Priest: Obama Voters Must Do Penance

Says Parishioners Should Refuse Communion If They Voted For Democrat Because Of His Abortion Stance

(CBS)  A priest at a South Carolina Roman Catholic church says his parishioners shouldn't take Holy Communion if they voted for Barack Obama because of the Democrat's stance on abortion.

The Reverend Jay Scott Newman said Thursday that church law doesn't allow him to refuse parishioners the sacrament at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville.

But, reports CBS affiliate WSPA, Newman said his congregants shouldn't take communion until they do penance for supporting the man he called the most radical pro-abortion politician ever to serve in the United States Senate or to run for president.

"We cannot leave our faith outside the voting booth," Newman told WSPA.

"It was absolutely inconceivable that a Catholic could say, 'I could vote for this otherwise extraordinary man and hope that the consequence won't be a widening of the abortion license and an increase in the number of abortions,'" Newman said.

Newman said that if a voter through his or her political action ("whether intended or not") contributed to the promotion of abortion, they need to "deal with it in the sacrament of penance."

In a letter to parishioners, Newman wrote:

"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.

Penance, Newman noted, could include prayers, reading scripture or performing works of charity.

Newman also wrote, however, that Obama - as the duly-elected next President - will hold legitimate authority over the nation, and so asked his congregants to pray for him, "and to cooperate with him whenever conscience does not bind us otherwise.

"Let us hope and pray that the responsibilities of the presidency and the grace of God will awaken in the conscience of this extraordinarily gifted man an awareness that the unholy slaughter of children in this nation is the greatest threat to the peace and security of the United States and constitutes a clear and present danger to the common good," he wrote.

"Religious citizens, even the ordained, do have a responsibility to join their voices to the public debate, so that the common good is well-served," Newman told WSPA.

The priest went on to say he supports the separation between church and state.

In their annual meeting earlier this week, the nation's Roman Catholic bishops vowed to forcefully confront the Obama administration over its support for abortion rights, vowing to fight what they called "aggressively pro-abortion policies, legislation and executive orders."

"The recent election was principally decided out of concern for the economy, for the loss of jobs and homes and financial security for families, here and around the world," the bishops wrote. "If the election is misinterpreted ideologically as a referendum on abortion, the unity desired by President-elect Obama and all Americans at this moment of crisis will be impossible to achieve."

[perk235]

The Reverend Jay Scott Newman said Thursday that church law doesn''t allow him to refuse parishioners the sacrament at St. Mary''s Catholic Church in Greenville.
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Wonder if he''s worried about their tax-exempt status?

His parishoners should bring out the separation of church and state. In this case, to get the state out of the church.

[wolfear1]

Ok, let''s see Catholic preist setting faith based punishment based on your political choice. Morman church giving millions in CA to influence a legislative vote. I am thinking maybe it''s time to start taxing churches. You want to play in the politics of this country and then whine when you have to pay to support those politics I don''t think so. You can''t hide behind the seperation of church and state only when it is convenient.

[bjcone8559]

"The Reverend Jay Scott Newman said Thursday that church law doesn''t allow him to refuse parishioners the sacrament at St. Mary''s Catholic Church in Greenville."


BUT HE WOULD CERTAINLY LIKE TO!!

Just another ultra right-wing hate monger hiding behind religion. He sees nothing wrong with Bush''s illegal war that has killed tens of thousands of innocents, but he wants to force the world to ''do as he says'' and protect mindless pieces of tissue. Your time has passed, neanderthal. The rest of us are moving on into the 21st century.

[nishaboston]

Wouldn''t be surprised if he is playing with little boys! Sick of these so called god fearing hypocrites! Let God judge Obama and his voters not you and guess what your not to be called father according to the scriptures!

[iowa0319]

Some people should''t protest abortion. He should have been aborted. I''m sick of bible thumpers.

[mumu11]

Priests who meddle in politics should automatically disqualify their churches from their tax exempt status. When a church acts as a lobby, it should be treated as a lobby: no more no less. This country''s principle is equality before the law, not priviledges, exemptions and free ride for some self proclaimed religious clique.
Just imagine the Muslim, the Buddhist and the Jews trying that unconstitutional breach of the right to vote, and you''ll realize how off the wall many Christian preachers are.
In this country, being in the (religious) majority does NOT allow you to control the mind (and vote) of everybody.

[sleepyric]

You gotta take anything said by anybody proclaiming themselves religious with a grain of salt. Religion enslaves people using guilt, and threat of some terrible other-worldly punishment. Go foist your crazy views on someone else. Better yet, direct your energies toward the pediphiles that infest your religion.

[babooph]

How many hail maries will he have to say for belonging to a group with their reputation ??[Hint-he will not live long enough ]

[marcosis78]

No kidding. Hes the type that if you ask a logical question about "God" that he would go ballistic on you. One of the religious fanatics that believes that religion is the ONLY thing in life. Theres this little thing called individualism. If everyone was a republican and wants to outlaw abortion, the world would have exploded from our own carbon admissions. But republicans dont believe in that in their happy fairytale lives.

