More about politics and Catholic clergy

I've both posted and linked about this subject in the past and it must be time to do so again.  About 2 months back Deacon Bill Ditewig gave a splendid overview of the Permanent Deacon in politics and today we hear from Deacon Greg Kendra.  I intend to link both posts.  Deacon Greg goes on to mention the article for the magazine Deacon's Digest that Deacon Ditewig authored.  Here is the bottom line: Permanent Deacons, as ordained clergy of the Catholic Church, must not engage in partisan politics, campaign for candidates, and most certainly should never give the impression that as clergy, they speak for the Church.

Deacon Greg was quick to point out the amazing amount of partisan politics on display in the facebook, and I would assume Twitter, updates of those identified on those social media outlets as "Father so and so" or "Deacon so and so".  These clergy call out candidates by name as being the right answer, or on God's side, or whatever, while declaring the other side as this or that.  This is just not right and my two senior Deacon friends do a much better job of explaining the "why's".  I just say it makes no sense.

Before anyone thinks Catholic clergy, including the Permanent Deacon, is surrendering his "rights" I would suggest we frame the discussion in an altogether different light.  After personally discerning my own calling for years, then working my way through 5 years of formation all the way to ordination, I realized that the body of work of Holy Mother Church is neither Republican or Democrat.  Just like the Son of Man had nowhere to rest his head, we too have no political party to align ourselves with.  This clearly does not mean that the Church, and her clergy, are not to speak up, loudly and boldly, as she has courageously done with this unfair/unjust health care mandate and the resulting loss of religious liberty.

The Church continues to be one of the lone voices in the wilderness to continue to stand against matters relative to contraception, the frenzy to redefine marriage, not to mention a growing understanding of the injustice of the death penalty and issues relative to immigration.

In my Archdiocese here, our Archbishop, through our Director for Permanent Deacons has spoken loud and clear; no politicking, no yard signs, no campaigning, no partisan politics on facebook, twitter, even this here modest blog.

Read more on this in the two excellent articles by Deacon Ditewig and Deacon Kendra:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/deaconsbench/2012/05/clergy-and-politics/

http://pilgrimsfootsteps.blogspot.com/2012/03/permanent-deacons-and-politics.html