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By Teresa Tomeo
We've all heard the questions before. And those of us who are very concerned about the many cultural attacks on our Catholic faith have probably raised them many times ourselves especially during election years: Why don't our priests teach more strongly from the pulpit? Why don't we hear from priests, bishops and other Church leaders especially when it comes to the core teachings concerning the sanctity of human life and the sacrament of marriage?
Many have a general sense that our religious shepherds can make a difference, even in a 20- or 30-minute homily each week to help parishioners make important decisions not only in the voting booth but in their everyday lives as practicing Catholics.
According to a new book being released this spring, those instincts are correct, at least in part. Catholics are influenced politically by not only what their priests say from the ambo but what is written about the issues in the weekly church bulletins. And some in the field of Catholic evangelization and catechesis, along with active lay Catholics, are hoping the findings, although based on a small sample of parishes, would be an encouragement for other priests to speak the truth in love, as St. Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 3:15.
The book, "Politics in the Parish: The Political Influence of Catholic Priests" (Georgetown University Press, $26.95), is written by Gregory Smith, a fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Smith, a Catholic, said as a young adult he moved several times, attending several different parishes in the space of a few years. That's when he noticed the political messages from priests varied greatly from parish to parish.
"I was in graduate school studying political science at the time, and it occurred to me that investigating the political impact of these varying messages might serve as a worthwhile topic for dissertation research," he said.
Smith said his book is based on case studies at a randomly selected sample of nine Catholic parishes taken during the 2004 presidential election season.
"Three each from the Diocese of Arlington, the Diocese of Richmond, and the Archdiocese of Washington. At each parish I sought to understand the preaching style of the priests there," he said.
Smith conducted interviews with pastors, took surveys of the priests and did a content analysis of the parish bulletins. His goal was to investigate the link between priests' approach to preaching and the political views of the congregation. He also administered surveys to samples of parishioners at each of the nine parishes.
"Priests at several parishes talked openly and often about the Church's teaching on social-justice issues, while paying less attention to issues like abortion and sexual morality. Priests at other parishes, by contrast, paid more attention to abortion and sexual morality in their preaching and indicated that though they also spoke about social-justice issues, they tended to emphasize the Church opposition to abortion. Still other priests fell somewhere in between."
Ken Ogorek, director of catechesis for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and author of "The Gospel Truth: Lectionary-Based Catechism for Adults" (Harcourt Religion Publishers, $20), says while pastors and priests cannot endorse candidates, they can talk about the issues central to the faith. He said Smith's work shows the importance of what is said from the pulpit and how Catholics apply their faith to their everyday lives. Ogorek added that especially among faithful Catholics there is a strong desire to hear more from priests and pastors.
"Most people I know who embrace the truth revealed by God and share in the teaching of our Catholic Church would like to hear these truths incorporated comprehensively, over time in homilies," Ogorek said.
Smith, meanwhile, says he sees this research as a helpful first step in our efforts to understand the political influence of clergy in the United States, rather than a comprehensive portrait of priests and their preaching.
"The findings from the nine-parish study suggest that the political messages that parishioners hear from their priests do vary from parish to parish," Smith said."And these differences may be politically consequential, though the relationship between the political messages delivered by the priests and the political views of parishioners can be both subtle and indirect in nature.
"My analysis of the Notre Dame Study of Catholic Parish Life, conducted in the 1980s, shows that parishioners in parishes with self-described liberal pastors tend to hold more politically liberal positions on a variety of social and political issues as compared with parishioners in parishes with self-described moderate pastors. And, by 2004, cases studies of nine Catholic parishes in the Virginia/Maryland/Washington, D.C., area revealed a correlation between the parishes that Catholics attend and certain religious beliefs -- specifically their notions of what it takes to be considered a 'true' Catholic and their willingness to accept political guidance from the Church. These religious beliefs, in turn, were correlated with parishioners' views on several social and political topics," Smith said.
While "Politics in the Parish" provides only a snapshot or limited view of the connection between preaching and the practices of Catholics, it does show that there is at least a connection. What our priests and pastors say from the pulpit and back up with articles and other information or teaching tools does matter. That raises two key questions: How should concerned lay Catholics approach their parish priest to encourage them to "be not afraid" when it comes to speaking out, especially on the hot button issues of the day? And how can we help our priests evangelize our fellow Catholics? Ogorek recommended giving the priest a chance to address these concerns.
"I would make an appointment and respectfully inform him that in conversations with several fellow parishioners the topic has come up and this is the sentiment expressed. Regarding evangelization as it connects to this topic, it is important to relate Church teaching accurately to issues (not candidates or parties) and witness to the power and beauty of living this teaching for society as well as individuals," Ogorek said.
Teresa Tomeo is the host of Catholic Connection, produced by Ave Maria Radio and heard daily on EWTN Global Catholic Radio and Sirius Channel 160.
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