The Catholic Church has been in the news quite a lot lately, but that’s apparently not enough for Colorado Springs Bishop Michael Sheridan; he’s just issued a pastoral letter saying Catholics cannot receive communion if they vote for folks who support abortion rights, gay marriage, stem cell research, or euthanasia.

This is clearly a political position now. Stating that good Catholics ought not support these issues is one thing; overtly stating that you must vote a certain way — and that if you don’t you can’t be in a state of grace — is quite another, and should clearly call into question the American church’s tax-exempt status. “Vote like I tell you to” is absolutely a political position, and the tax-exempt aren’t supposed to advocate such things.

As always, Slacktivist has interesting commentary on the issue, including a brief review of the historical record.