Politics in the pulpit blurs lines between church, state

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Fri, Oct. 22, 2004

Politics in the pulpit blurs lines between church, state

Partisan politics has reached new levels in churches, with Catholics heated over Sen. Kerry's stances, and watchdogs pointing to the separation of church and state.

BY ALEXANDRA ALTER AND ANDREA ROBINSON
[e-mail]


Carol Nagengast, a lifelong Miami Catholic, believes the Catholic Church can oppose abortion from the pulpit. But she recently walked out of a Sunday sermon at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Coral Gables, the first time she had ever done so. The issue: A visiting priest told parishioners not to vote for politicians who support abortion rights.

''This was not a sermon, it was a political speech,'' said Nagengast, 60, a legal secretary who was one of dozens who left during the eight Masses at which the priest spoke. ``I have never, ever heard something like that in a Catholic Church and I hope I never do again.''

While political speeches in black and evangelical churches have been a staple for generations, partisan politics is hitting a new crescendo in houses of worship. The Bush-Cheney camp has urged church leaders to turn over their directories to the campaign. The Kerry-Edwards campaign is aggressively courting black congregants.

The issue has escalated among Catholics, the nation's largest religious denomination with 64 million members and who constitute one-fourth of the electorate.
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