Colo. bishop refuses communion to some

DENVER, May 14 (UPI) -- A Colorado Catholic bishop has refused communion to those who support candidates backing abortion rights, stem-cell research, euthanasia or gay marriage.

The pastoral letter from Colorado Springs Bishop Michael Sheridan may be the strongest statement from a U.S. bishop in the debate over how Catholics should apply their faith in this election year, the Denver Post reported Friday.

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, a Catholic who supports abortion rights, has been the focus of the discussion debate. A St. Louis archbishop barred Sen. Kerry, D-Mass., from accepting communion and some other bishops have said candidates with similar views should avoid taking part in the rite.

Sheridan told the 125,000 Catholics in the diocese that those who support the positions would only be permitted access to communion after they have repented them in the confessional.

Sheridan told the Post he selected those particular issues because the church considers them to be "intrinsically evil."