Commentary > Catholic Answers Sues the IRS: Turnabout is Fair Play
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Catholic Answers Sues the IRS: Turnabout is Fair Play

By Robyn Broyles, June 08, 2009 07:00



IRS and government intimidationIn 2004, the IRS fined the non-profit group Catholic Answers, the country's premier lay apologetics organization, for making statements ostensibly related to the presidential election.  (In the U.S., non-profit groups are not allowed to campaign for any candidate or ballot issue.)  Now Catholic Answers has turned around and sued the IRS for intimidation.

The fine was for CA's public opinion that then-candidate John Kerry should not be permitted to receive Communion because of his firm pro-choice stance on abortion.  The IRS declared that this statement amounted to the non-profit's "intervening" in the election.  CA also published a "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics" that year, which the IRS found to be free of violations.

The statement about Kerry and Communion had everything to do with internal Church matters, and fining CA for "campaigning" was ridiculously inappropriate.  Why did the IRS fine CA for a non-political statement?

During the last several U.S. elections, many of those opposed to the orthodox Catholic point of view grumbled about Catholic organizations and dioceses that spoke up about issues with a bearing on politics.  Even when the Catholic groups carefully avoided mentioning any specific candidate or ballot initiative, their opponents complained about those groups' tax-exempt status.

So the IRS, responding to a complaint by pro-choice activist Francis Kissling of Catholics for a Free Choice, levied the fine.  And CA is suing the IRS in response for actively intimidating religious groups, including churches and non-profits, into not exercising their rights to free non-political speech.  In its lawsuit, CA's president Karl Keating charges that the IRS uses "very vague criteria" to determine whether controversial speech is political.

Kudos to Catholic Answers, which is continuing its tradition of courage in speaking up for critical moral issues.  In light of the political tactic used by the Church's opponents of calling religious speech "political," the IRS absolutely must define the difference between political and non-political speech.  Religious organizations (and not just Catholic parishes and dioceses) are terrified to speak up about their own beliefs around elections, lest they lost their tax-exempt status.  They need clear guidelines so their opponents—and the IRS itself—cannot intimidate them into silence.

Side note: Catholic Answers also publishes a non-denominational "Voter's Guide for Serious Christians."  It's based on the moral traditions common to most mainstream denominations, and does not make references to Catholic documents, papal statements, etc.

Hat tip for this story goes to Catholic Edition.

Image information:  This poster is an allusion to a quotation by John F. Kennedy:  "We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values."  Original photo by Andres Rodriguez ("symic") on Flickr.  Posterized by Robyn Broyles using "I Can Has Cheezburger?" poster builder tool.

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Tags: catholic answers, irs, free speech, news stories, courage

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