The bishop of my diocese, Peoria Illinois, recently gave a rousing sermon at a Men’s March that I attended. The March is a chance for Catholic men to express their faith in a public way and show their support of Catholic values. We march through the streets of Peoria in silent contemplation and then celebrate mass at the cathedral with the bishop. Based on the sermon that he gave, he has been called upon to make an apology to President Obama, and has been reported to the IRS for violating the terms that limit political action by 501(c)(3) organizations.
It is ironic how the bishop’s sermon began with a discussion of the readings for that day which were about the boldness and bravery of the apostles when they defied the Sanhedrin who were trying to silence them. The bishop was urging his audience to vote against politicians that would subdue the church’s mission of ministry in places outside the church proper by forcing schools, hospitals and charities to support abortions by paying for health insurance plans that cover the procedure. He was doing so in the context of the persecution that the church has faced since the early days discussed in the reading. He walked us through the trials we faced under Bismarck, Clemenceau, Hitler, and Stalin. He mentioned that we have survived barbarian invasions and “wave after wave of Jihads”. He also named President Obama by name, and rightly so as he is the primary politician pushing the current agenda which forces churches to support things that are at exact opposites to our long held beliefs. The Bishop came right out and said that Catholics should “vote their Catholic consciences” in the fall. So I suppose that yes, he was preaching a political message, and I think he should have every right to.
It is no recent “liberal conspiracy” that created the rules that could potentially censor speech from the pulpit. It was an amendment to the 501(c)(3) rules by Lyndon Johnson in 1954 that added this restriction, which some refer to as the “Johnson Amendment”. It was a clear violation of church and state then and it is still one today. The government should not be allowed to commend the church for it’s mission of charity with one hand, and then condemn them with the other when that mission supports values that don’t fit with the current administration’s views.
We can look to the Bible readings of the day for some direction. The Sanhedrin says of the message the apostles were preaching, “But so that it may not be spread any further among the people, let us give them a stern warning …”. Peter and John the perfect response, and one that should guide us when deciding whether we should allow the government to control what our pastors preach about when they responded
“Whether it is right in the sight of God
for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges.
It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.”
We must listen to the gospels and we must go out and vote with our Catholic consciences. It is the only thing to do and still hold to the values that make our faith real! And we must support the bishop and all pastors who speak out from their pulpits and do not allow the government to silence them. Show your support to your local priests and pastors, and show support to Bishop Jenky. Show your representatives that you are not afraid and will not allow this. Push for the repeal of the Johnson Amendment in regards to churches and do not let it continue!