Tuesday, December 02, 2008
FATHER NEWMAN HAS COMPANY
LifeSite reports that another priest has come out with a letter recommending confession to those Catholics who voted for Obama:
MODESTO, California, December 1, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A California priest has garnered international attention and strong praise for pointing out the moral peril of Catholics who voted for President-elect Barack Obama despite being aware of his agenda to aggressively promote abortion.
"If you are one of the 54 percent of Catholics who voted for a pro-abortion candidate, you were clear on his position, and you knew the gravity of the question, I urge you to go to confession before receiving communion," wrote Fr. Joseph Illo, pastor of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in the Stockton diocese, in a letter to his parishioners. "Don't risk losing your state of grace by receiving sacrilegiously."...
According to the Bee, the bishop of Stockton disagrees with Fr. Illo, saying Catholics should not feel compelled to disclose how they voted to their priest.
Bishop Stephen Blaire said Catholics who weighed several issues and nonetheless settled on Obama were not in need of confession, unless "someone voted for a pro-abortion or pro-choice candidate - if that's the reason you voted for them."
In a statement released today, Bishop Blaire emphasized his commitment to Church teaching that abortion is "an intrinsic evil," but added that he "will not tell the Catholic people of this diocese for whom to vote" and that each must "weigh our decisions carefully, pray to God for guidance, and make the best choices we can for the common good."
