GREENVILLE --- A South Carolina priest told his parishioners he was too hasty when he wrote on the church's Web site that those who voted for President-elect Barack Obama should refrain from taking Holy Communion because of Mr. Obama's abortion rights stance.

After getting a standing ovation from parishioners Saturday at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville, the Rev. Jay Scott Newman said he wrote his column in haste and would have explained his position better had he taken his time, The Greenville News reported.

The Rev. Newman said he wrote the column "at the last moment and right at the deadline," and he regrets the attention it has drawn. He said all future comments should come from South Carolina's Roman Catholic Diocese in Charleston.