Diocese Repudiates SC Priest

[ploto]

...But in an unusual move, Monsignor Martin T. Laughlin, Administrator of the Diocese of Charleston, SC, has issued a statement and video repudiating Father Newman.

"This past week, the Catholic Church’s clear, moral teaching on the evil of abortion has been pulled into the partisan political arena," wrote Msgr. Laughlin. "The recent comments of Father Jay Scott Newman, pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Greenville, S.C., have diverted the focus from the Church’s clear position against abortion. As Administrator of the Diocese of Charleston, let me state with clarity that Father Newman’s statements do not adequately reflect the Catholic Church’s teachings. Any comments or statements to the contrary are repudiated."

"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,'" Msgr. Laughlin continued. "The Catechism goes on to state: 'In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our path; we must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice. We must also examine our conscience before the Lord’s Cross. We are assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, aided by the witness or advice of others and guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church.' 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 is reserved for the Word of God. Sometimes God’s truth, as is the Church’s teaching on abortion, is unpopular. All Catholics must be aware of and follow the teachings of the Church. 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."

Newman has since taken down his church newsletter and is now referring those seeking to read it to the website of the Diocese of Charleston.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/11/diocese-repudia.html

[kwhitegocubs]

I'm actually mildly surprised by this restraint. I know that if it were the Rockford Diocese that I grew up a part of, the comments that priest made would probably serve as a springboard for the Bishop to publicly agree to with-holding communion for all pro-choice members.

[ploto]

I'm actually mildly surprised by this restraint. I know that if it were the Rockford Diocese that I grew up a part of, the comments that priest made would probably serve as a springboard for the Bishop to publicly agree to with-holding communion for all pro-choice members.

These members are not necessarily themselves pro-choice. That is the whole point. Both candidates have issues in opposition to the Church's teaching. A priest could just as easily then say a person who votes for McCain is pro-death penalty, but that is not necessarily the case. People weigh many issues when they vote- and even the US Conference of Bishops stated that Catholics should not be single issue voters. If a person uses a well-formed conscience to decide which candidate adheres most to his or her view on issues then the Church can not draw any conclusions about that person's relationship with God.

Myself- I am pro-life-- ALL life-- so I oppose abortion, the death penalty, and torture, and also support issues of life such as access to health care and help for those in poverty. I voted for Obama because he is more in line with my thinking on more issues of life than the Republicans even are. They focus on one- I focus on the entirety.

When it comes to politics, I think it also is a bunch of BS. I have not seen Bush or his Congress do anything to lessen the number of abortions in this country or to assist women who find themselves in the situation where they make this choice. I do not think they really care about these women- just about convincing people to vote for them. Their claims to be pro-life fall on deaf ears.

[kwhitegocubs]

Oh, I totally agree with you, and perhaps I was not clear.

That being said, I am certaing there ARE members of the congregation that are pro-choice. I was taking the quote you bolded about "formation of conscience" to allow (though not validate) those views.

I am also pro-life on all of the issues you spoke of and voted for Obama for those reasons (amongst others). I also agree that many Republicans simply use it as a wedge issue. Of course, appointing Supreme Court justices is the one thing Bush has done towards ending abortion, but as I am considerably liberal, I find their overall judicial mindsets to be frightening.

Kinda sucks.