(ZENIT News / Rome, 07.10.2025).- A historic shift in the American religious and legal landscape has taken place. For the first time since the Eisenhower era, churches in the United States can now publicly endorse political candidates without jeopardizing their tax-exempt status, following a court-approved agreement reached with the Internal Revenue Service on July 7. Yet as one door opens for religious institutions, another remains firmly closed—not by law, but by ecclesial prudence.
The ruling, emerging from a legal battle initiated in 2024 by Texas-based churches and the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB), effectively softens the enforcement of the so-called Johnson Amendment of 1954. That provision had barred 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, including religious groups, from supporting or opposing candidates for public office. Now, under the terms of the settlement, internal communications between clergy and their congregations—especially those conducted within the context of religious services—are no longer considered violations of the ban.
The IRS admitted in court that its previous application of the rule had been uneven and, in some cases, constitutionally problematic. In their joint filing, both sides agreed that sermons and internal religious messages should not be equated with campaign activity, likening such exchanges to private family discussions rather than political rallies. The court’s swift acceptance of the agreement underscores a broader shift in how religious speech is viewed under U.S. law—less as a special case and more as a right to be shielded rather than scrutinized.
Religious freedom advocates welcomed the outcome as long overdue. Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, described the former policy as a form of government censorship that wrongly presumed churches must barter their constitutional liberties for tax benefits. “The IRS has no business dictating what a pastor may preach,” Stanley had long argued.
But for all the celebration among some religious broadcasters and evangelical groups, America’s largest religious body is taking a very different approach.
On the same day the decision was finalized, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released a clear and measured statement: the Church will not endorse political candidates, regardless of new freedoms to do so. “This does not change how the Catholic Church engages in public discourse,” said Chieko Noguchi, the bishops’ director of public affairs. “We aim to help Catholics form their consciences in light of the Gospel, not tell them who to vote for.”
This posture reflects not only canonical restrictions but a deeper instinct. The Catholic Church, notes historian Susan Hanssen of the University of Dallas, views its mission as fundamentally pastoral, not partisan. While bishops and priests may comment on moral and social issues—abortion, euthanasia, marriage, or education—they do so to illuminate principles, not to anoint politicians.
Canon Law, in fact, prohibits clergy from active participation in party politics except under exceptional circumstances—when the rights of the Church or the common good are directly threatened, and even then, only with episcopal approval.
“Today in the U.S., no party fully embodies Catholic teaching,” said Christopher Check, president of Catholic Answers. “That makes the task of forming consciences more urgent, not less.”
Still, the implications of the IRS’s shift may reach beyond the immediate question of endorsements. Religious institutions now find themselves freer to speak, but with that freedom comes greater responsibility. The court’s decision places the onus back on churches: not just to exercise their rights, but to discern how doing so aligns with their identity and mission.
Many will likely remain cautious. After decades of avoiding the political spotlight for fear of legal entanglement, pastors may be reluctant to step into the arena now, especially amid an increasingly polarized culture. The danger of being co-opted or misunderstood has not disappeared—if anything, it has intensified.
As the dust settles, the ruling raises a quiet but potent question for churches: not «Can we speak politically?» but «Should we?» For some, that will mean embracing a new boldness. For others, like the Catholic Church, it will mean redoubling efforts to form citizens, not partisans.
In the end, the decision affirms that the pulpit is not a political platform—but neither is it a place of enforced silence. What happens there now depends not on the IRS, but on the wisdom, restraint, and courage of those who stand behind it.
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