well, imho, since this priest has done this AFTER the election and campaign is over, and is not influencing an election, i think he has the ''power'' as you stated, to do this without affecting his nonprofit tax status.the way i read this...the priest has decided its a "sin" to vote for obama ...after all confession is to confess one's sins. does the priest have this power or not?
HOWEVER, I find it distasteful, and wrong for him to proclaim a person's vote as a sin, and distastefull that this priest has even associated himself with the scuzziness of politics.... the Bible teaches us to give unto caesar what is his, BECAUSE we are not to trust our governments in any holy/spiritual matter...
the worldwide governments in the latter days according to Bible prophesy is the Beast that comes out of the Earth with 7 heads(7=complete) and 10 horns (10=government).....i digress....basically government, the eventual worldwide government are in unison with eachother and with evil...
anyone involved with religion should NOT WANT to be associated with ANY politics or government....not in any kind of trusting, spiritual, holy, sense!
this priest is giving the WRONG message to his parishoners....
how? you ask...
well, IF voting for obama is this ridiculous sin, according to this priest, therefore implying that the parishioners should have voted for mccain....if they didn't want to be faced with penance....
then THIS PRIEST is a HUGE HYPOCRITE!!!!
John Mccain CHEATED THRU ADULTERY on his wife, and john mccain then married his mistress after DIVORCING his scarred and injured wife.
1-mccain committed adultery
2-mccain got divorced
3 mccain remarried
ALL AGAINST CATHOLIC DOCTRINE
while Obama is married to the same wife, has not committed adultery, (that we know of) and has not aborted any children that we know of either etc....
SO, if i were a member of this parish....i would be OUT OF THERE in a nanosecond, because this priest, would be a FALSE PROPHET that we were warned about in the bible....
care