The United States Catholic Bishop Conference (USCCB) has confirmed that the Catholic Church will not support political candidates for public office in any election, despite A change in the Fiscal Code that has opened the door for cult institutions to make such backs.
On July 7, the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) signed a judicial agreement to allow churches and other cult houses to support candidates without risking their tax exemption status. This reverses a 70 -year prohibition that existed based on the interpretation of the IRS of the “Johnson amendment”, which prohibits non -profit organizations in that fiscal category participating in political campaigns.
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However, Chieko Noguchi, Director of Public Affairs of the USCCB, this week issued a statement To announce that the Catholic Church will not support political candidates, even if the Fiscal Code allows.
“The IRS was addressing a specific case, and this does not change the way in which the Catholic Church participates in the public debate,” said Noguchi.
“The Church seeks to help Catholics form their conscience in the Gospel so that they can discern what candidates and policies would promote the common good,” he added. “The Catholic Church maintains its position not to support or oppose political candidates.”
Noguchi told CNA – an English assistance from Ewtn News – that if an individual member of the clergy came to support a candidate, “this is an issue that must be handled by the local bishop.”
Christopher Check, president of Catholic Answers, told CNA that the USCCB’s decision to avoid backups is “a wise decision for our time and place.”
“The Church is not one of several political organizations or NGOs (non -governmental organizations) competing for public opinion in the cultural and civic fields,” Check added. “She is the primary and divine institution through which all that public activity must be understood.”
Check pointed out that avoiding backups is consistent with the 1983 canon law code, which, he explained, “(prohibits) the clergy actively participating in political parties, except in cases where the rights of the Church are threatened or the ‘promotion of the common good requires it’, and then only under the judgment of the ‘competent ecclesiastical authority.”
There have been historical situations in which the clergy legitimately participated in political campaigns, such as when Marxist parties in some countries sought to “eradicate the church,” according to Check. However, he also warned that there have been occasions that clergy members have “disoriented the faithful” by getting involved in campaigns.
“Today in the United States, no political party offers a platform that serves as a basis for a true home for the faithful Catholics,” said Check. “Therefore, the obligation of the clergy and the episcopate of correctly forming the consciences of the faithful is especially critical. It is in this area where the Church, which in a certain sense is above partisan policy, is called to operate.”
Susan Hanssen, professor of history at the University of Dallas (a Catholic institution), told CNA that she believes that IRS’s policy of not penalizing the churches for political backups is “wise”, but that the commitment of the USCB of not supporting candidates “is also prudent.”
“IRS policy is wise by leaving a wide margin to religious leaders to offer guidance, even in political matters that could shape the moral and cultural atmosphere within which religious life develops,” said Hanssen.
Hanssen added that the hierarchy of the Church and the clergy can still be expressed in political issues that involve the teaching of the Church, noting that “they must give clear principles of action”, but that “it is the moral responsibility of the lay people to potentially apply those principles.”
He added that the clergy should also help correct Catholic politicians whose policies do not conform to “the principles of natural law, for example, with regard to abortion, parents’ rights on the education and medical care of their children, euthanasia and same -sex marriage.”
“Thus, his action would be properly pastoral, more than politics – a concern for souls,” said Hanssen.
Ryan Tucker, a main advisor at Alliance Defending Freedom, told CNA that the IRS decision could still have an impact on the churches that do not support candidates, stating that these entities have a “constitutional right to speak freely” and that the change of IRS says that “they can now do it with more boldness.”
“The Government should not be able to threaten a church with financial sanctions based on a requirement that the Church self -controls and renounces its constitutionally protected freedom,” he said. “The shepherds and members of the clergy have been involved in matters of the day that affect the members of their congregation from our foundation.”
Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA.
Tyler Arnold
Tyler Arnold is a reporter of the National Catholic Register. He previously worked at The Center Square and has published in various media, including The Associated Press, National Review, The American Conservative and The Federalist.