Priests Preaching Politics

Michie · Sep 2, 2024

Over a dozen years ago, following a pro-life sermon, someone scribbled “Go to hell!” on a dollar bill and dropped it into the collection. I was disappointed. For 100 bucks, I’d have paid closer attention. Accumulated anecdotes such as this help pastors develop an overall understanding of the Catholic population.

Most Catholics are ordinary folks. They pray, occasionally fall short, and get back into the fight with a good Confession. But too many Catholics treat the words of Jesus as pious trinkets that have little bearing on the “real world.”

Immediately preceding the Ascension, the disciples expected Jesus to meddle in secular politics: “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He told them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses [to the end of the earth].” (Acts 1:6-8) Stay tuned: “All the nations thou hast made shall come and bow down before thee, O Lord.” (Ps. 86:9)

Jesus didn’t organize an opposition party against Herod. He didn’t actively oppose Roman rule or rally His Apostles as revolutionaries. Jesus deftly avoided a confrontation with the hated Roman occupiers as He taught: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” (Mk. 12:17) Jesus refused to brand His ministry with economic and political slogans. He directed us to His mighty deeds and sacred words of salvation.

Continued below.

Priests Preaching Politics

But if a politician publicly advocates clear violations of the Ten Commandments, duty binds the custodians of God’s word to identify the violation.

www.catholicculture.org

WarriorAngel · Sep 2, 2024

I remember people quitting Church because the priest was too conservative.
Just pray for them. Political arena has given people ire because of a party who is not pro life.

RileyG · Sep 3, 2024

WarriorAngel said:
I remember people quitting Church because the priest was too conservative.
Just pray for them. Political arena has given people ire because of a party who is not pro life.

Amen. They need our prayers. They are the ones Satan attacks the most.

They must speak the truth to save souls. Sometimes, those topics include politics. It is what it is.

Wolseley · Sep 6, 2024

I'm reminded of the old movie "12 O'Clock High", when a big raid was scheduled, but due to massive casualties, they didn't have enough aerial gunners to properly man the planes. The pilots scrounged around and convinced noncombat personnel to go along on the mission so the planes could be properly protected with gunners. On the day of the raid, clerks, typists, cooks, laundry personnel, mechanics, and even the squadron chaplain suited up and boarded the B-17s, and off they went.

The squadron commander found out about this ruse when he discovered that the base was practically empty.

After the mission was done and the planes came back, the commander called the squadron together and gave them a blistering chewing out (even though he was secretly proud of them for having gone on the raid). When he came to the chaplain, he said, "And you, Padre: your business is sin! Henceforth, you will confine your activities to that theater of operations! Am I clear?" The chaplain sheepishly nodded his head and said, "Yes, sir." ^_^

Just an illustration of the fact that while political and spiritual matters can, and do, overlap, it's usually best of clergy remain aloof from taking partisan positions. Back in the 1930s, a priest in Detroit, Fr. Charles Coghlin, started offering political commentary on his radio show. He got more and more radical as time went on, and finally got so rabid that the Detroit Archdiocese and the radio broadcast companies took him off the air. Coughlin admitted years later, "Going into politics was a terrible mistake."

longhair75 · Sep 7, 2024

Wolseley said:
Just an illustration of the fact that while political and spiritual matters can, and do, overlap, it's usually best of clergy remain aloof from taking partisan positions.

Clergy taking partisan positions or endorsing a politician jeopardizes The Church's tax exempt status.

Wolseley · Sep 7, 2024

longhair75 said:
Clergy taking partisan positions or endorsing a politician jeopardizes The Church's tax exempt status.

I quite agree.

WarriorAngel · Sep 7, 2024

longhair75 said:
Clergy taking partisan positions or endorsing a politician jeopardizes The Church's tax exempt status.

But it should not.

