I almost don't know what to say

Other than that this is outrageous:

A South Carolina Roman Catholic priest has told his parishioners that they should refrain from receiving Holy Communion if they voted for Barack Obama. The Democratic president-elect supports abortion rights, and supporting him "constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil," the priest said.

This is really really really wrong, and an abuse of authority.  Obviously,this is not the first time this has happened. Catholic Priests have made this threat towards pro-choice politicians before.

I think it's worth it for those of us who aren't Catholic to pause for just a moment and understand the gravity of what's being threatened here from a Catholic perspective.  It's easy for us to just go "oh this is just bullshit, it's a cracker who gives a fuck!" but from a Catholic perspective, parishoners are risking social ostracism, and eternal damnation because of how they voted.

Think about that for a moment. Think about eternal damnation from the perspective of actually believe in Hell.  Now you are faced with two decisions: (a) either your Priest is full of shit and abusing his power- which calls into question all sorts of things about a major part of your identity that you whole dear- or (b) he's right and you're going to Hell.

The other thing- social ostracism- is important as well. A lot of the way the Catholic Church functions is socially. Excommunication for example is the ultimate punishment not only because the chance of repentance is lost but because you are banished from your community. It is disgusting that a Priest would manipulate these fears and use his power in this way.

Hopefully, his parishoners will have the decency to find another priest, even if it means going to a different church.