Political Pulpits

Catholic Church draws suit

It was the last Sunday before two hotly contested primary elections in Massachusetts. At Roman Catholic Masses in the Boston area, priests pulled out a letter written by the local archbishop, Humberto Cardinal Medeiros, warning worshipers that anyone voting for a politician favoring abortion would incur some of the guilt for "this horrendous crime and deadly sin." The unnamed targets: pro-choice Congressional Candidates Barney Frank and James Shannon. The letter caused bitter debate about whether the church had improperly taken a hand in partisan politics, a frequent question throughout the U.S. during this election year. In April, for instance, a South Dakota priest wrote colleagues across the state urging them to support an anti-abortion candidate who was opposing pro-choice Senator George McGovern.

Upset by such examples of "intervention," pro-choice advocates fought back last week by filing a suit in New York federal court against the IRS, asking it to cut off the church's tax exemption. The suit charges that through letter writing, articles in church newspapers and other activities, the church is violating the IRS code under which tax-exempt religious institutions may discuss issues but not campaign for particular candidates.

No legal observers seem prepared to bet next Sunday's collection plate that the court will tamper with the church's tax status. But Lawrence Lader, president of the plaintiff Abortion Rights Mobilization, suggests that the suit could have a restraining effect anyway. As Lader puts it, "I hope this frightens people enough to make them obey the law." More sobering than the suit, perhaps, were the results at the ballot box: Frank, Shannon and McGovern all won their primaries. sb

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