The Catholic priest who told members of his congregation who voted for Obama that they are putting their souls at risk if they take Holy Communion before doing penance for their vote
- Thursday, November 13, 2008, 18:59
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Note: The photo shown is being used for illustrative purposes only and is not a photo of Rev. Jay Scott.
The Associated Press reports that a Catholic priest in South Carolina accused parishioners who voted for Barack Obama of materially cooperating with “instrinsic evil”, and warned that their souls would be at risk if they took Holy Communion before doing penance for their vote.
In a letter to his parishioners Rev. Jay Scott Newman wrote:
“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.”
“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.”
There is an active and interesting discussion about this taking place over on newsvine.com. The general consensus appears to be that the priest was out of line. Why is it any of the church’s business who their parishioners voted for? Parishioners are individuals and entitled to their own individual political beliefs. What they believe politically and who they vote for has nothing to do with their religious fate; and if some voted for a candidate who supports something the church is against the church has no right to try to try to condemn them.
What do you think about this issue? To find out what other people are saying check out the discussion on newsvine.com
Image: White haired priest with black by SouthbankSteve via Flickr