The Oct. 16 bulletin from the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church included an insert in both English and Spanish saying it was a "mortal sin to vote Democrat" in this election, saying Democrats violated major principles on church teaching that Republicans didn't on abortion, same-sex marriage, euthanasia, human cloning and embryonic stem-cell research.

Two weeks later, the bulletin included an article, "Voting Catholic," which made it seem that Clinton is influenced by Satan, saying her plan was to "draw us away from God's teachings regarding the sanctity of life to those of the world and its prince."

Diocesan spokesman Kevin Eckery told The San Diego Union-Tribune Nov. 2 that the bulletin's insert and article were inappropriate and voters should use their conscience to determine which candidates to support. He noted that the insert had not been authorized by the parish.

"It's not a mortal sin to vote for Democrats, number one. And number two, the church doesn't take positions on this, and we're not going to," he added.

Immaculate Conception pastor Father Richard Perozich told the New York Daily News that an outside group had written the Oct. 16 flyer and he didn't get a chance to review it. He admitted that he had written the second article, but denied he was specifically calling for parishioners to vote against Clinton. "I would never tell anyone to 'vote this' or 'vote that," he told the Daily News.

San Diego Bishop Robert W. McElroy, in a Nov. 1 speech at the Center for Catholic Thought and Culture at the University of San Diego, said the Catholic Church has long held that "both the church and society are best served when bishops refrain from publicly endorsing or favoring, either directly or indirectly, specific candidates in partisan election."

He said this tradition of neutrality isn't just because of the tax status of the church or a desire to avoid divisiveness within Catholic communities but instead stems from the idea that the "sanctification of the world falls primarily to lay women and men. And it is a core teaching of Catholic moral theology that it is deeply within the conscience of the individual believer that key moral decisions must be made."

The bishop, who has a doctorate in political science from Stanford University, said that in the process of "discerning which candidate will best advance the common good, the prudential decision of each citizen remains paramount. Thus while bishops must teach on principles of moral judgment, and outline key elements of the common good which are at stake in a particular historical moment, they should refrain from favoring particular candidates."

Immaculate Conception pastor Father Richard Perozich said an outside group had written the Oct. 16 flyer and inserted it into the newsletter before he reviewed it. The group "went a little beyond" the approved message of the flyer and he does teach parishioners that they will go to hell if they support Democrats, Perozich told the Daily News.

He said he had written the second article but noted that it didn't call specifically for a vote for or against Clinton. He acknowledged that some officials at the Diocese may disagree with his views on topics like immigration.

"The fact that somebody took this and then made it public took it out of context," Perozich said. "I would never tell anyone to 'vote this' or 'vote that."