Parish Backs Priest's Call for Obama Confessions

[sabra]

Source: News10

MODESTO, CA - Parishioners in Modesto are backing a Roman Catholic priest who told his congregation that they should confess if they voted for Barack Obama because the president-elect supports abortion.

In a message delivered during mass and in a Nov. 21 letter, Rev. Joseph Illo said his parishioners at St. Joseph's Catholic Church shouldn't risk losing their "state of grace" by receiving communion sacrilegiously. Illo said he sent the letter so that there was no confusion on the church's stance on the issue.

"If they supported the pro-abortion position and voted for candidates that supported that, they should consider going to confession before going to communion," Illo said.

On Sunday, morning mass was packed and most parishioners backed the priest's move.

"I think it's great that the attention's been brought to the forefront," parishioner Richard Murray said. "I completely support Father Joseph and his positions. He's clearly expressed that the most important thing is life."



Read more: http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=51271&catid=2

[muntrv]

1. As I've said hundreds of times before, keep talking! You're just creating more Protestants!

[jetphixer]

20. I quit long ago

I was raised in a Irish Catholic family went through all the rituals . I just gave up on there foolishness years ago.. I voted for Obama so reckon i sin-ed if i even believed in that fairy tale, Wish those people would get a life.. Anyway why don't the IRS get on these guys and the Dobson's, Pat Roberson's etc,,, I don't think I'll hold my breath until they do !!

[1monster]

37. So was I raised Catholic ... the religion of my Bravarian-Irish father. Until I was eleven when my

mother decided that Catholicism was evil incarnate and converted to an Evangelical Fundementalist church. :eyes:

(Back in those days, even churches believed in the separation of church and state...)

God have mercey, it was the wars of the Reformation all over again. It was nasty and ugly and hateful.

In the end, I gave up on all organized religion. It is just too damned small minded... But I can see a need for it for people whose minds (and intelligences levels) are unable to work outside of a hard framework.

Back when I was still being ferried to Catholic Mass by my father and then tutored in Protestant Fundamentalism by my mother ("Oh me mother she was Orange and me father, he was green" to paraphrase and old Irish song.), Mass was still done in Latin and the rituals were all intact.

(The Latin I learned as a young child in church served me very well in high school and college vocabulary.)

Years later, I attended a Catholic Mass for one reason or another and was totally lost... No Latin, and the rituals were replaced by the Priest ordering everyone to turn to someone sitting near and "Show a sign of Peace," which apparently meant shaking the hands of those around one...

I found I really missed the Latin and the rituals. Without it, all the mystic specialness was gone. I felt sadly flat leaving that church.

[TrogL]

53. The Peace is one of the high points of the Mass

What's supposed to happen is that The Peace is supposed to be passed figuratively from person to person. Unfortunately the socializers turn it into happy hour so our Priest dispensed with that part of it and merely gives it from the stairs.

[Celeborn Skywalker]

30. Like they're much better.

Most are equally, if not more, as fucked up as the Catholic Church.

[geckosfeet]

2. Let the inquisitions begin! They are really going at this with gusto.

[KnaveRupe]

39. Whaddaya expect?

The current Pope was the head of the Office of the Inquisition.

From Wikipedia:

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) (Congregatio pro Doctrina Fidei), previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office, and sometimes simply called the Holy Office is the oldest of the nine congregations of the Roman Curia. Among the most active of these major Curial departments, it oversees Catholic doctrine. The CDF is the modern name for what used to be the Holy Office of the Inquisition.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Idiots

Not a day goes by that I am not thankful I am no longer a Catholic.

[ShortnFiery]

7. I stopped attending Mass a month ago.

I love "the basics" of The Catholic Faith but the Patriarchal Hierarchy have increasingly morphed Catholicism into something I can not recognize.

Unfortunately, there's no Liberal Catholic Parishes in Virginia.

I am lost: a true crisis of faith. :(

My increasing participation within my community is somewhat helping to fill the void.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. I am so sorry

My uncle is a priest and is one of the most rabid liberals I know.

[ShortnFiery]

10. Thank-you ...

That give me HOPE that some day I may return. :hi:

[Peregrine Took]

13. I'm having a real problem lately too and I used to be a daily Mass goer.

I just don't understand what the church is doing these days. Very depressing.

