Diocese Repudiates SC Priest Who Said Catholic Obama Supporters Need Penance Before Communion

JaneP, your comments are so full of bias and misinformation. You quote from some other hokum site from some commentator that references 3 codes of Canon (1329, 1397, 1364). If one is to go to the Canon itself (which is easy to do) nowhere is it found that voting for a politician is "material complicity" in abortion, it is a huge stretch to say otherwise.

Leading scholars are saying that your approach has FAILED; concentrating on outlawing abortion is still allowing babies to die, when proven methods to reduce abortions (supported by the President-elect) will save FAR MORE babies than your short sighted failed policies.

Lets save all life, especially at the very beginning of life, by supporting women, lifting folks out of poverty, and encouraging women morally and finacially to carry their babies to term.

While you dawdle trying to outlaw abortion (your precious Republicans have done WHAT to outlaw abortion?) BABIES ARE DYING. Enough said.

The SC Priest is only doing his job. Here is the canon law on the matter:

"Any Catholic who supports intrinsically evil acts (abortion, euthanasia, cloning, same-sex marriage, etc), votes for them, or otherwise financially supports or furthers their cause, cannot remain Catholic. Catholics must adhere to Catholic teaching or they separate themselves from the Church; the Body of Christ. Such Catholics are excommunicated by virtue of the acts themselves. A latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication is triggered when they support, enable, and perpetuate such obvious and egregious evil (Cf. Code of Canon Law, Canons 1364, 1398; Canon 1329, §2). They are in turn forbidden from approaching the sacraments as the result (Cf. Catechism of Catholic Church # 1463)."

Kathy,

What part of "thou shalt not kill" don't you undestand? This is universal in every major religion, with the possible exception of the "religion of peace," of course. There are circumstances which allow killing such as self defense, but this is the most innocent and defenseless of all life, and certainly that doesn't apply to abortions. So you can certainly continue to go to mass and receive communion, but you should be aware that every basic tenet of the Catholic Church is clear that you are committing a mortal (very serious) sin if you continue to do so. Same is true if you've had an abortion, performed an abortion, or vote for/pass legilation legalizing abortion. The Church is quite clear on this and has, in fact, told certain "Catholic" politicians that they should not be receiving communion while holding these views and being a proponent of abortion.

Linda,

Some priests are homosexuals. However, they have taken vows to be celebate for life, so it should have no bearing on their priestly duties. I believe most of them are celebate, but you only hear about the ones that have broken their vows. When a man goes thru the seminary, there are ways that the Church tries to weed out the ones who are not sincere or who may be at risk for bad behavior. However, of late there have been quite a few that have fallen below the radar and were not caught before they committed crimes. This is very unfortunate, since the Church has been seen as complicit in these acts, which it is not. I also believe that if they have broken their vows in an illegal way, then they should be prosecuted according to the law. And BTW, priests are certainly not the only homosexual clergy out there. Clergy that are homosexual can be found in every religion, as can pedophilia. It is just more publicized when it is the Catholic Church because of the influence the Church as in the world with one billion Catholics worldwide. Today, given the nature of our society, every Christian church has been under attack, unless they are extremely liberal. But I feel the Catholics get more than their fair share of criticism.

Father Newman is correct. The bishops as a whole agree with him and I am thankful for priests like him who understand where the battle is. It begins with life!

I so appreciate the position of the Diocese. My conscience and my belief in what is just is between me and God. When the church gets involved in the political arena, it is a distraction. I do not think any of us could deem the Republican Party to be God's chosen party. Neither candidate is without sin, nor are any of us.

I have to wonder then...why do you call yourself a Catholic if you cannot live according to the teachings of the church? The Catholic Church is responsible for teaching its flock to make moral decisions that coincide with the teachings of the church...this is not something that is a secret within each individual to not be shared with others. Where does your presumption come about the Republican Party?...No one is without sin that is true....but some publicly commit sin when they support abortion in political offices by way of a vote!

I so appreciate the position of the Diocese. My conscience and my belief in what is just is between me and God. When the church gets involved in the political arena, it is a distraction. I do not think any of us could deem the Republican Party to be God's chosen party. Neither candidate is without sin, nor are any of us.

I Thank God for priests like Fr. Jay Newman who are true defenders of the Roman Catholic Church. I have always been brought up in my beloved Catholic faith that the sanctity of human life is one of the most important teachings of the Catholic Church. I am saddened to hear that the Diocese of Charleston feels otherwise under the direction of Msgr. Martin Laughlin. Yes, Msgr. Laughlin...people have free will to make their own personal choices, but in the Catholic Church it is the SOLE responsibility of the priests, bishops, cardinals,etc. to inform their flock as to what is immoral or not...a sin or not! I am so ashamed of not my church, but of the free will of the American Bishops in not speaking out against the evil in the world...especially the evils of abortion and everyone that supports it! Msgr. Laughlin and the Diocese of Charleston have created yet another scandal to the Catholic Church and have made a mockery out of its followers who live accordingly to the teachings of the Catholic Church. I am left to wonder what God is really thinking right now!?

