Communion view rebuked
Monsignor: Denying sacrament to Obama voters contradicts church teachings
Jason Parker/Greenville News
The Rev. Jay Scott Newman said Catholics who voted for Barack Obama should confess before taking Communion.
The Catholic Diocese of Charleston expressed regret Friday over recent comments from a Greenville priest, saying the church's moral teachings had been "pulled into the partisan political arena."
The Rev. Jay Scott Newman distributed a letter Sunday to parishioners of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville stating that worshippers who voted for Barack Obama were risking their souls if they took Holy Communion before repenting.
"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. "Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exits constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil. … 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."
Obama supports abortion rights. The Catholic Church advocates for the sanctity of all human life.
Monsignor Martin T. Laughlin, diocese administrator, said Newman's comments had served as a distraction and did not "adequately reflect" church teachings, adding that he would repudiate any assertions to the contrary.
"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,' " Laughlin said in a statement. The Word of God, which informs the conscience, should be assimilated in faith and prayer and put into practice, he said, referring to the Catechism. "Christ gives us freedom to explore our own conscience and to make our own decisions while adhering to the law of God and the teachings of the faith. Therefore, if a person has formed his or her conscience well, he or she should not be denied Communion, nor be told to go to confession before receiving Communion."
The pulpit, Laughlin said, is reserved for the Word of God, not partisan politics.
"We should all come together to support the president-elect and all elected officials with a view to influencing policy in favor of the protection of the unborn child," Laughlin said.
The 2008 presidential campaign prompted many church officials to express strong anti-abortion views. Other groups, such as Catholic Democrats and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, emphasized other issues such as poverty, the economy and war.
In a post-election statement, Catholics in Alliance praised Obama for his victory.
"As faithful citizens, we will challenge his administration to bring a responsible end to the Iraq war, ensure all Americans have health care and enact comprehensive solutions to reduce abortions," the statement read. "Catholics in Alliance will continue to challenge all elected officials to put human dignity and the common good before narrow partisan agendas or rigid ideologies."
In the election Obama took 54 percent of the Catholic vote, according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
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Comments
attakkat (anonymous) says...
To report churches that are violating the laws of separation of church and state, go to the Americans United for Separation of Church and State website at:
http://www.au.org/site/PageServer
November 15, 2008 at 6:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mkris (anonymous) says...
SIMPLE: stop putting money into the collection plate and go play bingo somewhere other than in the parish hall.
November 15, 2008 at 9:19 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dhshjh (anonymous) says...
I do not endorse or necessarily believe in what this priest said but I really wish people would get it straight.
There are no words in our constitution that say "separation of church and state".
The words are "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...."
Which to me means everyone should have freedom of religion and Congress has no say in it, for or against. That is why it is so hard for me to understand why such a fuss about the 10 commandments in our buildings They have every right to be there, for historical, as well as good teaching reasons. You don't have to be a christian to follow most of those rules. Just a good person.
So maybe I am wrong, but a church can't violate the law, since it is the congress that is not supposed to violate our rights for freedom of religion or speech. If you do not believe in a certain religion, then do not go to that church. Stop telling everyone that what they believe is against the constitution. This is America, remember. We are supposed to stand for freedom.
November 15, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
amylrod (anonymous) says...
How convenient. Father Newman had his letter, which none of you probably never had the opportunity to read, taken down from his parish's website. For your information, he never preached from the pulpit naming who to vote for or who not to vote for.
This was a letter in the parish bulletin in which he addressed to his parishioners, stating, "...."Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exists 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."
He never said he would deny them communion - he can't do that and faithful catholics know this.
If you are a Catholic and have been taught that abortion is intrinsically evil and vote for a pro-choice candidate, you cooperate with the sin of abortion.
Since the Catholic Church has been silent on abortion for the past 35 years, (my opinion) the unborn have been silenced. Hardly a whisper was heard from priest, bishops or cardinals on the sin of abortion. I remember, though, that if one had cooperated with an abortion or had one and was Catholic, one had to seek confession from one's bishop. That was 35 years ago. The church has a duty, responsibility to help their parishioners form a moral conscience on moral issues. For them to remain silent on sin leaves a gaping hole in the consciences of those who cannot discern the full impact of any sin.
