Bishop Blase Cupich of the Rapid City Diocese told parishioners at a luncheon Friday that racism has no place among Catholics.

Cupich said he is concerned about jokes he has heard in the national media after Barack Obama's election about the "black house" and watermelons in the Rose Garden, saying the church "has a strong record on racism."

"It's the same intrinsic evil" to vote against a candidate solely based on his or her race as it is to vote for a candidate solely based on his or her abortion-rights advocacy, Cupich said.

Although Obama favors legalized abortion, he shares many of the Catholic Church's goals, including establishing peace, providing health care for the poor and improving education, Cupich said.

"We want to work with this new administration," he said.

Cupich's views are more moderate than some other Catholic bishops'. He recently returned from the fall assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore, where Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, president of the conference, addressed the issue.

The cardinal said "the unity desired by President-elect Obama and all Americans at this moment of crisis will be impossible to achieve," if the administration's policies increase abortions, according to a news release from the conference.

"Aggressive pro-abortion policies, legislation and executive orders will permanently alienate tens of millions of Americans and would be seen by many as an attack on the free exercise of their religion," Cardinal George said.

Since his election, Obama has not addressed the issue of abortion, focusing on organizing his administration, talking to foreign leaders and educating himself about the economic crisis.

The bishops' group voted to issue a statement on the abortion issue that included a shared belief that the church leaders are "united and resolute in our teaching and defense of the unborn child from the moment of conception."

However, despite opposition from some in their group, the bishops did not vote to deny communion to Catholic lawmakers who support legalized abortion.

This pleased Cupich, who said he had "no sympathy at all for the whole business of even talking about denying communion." He asked, "Where does it end?" and wondered if he would then have to deny communion to parishioners who did not support Measure 11, the recent ballot initiative that would have outlawed abortion in South Dakota with a few exceptions.

"This is a moment we should look for opportunities to build some bridges," Cupich said. He said a lot of voters who were attracted to Obama liked his views on personal responsibility, especially when it comes to parents raising children. The philosophy could be extended to an individual's sexual behavior, Cupich said.

"Personal responsibility may be a bridge by which we can engage the new administration," he said.