Here is a new twist on the abortion = no communion debate in the Catholic church. A priest in South Carolina doesn't want Obama voters to receive communion unless they have done penance.
"The priest at St. Mary's Catholic Church in downtown Greenville has told parishioners that those who voted for Barack Obama placed themselves under divine judgment because of his stance on abortion and shouldn't receive Holy Communion until they've done penance
The Rev. Jay Scott Newman told The Greenville News on Wednesday that church teaching doesn't allow him to refuse Holy Communion to anyone based on political choices, but that he'll continue to deliver the church's strong teaching on the "intrinsic and grave evil of abortion" as a hidden form of murder."
Is this allowed in the Roman Catholic church? Can a priest decide who gets to partake of the eucharist based on politics? Any readers know?
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Church tradition and teaching has made abortion akin to murder. The Bible never explicitly makes this connection, nor mentions abortion specifically either. Yet the Scriptures are clear on a number of other things: injustice, oppression and what we would call human rights abuses, neglect of the hungry and the poor, and so on. Jesus was never clearer than when he spoke of the consequences of what people did "to the least of these", for what was done to them he said was done as well to him. Did this priest call for penance before receiving communion for those who voted for Bush who has promoted policies that fly in the face of Jesus' admonition above: torture, Guantanamo, pre-emptive war on flimsy pretexts? Politically and theologically, he's skating on thin and dangerous ice here if he's taking any side politically.
The bible does mention that God hates hands that shed innocent blood, and therefore; this is abortion. However; to my understanding, Obama is not an abortionist! He is pro-choice, and that is different. God gives us all a free will, and what others might not think is sinful as well, gossiping, slandering, fornication, etc...is just as sinful in God's eyes. We must take our eyes off someone's opinion, and take a look at our own hearts. The word says that we ALL have sinned and fallen short, including that priest. We are accountable for God, not any pastor! No one should decide who gets communion, but God! He is our judge!
The pro-life agenda of the Catholic Church does not start and end with abortion. If we are going to deny communion to Catholics who vote for a pro-choice candidate who him/herself has never performed such a procedure, then the logical conclusion is that the Eucharist will also be denied to voters who support candidates who are pro death penalty, pro pre-emptive war, pro torture, etc.
"Do you agree? Do you think the priest is taking the correct action?____Is a public citizen's private vote in a democratic republic a mortal sin?"
I don't think Fr. Newman took the correct action in stating that those who voted for Pres. Elect Obama should go to confession, lest they drink condemnation on themselves based on the 3 criteria for mortal sin which you stated. His statement about Church teaching not allowing that is probably based on indiscrimately denying communion to Obama supporters without knowing their frame of mind, ie deliberate consent. It would be a rare circumstance where a Eucharistic minister would know that the Obama voter did so with deliberate consent (much less the vote of each and every individual member of the congregation.)
As a Eucharistic minister, my hope would be that I have the courage to deny communion to one I had sufficient evidence and/or reason to believe that person wasn't in a state of grace, as that is what Eucharistic ministers are called to do, to protect it from sacrilege (at least that's what I was taught in my pre-training course.) It is a very unenviable position to be put in, and my sympathies are with those who have to make that judgment call.
The answer here is NO, a Priest should not refuse parishioners from receiving communion for voting for Obama.
Obama is probably the most extreme Pro-abortion candidate we have ever had. He is for Gay’s right to marry and embryonic stem cell research. – These issue are against Catholic Doctrine.
BUT – Obama is also against the Death Penalty, health care access, immigration rights – which are also very Catholic.
So, for some, it becomes a matter of lesser of two evils. I personally would never vote for a Pro-Choice candidate, either party. I have heard others say the abortion issue is lost and they voted Obama for the other issues. I disagree with the vast majority of Obama’s beliefs. Furthermore, many, many Priest are nervous about Obama. This is the most vocal our Priest and bishops have been about a presidential candidate. And we all should be vocal, but unless the Priest knows exactly if a person is in a state of sin, they should not refuse communion.
If you are directly supporting, aiding or performing abortions, you can be excommunicated from the church. A politician who stands up and applauses abortions is not excommunicated. A Catholic Politician that helps enable abortion can be refused Communion.
The Church expects individuals to not receive communion if they are in a sinful state.
Interesting facts about our Democratic, Catholic Senators
The head of the Catholic League says although there are more "wild-eyed" supporters of abortion in the Democratic Party than Delaware Senator Joe Biden, Barack Obama's vice-presidential running mate is a strong ally of the abortion lobby. He also has a suggestion for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a professed Catholic: review the basics of Catholicism. Bill Donohue of the Catholic League laments that of the 16 Democratic senators who are Catholic, all are pro-abortion. Senator Joe Biden's approval rating from the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) ranges from 75-to-100 percent.
BELOW IS THE CHURCH DOCTRINE ON RECEIVING COMMUNION:
• To receive Communion worthily, you must be in a state of grace, have made a good confession since your last mortal sin, believe in transubstantiation, observe the Eucharistic fast, and, finally, not be under an ecclesiastical censure such as excommunication.
o A mortal sin is any sin whose matter is grave and which has been committed willfully and with knowledge of its seriousness.
• The requirement for sacramental confession can be dispensed if four conditions are fulfilled: (1) there must be a grave reason to receive Communion (for example, danger of death), (2) it must be physically or morally impossible to go to confession first, (3) the person must already be in a state of grace through perfect contrition, and (4) he must resolve to go to confession as soon as possible.
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