The American Catholic Church has a long history of liberal activism, including progressive leaders like Dorothy Day and John Ryan. They often led the way in fighting corporate power, opposing wars, overturning legalized bigotry, addressing poverty and more.
More recently conservative Catholic voices have tried to drown out that historic liberalism, pushing parishioners who would normally vote for Democrats into the arms of Republicans. Sometimes they have reached a little too far, and questions about Catholic leaders including bishops crossing the line that separates the church and the state.
But next week Bishop Joseph Martino of the Scranton Diocese is ordering every priest holding services tomorrow to tell their faithful to vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin.
In Scranton, Pa., every Catholic attending Mass this weekend will hear a special homily about next month’s election: Bishop Joseph Martino has ordered every priest in the diocese to read a letter warning that voting for a supporter of abortion rights amounts to endorsing "homicide."
"Being 'right' on taxes, education, health care, immigration and the economy fails to make up for the error of disregarding the value of a human life," the bishop wrote. "It is a tragic irony that 'pro-choice' candidates have come to support homicide — the gravest injustice a society can tolerate — in the name of 'social justice.'"
Anyone reading that knows this is not a religious statement, but an order from a religious leader who holds sway over many voters to pick a particular candidate.
This kind of blatant electioneering from the pulpit is in direct violation of IRS rules that provide the church's tax-free status.
The IRS went after a liberal church in Pasadena who back in 2004 had a sermon guessing what Jesus would do in a debate between John Kerry and George Bush. Nowhere did the minister say anything about who to vote for, but spoke to his view of Jesus and how it related to the Iraq War.
But Bishop Martino is going much farther than the Pasadena church did, specifically demanding a particular vote in return for proper membership in the church. It's way beyond the pale.
Anyone want to give odds this will be ignored by the IRS?
[Update: here's the letter from the Bishop.
And as another note, Joe Biden was reared in the Scranton Diocese.