[hennighg]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. So, child molesters are against abortion. The priests ought to be a little more forgiving of others'' positions.

[nirak2-2009]

If anyone must do penance is the Priest!
What kind of Priest is he? A ignorant one!

[spinproof]

Republicans are very skilled at winning elections on single issues but Americans are weighing a multitude of issues when selecting candidates these days and pro-life and abortion are only one of many and not the end all be all by themselves anymore.

[thechooch1]

How about his parishioners that voted for Obama not putting anything in the collection basket, in protest?

[a63tango]

Oh, I see. We''re suppose to vote for the other guy because he wanted to continue the unjustified (See the Pope) war in Iraq with all its direct killing of people. I''m sorry this priest is full of it.

[oldguy4truth]

G.D. this man. How can he claim to be a man of God, and spout out somthing like that. He is no better then the late Jerry Farwell. Are all those who voted for Lincoln in hell now because Lincoln was an agnostic? I guess Jesus Christ himself should be condemned for staying in a house with a "publican" no pun intended.

This is the kind of thinking that made me leave the Catholic Church.

What about candidates that support capital punishment (like George Bush)?

What about candidates that do nothing to alleviate the suffering of millions of people in the US without access to health care?

What about candidates that ignore the needs of the poor?

What about candidates that support an unnecessary war where a million civilians are killed?

To mix politics and religion is to corrupt both.

While there is much common ground on many of these issues, single issue hard line stances distort the political process and get in the way of real progress.

[hotpaulie]

Like the only issue to consider was abortion...what about all the civilian deaths in afghanistan and iraq???? Not to mention any issue dealing with the economy...This priest is just trying to get on TV.
O yea - I am a PRACTICING CATHOLIC...keep your communion!!!

[ladyraestewa]

That''s hilarious. If those who voted for President-Elect Obama should do penance then those who voted for Senator McCain have no choice but to kill themselves!

[aldon61]

We cannot leave our faith outside the voting booth," Newman told WSPA.

This priest has it absolutely back-ward! We MUST put our faith aside in a secular country. Abortion is but one issue, and it is a matter of morality. That will be addressed when we all meet our maker. We need people that can address the "real" issues this country faces. Little things like our economy, energy, immigration reform, taxes, infrastructure repair, thing that matter to this country. GOD will judge what''s in our hearts and his judgement will be just. In the meantime, we ARE NOT a theocracy and therefore we should vote for the most qualified candidate that can lead our country out of this quagmire we''re all stuck in.

[martin9p2]

When a crackpot priest says something, maybe the parishioners consider the source. It''s against IRS law for the Church to tell parishioners who to vote for, anyway.

[ioweign]

Religion is a business and should be taxed...

[slim1h2o]

Oh wait...abortion isn''''t necessary if you''''re abusing little boys, so it only serves to promote their kinky pedophile lifestyles.

Posted by aggiekat2004 at 10:30 AM : Nov 14, 2008

That''s why they''re against abortion, it might put a dent in their little pool of potential victims.

[martin9p2]

The priest is a one-issue voter because his Church blinders are on, but if he had also considers war, pestilance, and famine, he would have been campaigning door-to-door for Obama.

[usclimey]

Definitely time to tax all churches. What''s the history behind that loophole anyway - why do they not pay taxes now??

[alljumpin]

Abortions increased dramatically in number during the Bush administration. Abstinence programs do not work. It amazes me that some celibate man wants to control women''s reproductive rights. This character should stick to running BINGO games.

[htemph]

Wow!!!! Mao, Lenin, Marx, Fidel they all have said that religion enslaves people. It is getting to be scary how intolerant are those that call religious people intolerant. I am not a catholic, but I don''t think he did anything wrong. The catholic church has the right to its own opinion. So you than think that you can judge this priest, somehow are making the same mistake that you are accusing the priest of doing. Look at your statements and realize if you can be radical ... other people can be as well. There is nothing special about you.

[daffy64]

Were we supposed to vote for the guy who sang "bomb bomb bomb Iran"?

Give me a break.

[martin9p2]

The crackpot priest regrets that Obama was elected, so now he is laying a (classical Catholic) guilt trip on parishioners. In addition to abortion, he should consider war, pestilance, and famine, and then try to make up his small mind on who to vote for.

[riotgrrl-2009]

Death Penalty, Iraq War - so, if the Vatican opposes these but the GOP backs them, you can get communion? American Priests and Knights of Columbus are single-issue Catholics and disgrace true faith - GET YOUR GOD OUT OF MY GOVERNMENT!

[credibility2]

It''s not just Catholics that are against abortion. Those of any faith are supposed to remain true to its doctrines. This may seem a contradiction in a nation that is secular and indifferent to others who hold a variant view on life. This also shows profound intolerance and hatred towards those with differing viewpoints, pro and con. It''s amusing how some who are intolerant of those who are against abortion, will whine, moan and complain when others dare to oppose their viewpoints. Then it''s not acceptable and a violation of their rights. Double standard.