If the church says nothing, then it, too, is guilty of cooperating with evil.
Parents have a duty and responsibility to teach their children right from wrong. It is no different for the Church to do the same. What we are seeing is a collapse of morality everywhere and divisiveness, hate and evil are spreading in every fabric of our society, our world.
The Catholic leaders for decades were pro-democrat and for good reason. But when the party became the party of Death - abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, etc, the Catholic church and the catholic community had a moral responsibility to no longer support Democrat candidates who voted for these immoral actions. If a Republican is pro-abortion, etc, I cannot vote in good conscience for that person as well.
It is unfortunate that so many of the Catholic hierarchy are still entrenched in Vatican II propaganda and liberal democrat thinking. They have forsaken the Church and its commitment to teaching with authority the Gospels of LIFE.
Father Newman is a gem of a priest, in my book and I applaud his courage and leadership. I am sorry that he suffering the condemnation of many. He is in good company, though. They did the same to Christ.
November 15, 2008 at 10:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
preachlove (anonymous) says...
Amlyrod wrote: He never said he would deny them communion -he can't do that and faithful catholics know this."
Please define for me what a faithful Catholic is? Is it a Catholic who gives a lot of money to the church, a catholic who helps others, one who prays for others, a catholic who knows the church teachings, rules and some scriptures, one who goes to church once a week, more than once a week, a Catholic who doesn't attend church, but still has the true love of Jesus Christ in his heart? Please be advised that many people may classify in one or more of the above categories, but that does not make them faithful. Only God can truly say who is a faithful Catholic, not a Reverand. And only God can forgive one's sins, "not bless me father for I have sinned." Only God knows the TRUE soul and goodness of a person. One may have a sense that a person is faithful, but that doesn't make it true.
"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."
It is because of hypocrisy like this that many people choose not attend church. That does not make them less faithful, but some don't want to be tarnished with untrue and false biblical teachings."
While the Reverand may not have come out and said he would deny communion, he filled parishoners with fear about voting for Obama because of his abortion stance. This is a pure example of partisan politics.
If the Reverand wanted to be fair, and be in good company as you say with Christ, then he should have also attacked John McCain's stance on the war where thousands of people, (our soldiers and innocent Iraqi civilians (men, women and children)have died and are still dying in a war that seems to have no end in sight.
November 15, 2008 at 1:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
amylrod (anonymous) says...
preachlove,
perhaps these two links will give you a better understanding than what I could say in words.
I will say, though, faithful Catholics are those who are faithful to the church's teachings, completely, who study the catechism, who faithfully attend Mass, who seek answers to questions about moral issues if they don't understand them; who seeks Christ's forgiveness in the Sacrament of confession as was ordained by Christ to his apostles. If you are not Catholic, perhaps these two links will help you understand the importance of life from the moment of conception to the end of one's life, and what the Church says about war.
http://www.lifeissues.net/writers/kra...
http://www.lifeissues.net/writers/kra...
I am a faithful Catholic, but I am also a sinner. I have an informed conscience thanks to several wonderful priests who preached on sins that made me aware that some things I did were sinful. There is a difference - mortal and venial. Any sin is a stain on one's soul, and realizing the difference and working at avoiding any sin involves a penitent heart, graces, and as we say "a firm commitment to avoid those sins." If I know in my heart that I have serious sin, I cannot receive the Eucharist until I receive the sacrament of Confession. The Church I grew up in in the 60's and 70's were confusing times and their were priests who made everything sound like a mortal sin. Trust me, I went through hell with my conscience and for a time, left the Church. But, in my heart, I knew I was Catholic and I searched for answers through prayer and with the help of several wonderful priests, I found my way back to my faith. Like the lost sheep, I found my way home.
I hope my ramblings answer your questions.
