FORT COLLINS, Colo.—Priests and deacons serving in the Archdiocese of Denver will not be allowed to donate money to political candidates or make endorsements under an upcoming directive from Archbishop Charles Chaput.
The directive states that clerics “may not publicly participate or endorse political campaigns or initiatives, or publicly affiliate themselves with groups whose primary purpose is to do so”, The Coloradoan of Fort Collins reported Saturday. The newspaper amendment to the archdiocese’s pastoral handbook that will be published in Wednesday’s Denver Catholic Register.
Chaput is one of the country’s most vocal bishops about Catholics’ need to speak in the public square and is set to publish a book on the subject this August. He oversees churches in metro Denver, northern and northeastern Colorado and some mountain communities.
Archdiocese spokeswoman Jeanette DeMelo said Chaput wants to give clergy guidance ahead of the 2008 election and wasn’t responding to any particular activity by priests or deacons.
She said the directive only affects partisan political activity and said that clergy still have a duty to speak out on moral issues such as abortion or immigration.
“The church’s role in the public square is to help Catholics understand the teaching of their church regarding moral issues and encourage them to make informed decisions in light of those moral principles,” DeMelo said.
She said the archdiocese encourages that initiatives on issues like immigration or abortion be non-partisan and clergy members could still be involved in those.
William Trewartha, deacon at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Fort Collins, said Chaput told him and other deacons about the change during a meeting in January, followed up by a letter in April.
Trewartha gave $1,200 to Republican presidential candidate John McCain and $300 to Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer before the January meeting.
According to The Coloradoan’s review of Federal Election Commission records, Trewartha is the only donor who listed his occupation as priest or deacon in the Denver archdiocese during the current election cycle.
Nationally, about 100 Catholic priests and deacons have donated nearly $100,000. The bulk of the money went to Republican groups or candidates but Democrat Barack Obama received the most money of any single candidate.
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Information from: Fort Collins Coloradoan,