I think Father Newman was correct in what he said. Abortion, or voting for someone who is so pro-abortion, is definitely a serious sin. I am not entirely sure about excommunication since I feel that almost no sin is beyond God's mercy to forgive if one is sincerely penitent. I think he was talking about a temporary excommunication until the person confesses. However, key to this is that the person is truly sorry for the offense. The bishop, I believe, was wrong. For those who don't like Catholic doctrine, go elsewhere. It is what it is, and you have mega choices of churches to belong to if the doctrines are too restrictive for you. As for me and my husband, we are very devout and have no trouble following the rules. In fact, being aware of sinning against God, ourselves and others, has made us much better people. As someone eloquently put it, if you don't like the club, don't join. If you can stick with it, the rewards are great.

Is this the same church where some of them are homosexuals???
God help us all.

What about Obama's other political positions; is there nothing that Catholicism and Obama both support? What about McCain's political positions- I'm sure he has some that the Catholic church would consider morally wrong.
Voting for a president involves many, many issues. I am a Catholic, I support Obama because I believe he is the lesser of two evils, and I am dead set against abortion. I refuse to believe this is a sin or that I can't hold all these beliefs simultaneously.

BEFORE YOU READ THIS::: The fundamental question is: do you believe in the bible? If not: forget it. Don't waste your time reading further. Otherwise, please consider this sermon I "borrowed" from a wise man.

“DID GOD REALLY SAY . . .?”
Genesis 3:1-3
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"

Do you recall hearing the story of a pastor who was assigned to a new church? He had only been there a few weeks when he decided to move the piano from one side of the church to the other.

The following Sunday as people gathered, they were in shock! “Why was the piano moved—by whom—and by what authority?” The pastor explained that he was the guilty party and had done so to improve access to the platform. The incident created such a stir that the pastor was asked to resign.

About a year later this pastor was traveling through the area and stopped by to visit with the new pastor who was a friend of his. He was shocked to notice that the piano had been moved to the exact location he had moved it that started the fuss.

In utter amazement he asked his replacement how he had been able to carry off the coup. The wise, older pastor just smiled and stroked his chin and replied with a sly grin; “A few inches a week!”

There are harmless things such as this that may be laughed at, but the tragedy is that all too often we are confronted with situations that should never be compromised. God’s Word is the same yesterday, today and forever.

There is no justification for individuals, church assemblies or political groups to compromise with the absolutes of the Word of God. God does not change and His Word is our sure foundation.

Compromise is a dangerous concept when we are dealing with spiritual truths. Consider two aspects of the definition of the word: (1) To expose or make liable to danger, suspicion, or disrepute. (2) Settlement of a disagreement in which each side agrees to give up part of its demands.
Read those two definitions once again. Can you even imagine that God would ever be pleased for us to violate His inerrant Word and thus expose ourselves to liable, suspicion or disrepute? Nor do I!

What happened in the Garden of Eden? Satan incited Adam and Eve to make a compromise with God’s command. He convinced them that God was not to be trusted and that they could make their own decisions about what was right and wrong.

Satan wanted to be like God and his strategy has always been to put within the heart of fallen mankind the same desire. The next time you are tempted to make a compromise with God’s absolutes, you can rest assured that it is the enemy’s work.

I Corinthians 15:58; “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!

Someone said it best on a talk show today: why is it those who are so concerned with "natural" and "green" are so inversely open to doing unnatural things to our own bodies - for example, those who are naturalists tend to be ok with: birth control (adding chemicals in our bodies to prevent a natural act); abortion (scraping out a natural being out of our bodies); gay and lesbian relationships (natural way is a man with a woman); etc. Wouldn't one think that those who are dyed-in-the-wool naturalist understand that the above (and others) are part of being natural as well?

On another note: The church is just like a bank. We all use banks to store money and take money out. If we don't like a policy or procedure the bank is supporting, you can take your money elsewhere's. Likewise, if you say you are a Catholic and want to be a practicing Catholic, you have to play by the Catholic rules or go to another church whose rules you do agree with. Why do you waste your time complaining when you can enjoy yourself somewhere else? Com'on; put your brain cells to more productive use like how do we get out of this financial crisis instead of wasting time?

dear father newman:
from nyc/and la girl.
1. we are angels, and yes, we agree.
2. we live in severely unjust
turbulent times and cities that are saturated with evil and sin in USA.
3. Thank GOD someone has the testesterone to state GODS'S will for us and publically. Yes, Obomba is
leading USA into a pit of more haides and SIN..
God bless all who stand up to this
poor leadership stance.
Life is not to be taken nor harmed.
we are pro lifers--the model angels.
USA/NYC/LA --

Who is this man who speaks for God? Only God can decide who sins and who does not. Men like this will pay a price in the afterlife for their sins. This is why so many people repudiate religion. He probably would have participated in the inquisition.

Well. well. Isn't it time for the RCC to just go away in the USA? Perhaps they will take the bigots in SC with them. This is unbelieveable, this priest is a bad bad power hungry guy. or is he an evangelist afterall?

Lance. I understand your position but tt is obvious that you have been called by Christ to be a memeber of the faithful. Christ is in a battle for souls and this Priest understands that. If the Church as a whole does not stand up for life who will? I hope and pray you hold on to the decision that the Holy Spirit obviously endowed you with. God Bless you and your family.

by Rome, I meant the Vatican

Why does Rome, a foreign government get to exert control over anything in the American poltical and secular world?

Don't give up on the Church because of the unfaithfulness of many North American Bishops. I would not be surprised if the bold priest becomes a bishop in a couple decades. Rome is going to clean house in North America one of these days.