"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. Don't risk losing your state of grace by receiving sacrilegiously," Illo wrote in a letter dated Nov. 21.

The letter was sent to more than 15,000 members of the St. Joseph's parish. It is one of 34 parishes in the Stockton Diocese, which has more than 200,000 members in Stanislaus, San Joaquin and four other counties in California.

Though Obama's support of abortion rights angered many Catholics nationally during the campaign, Illo's letter is believed to be the first in Central California from a priest to his parishioners on the topic.

The Most Rev. Stephen Blaire, bishop of the Stockton Diocese, disagrees with Illo. He said Catholics should not feel compelled to disclose how they voted to their priest.

Blaire said Catholics who carefully weighed many issues and settled on a candidate, such as Obama, who favored abortion rights, were not in need of confession. He said confession would be necessary "only if someone voted for a pro-abortion or pro-choice candidate - if that's the reason you voted for them."

"Our position on pro-life is very important, but there are other issues," Blaire said. "No one candidate reflects everything that we stand for. I'm sure that most Catholics who voted were voting on economic issues.

"There were probably many priests, and I suspect many bishops, who voted for Obama."

Illo's letter states, "Many Catholics voted for such pro-abortion candidates thinking that their good positions on other issues, such as the war or health care, outweighed their deplorable stand on abortion."

Illo also wrote that Obama "promised Planned Parenthood that the first thing he would do upon taking office is to sign the so-called 'Freedom of Choice Act,' which would grant unlimited access to abortion in all 50 states up until the moment of live birth."

Illo, in an interview Wednesday, explained his reasoning.

"In Catholic teaching, you have to go to confession when you have committed a mortal sin," he said. "Now what is a mortal sin? It's somewhat complex. No one can say, 'You committed a mortal sin.' I can only say, 'It's a grave matter.' It's my job to look after my parishioners.

"I've gotten a lot of e-mails and phone calls. It's about 12-to-1 in favor of what I said. One person has left the parish. But I got all of these other positive things."

Across the country, Obama's nomination and campaign was divisive for many Catholics. Many priests and church officials sermonized against him because of his stance on abortion, as they did four years ago when Democrat John Kerry, who is Catholic, challenged President George W. Bush. There were Catholic-inspired anti-Obama videos on YouTube regarding the issue.

In a story published in October in the Chicago Tribune, Joe Scheidler, president of the Pro-Life Action League, said it was hypocritical for any Catholic to vote for Obama - even if they agreed with his positions on other health care topics.

"There are a lot of ways you can solve poverty and all these other issues," Scheidler said. "But abortion is the taking of a human life, and the church is very strict on that. Any involvement in abortion is not just a sin, it's an excommunicable sin. This is serious business."

But some loyal to the church disagreed. Patrick Whelan is one of the founders of Catholic Democrats, which supported Obama and other Democratic candidates in the election.

"I feel that every Catholic can vote for Obama in good conscience," Whelan told the Tribune. "I think Barack Obama is the first Democratic presidential candidate who has come out and said he plans constructive measures to reduce the number of abortions in the United States."

A week after the election, a number of high-profile Catholic bishops meeting in Baltimore signaled they intend to work with the president-elect on issues such as immigration and health, but remain strongly opposed to his position on abortion.

E-mailShare Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Fark Google Reddit Buzz up!Mixx it! PrintReprint

Related topic galleries: Modesto, 2008 U.S. Presidential Election, John Kerry, Stockton, National Government, Barack Obama, George Bush

All topicsGet home delivery of The Sun and save over 50% off the newsstand price

Copyright © 2008, The Baltimore Sun

Read all 33 comments »

Type in your comments to post to the forum

Name

(appears on your post) You are currently logged in as . Not ?

Name

(appears on your post)

Comments

Type the numbers you see in the image on the right:

Please note by clicking on "Post Comment" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Service and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Be polite. Inappropriate posts may be removed by the moderator. Send us your feedback.

Classified

Advertise

Jobs

Cars

Real Estate

Apartments

Lawn & Garden

Celebrations

Boats

Personals

Pets

Grocery Coupons

Radar: rain alert

Weather

Traffic

News

Nation

Politics/Election '08

World

Obituaries

Columnists

Video

Featured Coverage

Share

Maryland

Sports

Entertainment

Life

Business

Opinion

Blogs

Fun Stuff

Travel

Partner Sites

Metromix.com

bthesite.com

Explore Baltimore Co.

Explore Carroll Co.

Explore Howard Co.

Resources

Print Edition

Wireless Edition

RSS Feeds

Newsletters/Alerts

Archives

Topic Galleries

Site Map

Services

Subscriber Services

Media Kit

Reader Rewards

Sun Store

Sun Fan Shop

Contests

Special Sections

Baltimore Dining Deals

Fifty Plus

Advertise

Speakers' Bureau

FAQs

Contact Us

HEALTH SCIENTIST ADMIN

DENTAL FRONT OFFICE STAFF

AUTO BODY

BUSINESS OFFICE MANAGER

HEALTH SCIENTIST ADMIN

View all Top Jobs

Obama elected president

Read the story

Photos, videos and archived coverage of Barack Obama's historic run for the White House

Obama's victory

Obama rally: Photos | Panoramas | Time lapse

Obama's acceptance speech: Text | Video

Gallery: Newspapers around the globe

Road to the White House

Photos: On the trail | Clinching nomination

The making of a candidate

Series: Obama's family roots to his political rise

Photos: The early years | Michelle Obama

Buy a reprint of the Nov. 5 edition's front page

Popular stories

Codes for Armageddon: A new president to hold nuclear launch 'football'

Mike Preston's report card

Ravens dominate lowly Bengals

Georgetown routs Maryland

Another strong day running gives McClain a big rush More most viewed

NSA opens the curtain, just a little

Ravens' Lewis a Ray of wisdom

5 years later, prosecutor's death still a mystery

Priest urges confession for Obama supporters

Sources: Orioles revisit trade talks for Pie More most e-mailed

Major League Baseball

Prosecution

Government

Road Accidents

Black Friday (shopping) More topics »

Most viewed

Most e-mailed

Hot topics

Images in the news

The day in pictures | Photo search

amNY | Chicago Tribune | Daily Press | Hartford Courant | LA Times | Newsday | Orlando Sentinel | Sun-Sentinel | The Morning Call | The Virginia Gazette About baltimoresun.com | About The Baltimore Sun | Tribune | Sun Store | Get home delivery Jobs | Autos | Homes | Apartments | FSBO | Boodle Coupons | Open Houses | Houses for Rent Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Work for us | Feedback

Home > News > Nation

PEOPLE