There is nothing official about Churches staying out of politics.
There is only one thing about separating church and state - so the government cannot mandate a State church.
A la England.

longhair75 · Sep 8, 2024

If I may support my supposition:

From this publication from the IRS:

Page 4:

Jeopardizing Tax Exempt Status

All IRC Section 501(c)(3) organizations, including churches and religious organizations must abide by certain rules:
their net earnings may not inure to any private shareholder or individual;
they must not provide a substantial benefit to private interests;
they must not devote a substantial part of their activities to attempting to influence legislation;
they must not participate in, or intervene, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office; and
the organization’s purposes and activities may not be illegal or violate fundamental public policy.

Page 7

Under the Internal Revenue Code, all IRC Section 501(c)(3) organizations, including churches and religious organizations, are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on be behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made by or on behalf of the organization in favor of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity. Violation of this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of excise tax.

chevyontheriver · Sep 9, 2024

longhair75 said:
If I may support my supposition:

From this publication from the IRS:

Page 4:

Jeopardizing Tax Exempt Status

All IRC Section 501(c)(3) organizations, including churches and religious organizations must abide by certain rules:
their net earnings may not inure to any private shareholder or individual;
they must not provide a substantial benefit to private interests;
they must not devote a substantial part of their activities to attempting to influence legislation;
they must not participate in, or intervene, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office; and
the organization’s purposes and activities may not be illegal or violate fundamental public policy.

Page 7

Under the Internal Revenue Code, all IRC Section 501(c)(3) organizations, including churches and religious organizations, are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on be behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made by or on behalf of the organization in favor of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity. Violation of this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of excise tax.

They can't currently promote or attack a candidate. And that's fine. They should say something about positions. But they don't for fear of being partisan. And yet some congregations ARE partisan and get away with it just fine. Others cower in fear over losing tax exempt status. Lyndon Baines Johnson sure made a mess of it, ensuring churches of a certain sort became voiceless.

RileyG · Sep 9, 2024

WarriorAngel said:
But it should not.

There is nothing official about Churches staying out of politics.
There is only one thing about separating church and state - so the government cannot mandate a State church.
A la England.

EXACTLY!

RileyG · Sep 9, 2024

longhair75 said:
Clergy taking partisan positions or endorsing a politician jeopardizes The Church's tax exempt status.

They can’t point out the obvious hypocrisy of Biden who claims to be a good Catholic, yet supports the abortion industry and LGBT agenda?

If so, that’s just odd.

Akita Suggagaki · Sep 9, 2024

RileyG said:
They can’t point out the obvious hypocrisy of Biden who claims to be a good Catholic, yet supports the abortion industry and LGBT agenda?

If so, that’s just odd.

To select the many faults of one candidate and not the many faults of another is to take sides and to abuse religious authority.

RileyG · Sep 9, 2024

Akita Suggagaki said:
To select the many faults of one candidate and not the many faults of another is to take sides and to abuse religious authority.

That’s fair and very, very true.

I can’t say I like the other guy either for obvious reasons.

RileyG · Sep 9, 2024

chevyontheriver said:
They can't currently promote or attack a candidate. And that's fine. They should say something about positions. But they don't for fear of being partisan. And yet some congregations ARE partisan and get away with it just fine. Others cower in fear over losing tax exempt status. Lyndon Baines Johnson sure made a mess of it, ensuring churches of a certain sort became voiceless.

It’s weird how criticizing someone or pointing out the obvious in some candidates is “attacking.”

I will leave it at that.

WarriorAngel · Sep 10, 2024

chevyontheriver said:
They can't currently promote or attack a candidate. And that's fine. They should say something about positions. But they don't for fear of being partisan. And yet some congregations ARE partisan and get away with it just fine. Others cower in fear over losing tax exempt status. Lyndon Baines Johnson sure made a mess of it, ensuring churches of a certain sort became voiceless.

They are our moral compass.
My old parish, the priest passed out high lights of the policies after teaching what is morally correct.

RileyG · Sep 10, 2024

WarriorAngel said:
They are our moral compass.
My old parish, the priest passed out high lights of the policies after teaching what is morally correct.

We do that at my parish too. It doesn’t say who to vote for. Just where they stand on policies.

Priests Preaching Politics

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