Americans United files complaint with IRS over Catholic bishop's "campaigning"
Bump and Update:
I made a stupid mistake with the name of the organization this morning. It's corrected in the title, but I left my original message.
A watchdog group asked the IRS on Thursday to revoke the tax-exempt status of the Roman Catholic diocese in Colorado Springs over the bishop's threat to withhold communion from those who disagree with the church.
Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, said the church should lose its tax-exempt status because it used church resources for political purposes.
Bishop Michael Sheridan wrote in a Catholic newspaper this month that Catholics should not receive communion if they vote for politicians who disagree with the church by backing abortion rights and other topics.
"I believe that Bishop Sheridan, by issuing this document in a church publication in his official capacity as head of a religious organization, may have violated federal tax law and jeopardized the tax-exempt status of the Diocese of Colorado Springs," Lynn said in a letter to the IRS. -- A watchdog group asked the IRS on Thursday to revoke the tax-exempt status of the Roman Catholic diocese in Colorado Springs over the bishop's threat to withhold communion from those who disagree with the church.
Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, said the church should lose its tax-exempt status because it used church resources for political purposes.
Bishop Michael Sheridan wrote in a Catholic newspaper this month that Catholics should not receive communion if they vote for politicians who disagree with the church by backing abortion rights and other topics.
"I believe that Bishop Sheridan, by issuing this document in a church publication in his official capacity as head of a religious organization, may have violated federal tax law and jeopardized the tax-exempt status of the Diocese of Colorado Springs," Lynn said in a letter to the IRS. -- Group Asks IRS to Probe Colo. Diocese (AP via Biloxi Sun Herald)
The Americans United website has a long press release on the letter. It quotes from a guideline of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The USCCB's Office of Governmental Affairs earlier this year warned Catholic churches that "issue advocacy communication may constitute intervention in a political campaign through the use of code words, such as 'conservative', 'liberal', 'pro-life', 'pro-choice', 'anti-choice', 'Republican', or 'Democrat', coupled with a discussion of a candidacy or election, even if no candidate is specifically named."
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I just heard on NPR's Morning Edition that People United for Separation of Church and State has submitted a letter to the Internal Revenue Service complaining about the recent statements of the Catholic Bishop of Colorado Springs. Bishop Michael Sheridan recently said that any Catholic who votes for a candidate who supports abortion, gay marriage, or stem-cell research is “outside the full communion of the church” and may not receive the Eucharist (Communion).
I have not been able to find a written news story on this yet.