Peace!
November 15, 2008 at 3:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dhshjh (anonymous) says...
JimIslander... read my comment again. I said that the congress has no right to tell us what to do. But if you belong to a church and claim to be christian then your pastor or priest has every right to tell you to vote your conscience according to your religion. He is talking to the people who believe, not to those who don't.
As far as the 10 commandments, you didn't read that part either. They are a part of history even if you don't believe in them.
Look at the schools and the streets since they took God out. What will it take to make people understand that they need to go towards God and not away. I pray for people who think we should take away God in this world and this country.
I'd rather believe there is a God, and find out there isn't, then believe there isn't, and find out there is when it is too late.
November 15, 2008 at 4:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dhshjh (anonymous) says...
also preachlove
How can you compare the killing of innocent babies, to men and women choosing to join the service and protect our country. I don't want to see any one killed, but babies didn't ask to be conceived and then die. I am a woman who was made to have an abortion when I was 16 by my father. I was 3 months pregnant and they told me it was a boy. If they are not formed that young how could they have know. If really necessary abortions should only be done for medical reasons, and that doesn't mean downs syndrome or other defects, it means that it is the only choice to save the life of the mother. No, I do not believe a woman has a right to do as she wishes with her own body. That would mean so does everyone else. If I want to kill myself smoking, or even doing drugs, then as long as I do it at home and it doesn't affect anyone else, by these beliefs, no one has a right to tell me it is wrong.
When will it all stop? How much freedom should we allow?
November 15, 2008 at 6:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
amylrod (anonymous) says...
For those of you interested, here is the link to the letter Father Newman had in last weeks bulletin. The diocese is completely out in left field because of political correctness and hypocrisy. Priests are so afraid of saying anything and the few who do get persecuted. And he didn't say anything wrong - it was completely taken out of context. Thanks, AP!
http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/1...
God bless you, Father Newman!
November 15, 2008 at 9:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
amylrod (anonymous) says...
One more link: http://www.catholic.org/politics/stor...
November 15, 2008 at 10:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
BKLYNIRISH (anonymous) says...
NEWSFLASH:
Father Newman published this letter AFTER the election. How many of you have said that he was trying to influence the election?
amylrod is right on the money about this situation, as well as on Father Newman himself.
By the way, it's good to see the inevitable Catholic bashing going on. So predictable these days...
November 16, 2008 at 1:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
preachlove (anonymous) says...
amylrod - Thank you for your intelligent and eloquent response to my post and I apologize for not being able to respond sooner. I was enlightened by reading the links that you provided. After reading those links, I have come away with the conclusion that Father Newman was not engaging in partisan politics, but it seems that another Bishop (Democrat) was.
However, in reading the Church's take on war in which it discusses the role of the agressor, it states: "The Church teaches that it is the right and responsibility of the legitimate temporal authority to defend and preserve the common good and citizens against the aggressor, even if it has to resort to the death penalty if no other means of defense is sufficient." This would lead me to believe that the Catholic Church is not in agreement with the present war in Iraq.
dhshjh - I wasn't trying to compare abortion vs. war deaths, I was merely trying to point out partisan politics. I'm also sorry to hear that your father made you abort a baby at 3 months. I do feel that was wrong.
November 16, 2008 at 2:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
amylrod (anonymous) says...
Preachlove, Pope John Paul II was against the war, but as it is noted by the Second Vatican Council, "insofar as men are sinful, the threat of war hangs over them, and hang over them it will until the return of Christ" (Gaudium et Spes 78).
The war on the unborn has taken more innocent lives throughout the world than if you took all the wars and put them together and number the dead. I know that there is a statistic out there somewhere stating such, but we as Christians of all faiths, must seek to change the hearts and pray for those who seek to murder innocent lives in the womb, infanticide, euthanasia and assisted suicide. This war is far more greater as we are living in this culture of death.
I thought you would find this article interesting.
http://www.valuesvoternews.com/2008/1...
Peace!
November 16, 2008 at 4:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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