Evening star., 1936-02-22
WALSH CR|T|C|zES
CLERGY |NPOLIT|CS
G. U. Official Says Bans I'M
posed to Avoid "Domi.
nation" Charges.

Warning that the Catholic Church
has imposed prohibitions Ito preserve
religion from the charge of subtly
seeking political domination" DR..
Edmund A. Walsh, S. j.. vice presi-
dent of Georgetown University, last
night denounced participation in
partisan politics" by clergymen and
laymcn associated in close co-opera-
tion with ecclesiastical leaders.
DR.. Walsh mentioned no names,
leaving it to the audience in CASTOR
Hall to draw its own inferences, but
he sharply defined the attitude of his
church on political activities. His re-
marks were made during the second
of 10 public lectures on Christianity,
Communism and Democracy"
Time will doubtless vindicate the
wisdom of the church's belief that
the clergy's best contribution to civic
betterment will consist in the educa-
ton of example and the example of
education" he said in referring to the
fact that the real thinkers" of the
church deal with principles, not with
delegates"
Politics Ban Described.
1.-THE Catholic Church, for which
alone may properly speak in concrete
and particular language, forbids two
things" the Georgetown priest said.
First. for its members to advance
the special interests of purely political
parties by any claim or pretext of
Catholic appreciation or by means of
any program described as Catholic
Action. This prohibition extends even
to those specific Catholic laymen who
associate themselves in close co-opera-
ton with ecclesiastical leaders in the
spiritual apoStolate of religion. Such
high-minded men. once they volun-
tarily assume the honor and response
bility of leadership in the direction of
an official and formal Catholic Action
must, as a general policy, be prepared
to sacrifice public leadership in politi-
cal life.
THAT, in the ruling of the Supreme
Teacher and the pontiff of the Cath
olic Church, is necessary to preserve
religion from the charge of subtly
seeking political domination.
Secondly. the church forbids its
ministers of religion, as rule, to par
ticipate in the militant contests. rival
ries. strifes, nominations, curbstone
debates, conventions. caucuses and
platform recriminations of politics in
the popular acceptation of that term.
No Article of Faith on Issues.
"The Catholic Church has no article
OF faith respecting the tariff, the gold
standard, free or impounded silver,
monetary systems, technical econom-
les or the best machinery for regu-
lating specific industrial crises.
I'm the solution of such important
problems Catholics will take their
individual stands wherever and in
whatever language their free will die
tates, and their authority is only as
good as the arguments they adduce."
Declaring the clergy's finest civic
influence would result from strength
enlng the spiritual foundations of
public life, DR.. Walsh said that the
'best of the army of current think
ers" in the church "have retained
independence Of position and refused
to be drawn into the narrow and suf-
locating atmosphere of partisan poll
tics, which shifts ground, bargains for
votes and forgets the most solemn
engagements. They deal with princi-
pies, not with delegates"