Washington State Catholic Conference

 

Parish Guidelines

 

WASHINGTON STATE CATHOLIC CONFERENCE

GUIDELINES FOR PARISHES AND AGENCIES ON POLITICAL ACTIVITY

 

 “The Church’s participation in public affairs does not undermine but enriches the political process and affirms genuine pluralism.  Leaders of the Church have the right and duty to share the Church’s teaching and to educate Catholics on the moral dimensions of public life, so that they may form their consciences in light of their faith.”  Faithful Citizenship, 2003 Statement by the Administrative Board of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

(Click here for Word Document)

The Bishops nationally in their 2003 document – Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility – invite individuals and the organizational Church to a ministry that inevitably involves political consequences.  This excellent teaching statement, while encouraging political involvement, maintains a distinct role for the Church in the political order, which includes the following: 

  • Educating its members about Catholic social teaching;
  • Highlighting the moral dimensions of public policy;
  • Participating in debate on matters affecting the common good; and
  • Witnessing to the Gospel through the many services and ministries provided by the Catholic community.

 The WSCC provides the following guidelines in order to assist parishes and Catholic organizations to determine activities that are permitted during election campaigns and activities that are prohibited.  General guidance by topic can be found at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website: http://www.usccb.org/ogc/guidelines.shtml .

WHAT WE CAN DO

Catholic Church officials and organizations can:

  1. Make comments and provide moral guidance on political issues.  
  2. Encourage Catholics to vote and to become involved in political activities.
  3. Use parish bulletins to publish and distribute materials on public issues approved by the Washington State Catholic Conference (WSCC). 
  4. Express the Church’s teachings on public issues.
  5. Organize voter registration campaigns and “get-out-the-vote” campaigns including information on how to obtain absentee ballots. Provide assistance for handicapped and elderly persons, and for non-English speaking citizens.   
  6. Organize committees for political education/involvement in issues.
  7. Develop a legislative network to advocate for the Church’s public policy agenda.
  8. Conduct issue and/or balanced candidate forums.  Church facilities may be made available for these forums.
  9. Distribute questionnaires or voting records of all candidates on a wide range of issues provided the structure and content of the material has an educational purpose and avoids bias toward any candidate.
  10. Organize visits to the legislature and letter writing campaigns on legislative issues and initiatives in concert with Catholic Church positions.
  11. Allow the use of parish facilities to organizations to discuss issues that are in accord with Catholic Church teaching.
  12. Allow the use of parish facilities for polling places on election day.

WHAT WE CANNOT DO

Catholic Church officials and organizations cannot:

  1. Endorse or oppose candidates or political parties, or actively engage in political campaigns for or against any candidate or party (e.g., through homily, newsletter, flyer, poster, bulletin, e-mail, phone or by providing a parish mailing list).
  2. Permit the distribution on Church property, including parking lots, of any printed materials, including political signs, placards, or voter guides that favor or oppose a candidate or promote the agenda of a political party.
  3. Permit the distribution of election materials or voter education materials, which relate to issues that have not been published by the diocesan bishop, the  Washington State Catholic Conference or the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
  4. Use Church bulletins or websites to promote candidates through announcement or advertising.
  5. Evaluate candidates in writing or in speech.  Types of objectionable evaluations include:
    1. Labeling a candidate, e.g. "pro-school aid" or "anti-life."
    2. Comparing or rating candidates, e.g. using a scale of plus (+) or minus (-) or otherwise saying "X is right", "Y is wrong."
    3. Issuing any "marked" sample ballots that tell people how to vote.
  6. Give Church money, in-kind services, or any funds arising from Church related sources to candidates for political office or holders of political office or political parties.
  7. Allow the renting or donating of parish or (arch)diocesan facilities, including parish halls, school gyms and auditoriums, to candidates or political parties for partisan activities, such as party conventions, caucuses, candidate promotional events, etc. However, at times other than during an election campaign, facilities may be used to hold public informational forums presented by elected officials.  On these occasions, all use and rental arrangements must be in conformity with (arch)diocesan property policies, including provisions for adequate insurance coverage.

CHURCH LEADERS

Limitations on partisan political activity apply to organizations and persons acting in an official role as Church leaders (bishops, clergy, pastoral religious leaders, religious, diocesan agency directors, etc.).  Pastors and parish leaders must be especially careful not to use their position to promote candidates.  Inappropriate promotion would include:

  1. Commenting on candidates from the pulpit, including introductions as members of the parish during an election campaign.
  2. Allowing your name with title to be used on candidate campaign literature.
  3. Permitting the use of Church stationery, phones or e-mail to promote candidates.

Diocesan, parish and Catholic organizational leaders acting as private citizens have a First Amendment right to support or oppose political candidates or parties provided they do not in any way utilize the Church’s or Catholic organization’s financial resources, facilities or personnel.  Leaders must clearly and unambiguously indicate that the actions or statements they make are their own and not those of the Church or of the Catholic organization.  

INITIATIVES AND REFERENDUMS

The Washington State Catholic Conference reviews all proposed initiatives and referendums.  After appropriate consultation, WSCC supports, opposes or takes no position on each measure.

Given the current popularity of the initiative process in Washington State, individuals and groups may want to gather signatures on Church property or at Church activities.  The gathering of signatures is not encouraged or appropriate unless specifically authorized by the local Bishop.  When neither the WSCC nor the (arch)diocese has taken a public position on a specific initiative or referendum, granting the use of Church facilities to groups either supporting or opposing the issue should not be allowed.  The local Bishop may have specific instructions for the (arch)diocese.  The WSCC should be consulted for background information on the issue.

 

USE OF PARISH PROPERTY

Many individuals and organizations seek support from Catholic parishes and individual Catholics for their issues.  Some may want to distribute information to parishioners or place flyers on cars in parish parking lots.  Recent Washington State Supreme Court rulings hold that free speech rights do not give individuals or organizations the right to distribute information on church property against the desires of the parish. 

Pastors, parish administrators, and pastoral life directors have the right to prohibit the following activities on parish property:

  • Distributing information to parishioners
  • Gathering signatures for petitions
  • Placing leaflets on car windshields in parish parking lots
  • Placing political signs or placards on Church property

If permission is granted for any of the above activities, it must be subject to the restrictions on political activity described in the section titled “WHAT WE CANNOT DO.”               

No distribution of any election material is permitted unless it is published by the (arch)diocesan bishop, the WSCC, or USCCB.

 

The WSCC is available to address any questions regarding political activity.

Washington State Catholic Conference
710 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA  98104 
Phone: (206) 301-0556 ~ Fax: (206) 301-0558 wscc@thewscc.org


The Catholic Church is committed to the value of being non-partisan. In addition, the Church and its many organizations maintain a tax-exempt status under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Tax Code which dictates the political activities that a 501(c)(3) organization can and cannot do.

 

These guidelines were developed in consultation with the General Counsel of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and attorneys for the dioceses in Washington State.  The Washington State Catholic Conference has approved them.

The Washington State Catholic Conference (WSCC) represents the Catholic Bishops of Washington State: Archbishop Alex J. Brunett of the Archdiocese of Seattle, Bishop William S. Skylstad of the Diocese of Spokane, Bishop Carlos A. Sevilla, S.J., of the Diocese of Yakima and Bishop Joseph J. Tyson and Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, M.Sp.S., auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese of Seattle.