[CatholicEdHead]

19. Do you have any inspiration from writings of past regional Catholic leders?

e.g. former Bishops or priests? Those before the recent crackdown? I am not there yet (still some liberal parishes left around here for the time being), but I am preparing my spiritual future away from the RCC probably sometime in the next decade when all you have is a choice between ultra-conservative and ultra-ultra conservative. :(

[patrice]

24. Fr. Daniel Berrigan . . . any Liberation Theologist . . .

Here's the NCR link http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=taxonomy/term/120 I think it was Richard McBrien who was going around talking against the War. Sister Joan Chittester is an active opponent of Capital Punishment.

What should happen in "the Church"? http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-freir.htm There's also a good article on Freire in the wikipedia

[AngryOldDem]

47. May I suggest Thomas Gumbleton?

I heard him speak at a social action event and he was excellent.

[Peregrine Took]

14. Follow the "National Catholic Reporter" - its the best for Catholic information.

[patrice]

18. The NCR is a fair publication that specializes in Social Justice reporting.

One of their lead reporters, sorry I can't remember his name right now, was speaking against the Invasion & Occupation of Iraq to various groups a few years ago, before being negative about this War became acceptable.

[AngryOldDem]

48. Was it John Allen?

But really, you could say the same about any NCR reporter or columnist.

[davidinalameda]

33. you might be able to find a good Episcopal church

not of all them in Virginia are fundies who want to be more Catholic than the Pope

[rurallib]

25. ditto, ditto, ditto

[foxfeet]

4. It's not a parish; it's a PAC.

[Doctor_J]

5. America's soul has terminal cancer

millions of children in poverty, millions without health insurance, economic depression, and these sick bastards are worried about doctor/patient private matters. The Religious Right is a sickness that won't be cured without a great deal of suffering.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. And I hope every one of those parishoners

are willing to have their church lose it's tax exempt status. Bet the local Bishop is mulling it over.

[patrice]

8. Yeah, Muslim children have nothing to do with life, so these parishoners have nothing to confess. nt

[Peregrine Took]

11. Its probably a conservative leaning parish and, natually, they will follow their

pastor off a cliff.

Its the bishop that decides things and he will be trimming him down to size shortly.

[LibDemAlways]

50. The local bishop, in this case Stephen Blaire, is on record in

disagreement with Illo. He's even stated that he believes many priests and bishops voted for Obama. He more than likely did. Years ago I taught at a school where he was principal, and he was an open-minded, well-respected guy.

[DeadManInc]

12. but its ok for them to support pedophile priests, and move them

to a new parish when they are called out for it

[Ilsa]

15. And this DUer backs other DUers who have called for an IRS investigation into

their tax exempt status.

[Historic NY]

16. If the church wants to get involved in politics then it should forfeit..

its tax exempt status. In this case any church engaging in this activity should lose. I'd bet if rome saw this happening it would rein in its renegade priests. Then again it let them go unfettered in the pedophile activity for decades.

[patrice]

17. That's appropriate because this priest's message is quintessentially political - proof? . . . .

= no call for McCain/Palin supporters to confess their sins in supporting the Murder of innocent Iraqis.

The priest's preference as to which sins should be confessed and that for which confession is unecessary is POLITICAL.

[LaStrega]

21. Prop 13909

I'm not sure if this would be entirely pointless now, but Prop 13909 is a Tax-Exempt Complaint Form.

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f13909.pdf

[TommyO]

22. Fuck Joseph Illo and the cassock he rode in on.

[IndianaGreen]

23. Father Joseph masturbates, which is a sin to Catholics.

He surely has no room to act in the role of a deity.

[davidinalameda]

32. you know this how?

[IndianaGreen]

36. They all choke the chicken!

Know enough former priests and seminarians.

[davidinalameda]

58. so that leads to your conclusion that this priest whacks off?

do you get tired from those leaps of logic or do they keep you in shape?

[rurallib]

26. I was raised in a catholic church concerned with social justice

that church appears to be long gone. What few Catholics I still know seem more consumed with watching their money than social justice.
To say the least, Rome and I parted many moons back. I recently had a discussion with a man who had graduated from the same catholic HS as I. He had been a rabid democrat and is now a rabid repug, although mad at Bush. I asked him why he was no longer a Dem. I got the usual welfare crap and accountability etc.
As for this idiot priest were I still a catholic, I would tell him it is none of his fucking business how I voted. Separation of church and state.

[olddad56]

27. A catholic priest trying to make people feel guitly? Hard to believe.

[LynnTheDem]

28. Time to tax the church.

Then the church can demand more funds from the parish.

See how that goes.

