As Roman Catholics, we were appalled and offended by the comments made by Rev. Jay Scott Newman (of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville, S.C., who said parishioners who voted for Barack Obama should perform penance for backing a candidate who supports "pro-abortion" policies). The 61 percent of

Catholics in California who voted for Obama did so after considering a number of issues.

We do not believe a candidate should be elected based solely on his stance on abortion. We voted with our conscience for a man who we believe represents what is best for our country. We are thankful our local pastors did not admonish their parishioners as Newman did.

We hope that they use this opportunity to open communication and listen to their parishioners, and invite them to voice their concerns, which have left them feeling demoralized and ignored.