Ag_of_08 said:
As I said elsewhere
Abortion is evil and should be stopped. Murder, is murder, period.
Churches who punish parishioners in order to effect political changes, or coerce elected officials into supporting a particular political stance, should lose their tax exempt status, as they have become political entities. This includes any christian/muslim/jewish/other group, period.
Churches who's clergy are convicted of crimes, or found responsible in civil court, and whom defended or retained said clergy. Should lose their tax exempt status.
Sounds like the priest was within his rights to do this, but violated the basis for being non political entities by doing it to punish a democratically elected official in the US.
This stance then completely negates any moral authority and "penalty" a church may attempt to impose on its members for immoral acts.
Every immoral act could at some point be considered "political". At this time, abortion is getting a lot of political airplay, but just about any moral assertion could do the same.
Divorce, adultery, fornication, death penalty, etc... all become political as well.
When everything becomes political, you cannot just say that the church can no longer express an opinion for fear of becoming political itself. The church was against abortion long before it became the polarizing political issue it now is.
People of integrity expect to be believed, when they're not, they let time prove them right.