[OneBlueSky]

29. um . . . that tax exempt status you enjoy as a religious institution? . . .

kiss it goodbye . . . churches are supposed to stay out of politics . . .

and, in a sane society, politicians would stay out of religion that isn't strictly personal . . . these days it seems you have to testify that Jesus Christ is your personal lord and savior to get elected . . .

the last time someone asked me if I had "found Jesus," I looked at him rather quizzically and said "I didn't know he was missing" . . . he didn't appreciate it . . .

[defendandprotect]

31. I think he's tring to distract members' attention from Church scandals ---

[Sal316]

34. Like Bartcop said...

I'll confess to voting Obama, when they confess to everything they did in hiding child molesters.

[Mind_your_head]

35. Stupid.....both "Father Joseph" and parishioner, Richard Murray n/t

[ladywnch]

38. I've said it before.

The Catholic religion is on its way to becomming a fringe religion. It almost seems like they WANT to lose parishioners. They are doing everything they can to cause people to leave the Church. My husband was raised Catholic, was active in the church as a teenager, went to a Catholic university.....he left the Church about 5 years ago and will never go back.

[KnaveRupe]

42. The same could be said of the Republican Party.

Movement Conservatism is destroying itself, and if it takes down some of the enabling institutions that have fostered it, so be it.

No big loss, as far as I am concerned.

[Bragi]

40. Really, the tax act needs to be enforced

Political movements pretending they are religions need to lose their tax exempt status.

[all.of.me]

41. Do we have to go to confession if we've had an abortion?!

:eyes:

[LostinVA]

44. Yes, you would -- it's considered a Mortal Sin

[Oak2004]

54. Actually it's worse than that: it results in latae sententiae excommunication

(automatic excommunication), as does participating in or aiding an abortion.

However, priests have been given the authority to lift the excommunication in confession.

[all.of.me]

56. I guess I left off the "/sarcasm" nt

[LostinVA]

43. But what does the Bishop say?

I know alot about RC doctrine, being an Ex CCD teacher along with other things, and this si totally against Church teachings. The Diocese really needs to step in now.

[LibDemAlways]

51. See my response #43 and Bishop

Blaire's comments in this article.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/bal-te.catholic30nov30,0,6113406.story

[Mike Daniels]

45. Question: has this guy said people who vote for politicians who support the dealth penalty

need to attend confession?

Since the Catholic church is supposedly anti-death penalty as well I would imagine that anyone who voted for McCain would need to attend confession as well.

[AngryOldDem]

46. Okay, I confess.

All better now?

[LibDemAlways]

49. Bishop Stephen Blaire of the diocese that includes

Illo's parish disagrees and is on record that he believes many priests and bishops voted for Obama. Blaire was my boss as the principal of a high school where I taught back in the 80's. He's a good guy. Illo is a nutcase.

[TrogL]

52. Any Catholics who wanna jump ship, the Anglican/Episcopal church will welcome you

[KakistocracyHater]

55. exactly how does Depro-vera remove "state of grace"?

I want to know the details of how & why using birth control is a "mortal sin" & also apparently, removes this mysterious 'state of grace'. So how does it work? I've totally missed out on the super secret magic(k?) form of communion, because even as a kid I never experienced anything remotely supernatural while chewing the bread, nor while sipping the grape juice, nor even (later) the wine.

[Tight_rope]

57. What does the church say about someone born & raised catholic being a polygamist? Pa Azo!

I'm 8 months pregnant and in my 6th month of pregnancy I found out that the father of my baby is/wants to be a polygamists. He's from Cameroon, was born and raised Catholic and from my research after leaving him (he threw me out because I refused to go along with his game), his father practiced polygamy. It's strange, he says he doesn't want to marry any of the women (not that I would have ever married him), he just wants them all to live in a rundown one bedroom apartment. We are talking 5 to 10 women and not including the many children he has by so many different women (I found all this out after I left him). He can't even support himself, much-less 10 to 20 more other people. For someone who use to be an alter boy, this fucker is truly a sick man. To his people that seem to worship the ground he walks on back in his village in Cameroon, they call him Pa Azo. But in truth all he does is go from country to country, state to state, city to city seeking women who can financially help him support his people and many kids. My child and I far better off without a boy like that. I say boy because at 44 years old he has never grown up to think for himself. He still lives with those antiquated ideologies that his father, grandfather and pass forefathers lived by. Maybe now that Barrack Obama is president, he show him how to be a real man.

[mwei924]

59. Way to make Catholicism even less relevant.