olegramps]

21. When I was a young man I heard the same about contraception.

Just replace "abortion" with "contraception" and you have the church's stand preached from the pulpits during the 50's.

[carnie_sf]

22. God I miss liberation theology

and the Berrigan brothers

[zulchzulu]

23. Info to report to the IRS. Join me!

Here's the church information:

St. Mary’s Catholic Church
111 Hampton Avenue
Greenville, South Carolina
29601

telephone [phone]
fax [phone]

Pastor abusing power: Rev. Jay Scott Newman
[email protected]
http://web.mac.com/jayscottnewman/Site/A_Parish_Priest....

IRS info:

Churches are classified as organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). Of the two types of 501(c)(3) organizations, most churches and schools are classified as public charities rather than "mutual benefit organizations." These organizations are described as:

Organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes, or to foster national or international sports competition... or for the prevention of cruelty to animals, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting, to influence legislation (except as otherwise provided in subsection (h)), and which does not participate in. or intervene in (including or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.

http://www.advanceusa.org/church_involvement.asp

Local IRS Office
440 Roper Mountain Rd.
Greenville, SC 29615

Monday-Friday - 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
[phone]

[sohndrsmith]

24. The selectivity of this one issue discounts this "priest's" argument.

Not that it's a valid one to begin with. But going on his premise for the sake of argument, he ought to issue the same rules for anyone who has ever had premarital sex, used contraception, had an abortion, gotten divorced, lied, cheated... you get the idea. To single out voters for one particular, specific "sin" he wants to take issue with is hypocritical at best - if it were in any way a valid argument, which it isn't.

Cherry-picking religious rules for a personal/political agenda... What a hateful idiot.

[Eugene]

26. Diocese: Priest wrong about Obama voters - Boston Globe

Source: Boston Globe

Catholicism,Politics
Diocese: Priest wrong about Obama voters
Posted by Michael Paulson November 15, 2008 10:39 AM

The diocese of Charleston, SC is publicly rebuking the Rev.
Jay Scott Newman for suggesting that Catholics who voted
for Barack Obama should refrain from presenting themselves
for Communion unless they go to confession first. The
comments caused an enormous firestorm, and Newman then
suggested that he had been misinterpreted, but his diocese,
in a highly unusual step, is now saying that Newman
misrepresented the church's position, and that Obama voters
do not need to go to confession before seeking Communion.
The diocese has no bishop at the moment, so the statement
was issued by the diocesan administrator, Monsignor Martin
T. Laughlin, who said, "Father Newman’s statements do not
adequately reflect the Catholic Church’s teachings. Any
comments or statements to the contrary are repudiated."
Here is the statement in its entirety:

   "Statement of Monsignor Martin T. Laughlin, Administrator
   of the Diocese of Charleston

   This past week, the Catholic Church’s clear, moral
   teaching on the evil of abortion has been pulled into
   the partisan political arena. The recent comments of
   Father Jay Scott Newman, pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic
   Church in Greenville, S.C., have diverted the focus
   from the Church’s clear position against abortion.
   As Administrator of the Diocese of Charleston, let me
   state with clarity that Father Newman’s statements do
   not adequately reflect the Catholic Church’s teachings.
   Any comments or statements to the contrary are
   repudiated.

   The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, 'Man has
   the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as
   personally to make moral decisions.' ...

-snip-

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2008/11/diocese_priest.html

[AspenRose]

27. You hear that, Vice-President Biden? No communion for you in Greenville.

:crazy: