Recently, former presidential candidate Howard Dean commented that an increasing number of tax-exempt religious organizations are breaking tax law by using their churches as political bases.
Although Dean's comments may have been a subtle warning to pro-Republican priests in evangelical circles, his comments hold true to all heads of church in America.
Not directly mentioned by Dean but making headlines regardless has been Roger Michael Cardinal Mahony, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles. Mahony is a prime example of a church leader overstepping the law by using his church as a tax-exempt political platform to rally support for granting amnesty for millions of illegal aliens currently living in the United States.
Last Easter Sunday, Mahony delivered a political speech to his attendees that recommended them to "Go to work. Go to school, [then] join thousands of us at a major rally afterward", referring to a pro-immigration march scheduled for May 1st. He also delivered a speech during Lent that encouraged other acts of civil disobedience.
Furthermore, Mahony in general has also been using his power as Archbishop to spread his pro-immigration message to hundreds of Catholic churches in his parish.
These actions are in clear violation of federal tax law barring the political involvement of churches. Should he continue with these unlawful activities, the obvious recourse would be for the IRS to revoke his church's status as tax-exempt and to collect back taxes during the time of his political involvement.
Hopefully, Mahony will either step down as archbishop or learn to use his podium for its primary purpose: to spread the word of God, not the word of Mahony.
Although Dean's comments may have been a subtle warning to pro-Republican priests in evangelical circles, his comments hold true to all heads of church in America.
Not directly mentioned by Dean but making headlines regardless has been Roger Michael Cardinal Mahony, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Los Angeles. Mahony is a prime example of a church leader overstepping the law by using his church as a tax-exempt political platform to rally support for granting amnesty for millions of illegal aliens currently living in the United States.
Last Easter Sunday, Mahony delivered a political speech to his attendees that recommended them to "Go to work. Go to school, [then] join thousands of us at a major rally afterward", referring to a pro-immigration march scheduled for May 1st. He also delivered a speech during Lent that encouraged other acts of civil disobedience.
Furthermore, Mahony in general has also been using his power as Archbishop to spread his pro-immigration message to hundreds of Catholic churches in his parish.
These actions are in clear violation of federal tax law barring the political involvement of churches. Should he continue with these unlawful activities, the obvious recourse would be for the IRS to revoke his church's status as tax-exempt and to collect back taxes during the time of his political involvement.
Hopefully, Mahony will either step down as archbishop or learn to use his podium for its primary purpose: to spread the word of God, not the word of Mahony.
