Priests and Politics Don’t Mix

America’s history suggests the clergy best steer clear of politics, says Mark D. Tooley in today’s column .

Eighteen eighty-four’s election was one of the nation’s dirtiest, and clergy were among its central actors. The example [of former Buffalo Mayor Grover Cleveland] is instructive. Religion has often elevated American politics. But direct involvement by the clergy has not always been helpful. Their primary vocation is to speak God’s Word without compromise, a calling that does not easily transfer into the compromises requisite for electioneering. Directly applying faith to politics is more typically a calling for lay people.

Read the full column here .