I noted with some consternation the week before the election full page ads in newspapers by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church instructing their members how to vote. The ads may not have said specifically "Vote for McCain-Palin", but the criteria given may as well have done so.

I've talked to several Catholics since, especially Irish Catholics. They all tell me not only did they get ads, they also got full page voting guides in their literature for Mass. They also tell me they ignored those guides and ads and voted for the person they felt would do the best job.

Statistics I've seen say 54% of Catholics nationally took that approach. Accordingly, as this article shows, some Priests seem to be doling out punishment.

Situations like these raise serious questions about the separation of Church and State.

Here's a link to the article.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27705755/?gt1=43001