[cariboubarbi]

This church should lose it''s tax exempt status. The taxpayers should not be subsidizing any church that promotes or campaigns against any candidate period.

[jlagat]

This is surprising....


... a Catholic priest in the South.

[hangelle]

This is outrageous! That priest never insisted on pennance when his parishoners were voting for death penalty advocates. Screw him.

[j_flood]

where does it end Father Newman - where does it end?

[cariboubarbi]

Credibility2


If you are against abortion, do what I do. Don''t have one.

In the mean time mind your own business.

You''ll be much happier focusing on your own life rather than trying to tell others how to live theirs.

Try it.

It works.

Every time.

Guaranteed.

[martin9p2]

I, martin9p2, hereby absolve Reverend Newman''s parishioners of any alleged sin for voting their minds for Obama. There you go. One "unauthorized" absolution for another immoral condemnation.

[aldon61]

Wow!!!! Mao, Lenin, Marx, Fidel they all have said that religion enslaves people. It is getting to be scary how intolerant are those that call religious people intolerant. I am not a catholic, but I don''''t think he did anything wrong. The catholic church has the right to its own opinion. So you than think that you can judge this priest, somehow are making the same mistake that you are accusing the priest of doing. Look at your statements and realize if you can be radical ... other people can be as well. There is nothing special about you.


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Posted by htemph at 10:42 AM : Nov 14, 2008

I agree that the Catholic church has a right to their OPINION! They do not have the right to withhold sacraments from their parishers. That is JUDGING, and there is only one judge and we will all meet him. This priest is just plain wrong and defending him is not the appropriate thing to do.(my opinion)

[cariboubarbi]

I wonder where this jackasss priest stands on war?

Is he for invading a country that''s has posed no threat to yours and causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians so that you can steal their oil?

[gop_will_win]

I am glad this priest is standing up for Jesus. The liberals should do penance for their sin of voting for Obama or they face eternal damnation.

[gjacques2004]

+The Reverend Jay Scott Newman of St. Mary''s Catholic Church in Greenville, S.C., says parishioners who voted for Barack Obama should perform penance for backing a candidate who supports "pro-abortion" policies.;

This man should return to the stone age. Nobody loves abortion, people are just for +Pro-choice;. The church has no right to choose for individuals, they are there to council but not to make decisions. Like the pope who says to Africans not to use condoms, god decides who will live or die. That is purely irresponsible.

[trillion1]

I don''t recall abortion being very high on the list of voters concerns. This guy is a jerk.

[doctajim]

I can only wonder how this priest feels about the hundreds to thousands of children and teens who have been "sectually abused" by priests and other officials of the Catholic Church during the last century alone. What''s the punishment: 2 Acts of Contrition, a few Hail Mary''s, 10 Our Fathers? Then there are the "forgiven" chronic abusers of the Protestant evangelicals that beat their children, cheat on thier spouses, promote racism and the KKK. I want a government that isn''t infested by religious hypocrites.

[martin9p2]

That crackpot wants to take the holy sacrament away from parishioners who voted for a candidate. Un-be- *** -lievable.

[cariboubarbi]

If you are against abortion, do what I do. Don''''t have one.

In the mean time mind your own business.

You''''ll be much happier focusing on your own life rather than trying to tell others how to live theirs.

Try it.

It works.

Every time.

Guaranteed.

[mjm117]

Newman later followed up this story with a comment stating that he would be passing on communion this week until he pays penance for molesting a little boy on Tuesday

[pvperson]

It would appear that the village idiot got a job as a priest.

Extremists, should NOT be allowed to control other peoples lives.

[daffy64]

I am glad this priest is standing up for Jesus. The liberals should do penance for their sin of voting for Obama or they face eternal damnation.

-----

"You point out the speck in other''s eyes, while ignoring the log in your own."

"He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone."

Sound advice for you, sir.

[biblethumpar]

5 Hail Marys,
3 Our Fathers.
1 tap on da behind to the incence carrier and all is forgiven.

[mjm117]

Best thing I ever did was abort a child with a girlfriend of years ago. She turns out to be an alcoholic drug addict who now has a 6 yr old child that is YEARS behind other kids his age because she chose to smoke and drink while pregnant.

I on the other hand have a beautiful son and daughter with my wife.

[jensbr01]

It drives me NUTS when people use the term "pro abortion" as Reverend Newman does. It''s not about being pro-life or pro-ABORTION, it''s about being pro-life or pro-CHOICE! It is offensive to assume that anyone would actually push someone else to have an abortion, as the phrase "pro-abortion" would suggest. I am not pro-abortion and would never recommend or promote abortion, but I am pro-choice because I have never been in a position to have an abortion and cannot possibly know how I would feel if I were in that position.