I haven’t written a word about the ongoing, and disturbingly partisan, efforts of the Roman Catholic Church to use communion as a political weapon, but there’s been an interesting development I wanted to highlight.
It’s been a bizarre evolution. First, the problem was with women who have abortions and the court rulings that allowed this to occur. Then, the problem was with public officials (if they’re Democrats) who support abortion rights generally, including a push by some bishops to deny them communion.
Earlier this month, Colorado Bishop Michael Sheridan ratcheted things up to new heights — he insisted the Church should deny communion to lay Catholics who dare to vote for candidates who support abortion rights, gay marriage, euthanasia, and stem cell research.
“Any Catholic politicians who advocate for abortion, for illicit stem cell research or for any form of euthanasia ipso facto place themselves outside full communion with the church and so jeopardize their salvation,” the bishop wrote in a letter published this week in the diocesan monthly newspaper, the Herald.
“Any Catholics who vote for candidates who stand for abortion, illicit stem cell research or euthanasia suffer the same fateful consequences,” he added.
It was, to be a sure, a bold move, using a fairly selective set of issues. The Roman Catholic Church is opposed to the war in Iraq and the death penalty, but for some reason, the issues in which Republicans disagree with church teachings were left off the list. Why do you suppose that is?
Sheridan’s move raised a host of problems. If the Church insists that it is a non-partisan, apolitical institution, than it becomes difficult — if not impossible — for it to maintain this façade while establishing a voting-pattern litmus test for salvation.
With this in mind, Sheridan may have also created a legal problem, exceeding the limits placed on tax-exempt entities on political activities.
My friends at Americans United for Separation of Church and State asked the IRS yesterday to investigate Bishop Sheridan’s electioneering, insisting that his drive to use communion as a political tool is a drive to hurt Democrats and help Republicans.
Sheridan on May 1 issued a pastoral letter to church members in the diocesan newspaper, insisting that they not vote for candidates who support legal abortion, stem-cell research or euthanasia. Catholics who do so, he said, put their very salvation at risk.
“Bishop Sheridan’s letter is code language that says, ‘Re-elect Bush and vote Republican,'” charged the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director. “Everyone knows Bush and Kerry differ on the issue of abortion. Sheridan is using a form of religious blackmail to steer votes toward the GOP. The IRS should look into this immediately.”
It’s a good point. The problem isn’t just that Sheridan spoke out on issues of importance to the Church; it’s that he’s using threats to try and control voting behavior.
Asserting that “the very survival of our civilization will be at the top of the political agenda” this November, Sheridan wrote that any Catholic who votes for candidates who disagree with the church on abortion and related issues is disqualified to receive communion.
In a letter to IRS officials, AU asserts that Sheridan’s letter is in effect a command that Catholics vote for Republicans.
“Looked at in context, I believe it is clear that this letter has a partisan political intent,” wrote AU’s Lynn to IRS officials. “It is designed to endorse Republican candidates who oppose legal abortion, stem-cell research and other ‘life’ issues. At the same time, it threatens sanctions against any church members who support Democratic candidates who disagree with the church on any of these issues.”
The point isn’t that Sheridan specifically said not to vote for Dems; the point is he doesn’t really have to in order to cause legal difficulties for his diocese. Even the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has explained to all of its churches that “issue advocacy communication may constitute intervention in a political campaign through the use of code words…even if no candidate is specifically named.”
Having some familiarity with the issue of churches and politics, I know that the IRS doesn’t exactly leap into action when these complaints are filed. That said, Americans United’s efforts may be helpful in reminding Sheridan and other religious leaders that there are limits on the kind of campaign activities they can engage in if they expect to remain tax-exempt.