Parish priest putting inflammatory political content in the bulletin

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The priest at our parish is a different sort. He preaches about his political opinions all the time, and he very often puts similar content in the bulletin. Lately it has gotten worse; he puts in whole pages of cringey pro-police memes that are impliedly against the Black Lives Matter movement. (I do not want to debate those issues on this thread; this is solely about the inappropriateness of overt political content for the pulpit or parish bulletin.)

As a parishioner, what should I do about this? Mail a copy to the bishop? Photos of a recent bulletin have already been making rounds on social media :woman_facepalming:t2: (not viral, just shared on a couple of local people’s Facebook pages) so it’s possible this will come to his attention soon anyway. Speak directly to the priest? He doesn’t publish his email address anywhere, and I have to admit I would rather not try to make an appointment with him - but maybe I am being a coward.
 
EnglishTeacher said:
The priest at our parish is a different sort. He preaches about his political opinions all the time, and he very often puts similar content in the bulletin. Lately it has gotten worse; he puts in whole pages of cringey pro-police memes that are impliedly against the Black Lives Matter movement. (I do not want to debate those issues on this thread; this is solely about the inappropriateness of overt political content for the pulpit or parish bulletin.)

As a parishioner, what should I do about this? Mail a copy to the bishop? Photos of a recent bulletin have already been making rounds on social media :woman_facepalming:t2: (not viral, just shared on a couple of local people’s Facebook pages) so it’s possible this will come to his attention soon anyway. Speak directly to the priest? He doesn’t publish his email address anywhere, and I have to admit I would rather not try to make an appointment with him - but maybe I am being a coward.
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I would write a letter to the bishop, expressing your concerns, and mail copies of the bulletins.

You might want to send it USPS Priority Mail (the kind in the big cardboard envelope that has to be signed for). The last time I had to write a letter to the bishop, that’s what I did, and it got read and taken to heart. A little pricey, but might be worth it. Just a thought.
 
My diocese openly discriminates: You cannot volunteer for church post-Covid-19 cleanup if you are over 65. Unfair! Illegal! Bad stuff!

(said by an old geezer)
 
Before anyone comments on a posting about ‘Inflammatory Political Content’ a Priest made, we should see and know what that ‘Inflammatory Political Content’ is. I would hate to see anyone ‘Judge’ or ‘Condemn’ (Luke 6:37) and find out a person posted their own bias views and accused a Priest of something … they shouldn’t have.
 
I think you owe him the courtesy of talking to him about it first before sending bulletin copies to the bishop.

First, as far as politics, there should be no endorsement of candidates or parties. That is not something priests can do from pulpit or bulletin.

However, the priest certainly has a duty to discuss and form consciences on issues.

Be prepared to discuss exactly what concerns you— the content, the delivery— and why. Is he taking positions contrary to Church teaching, or is it in the prudential realm but you don’t like what he’s saying, or could he say it in a different way that would get a legitimate message across without being offensive or insensitive?

All food for thought.
 
If you are in the US, your Diocese has guidelines about what can and what cannot be printed in bulletins, websites, social media, etc.

USCCB offers this for parishes:

Parish Policy on Distribution of Campaign Materials

During this election season, our parish will be utilizing materials from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship and Civilize It . These materials are non-partisan and seek to help Catholics engage in the political process with an informed conscience, as our faith calls us to do. Distribution of other election-related materials on church property will not be permitted. Among other activities, posting flyers or signs, passing out campaign literature, and leaving unauthorized materials anywhere in the building or on car windshields, are prohibited. We appreciate your compliance with this policy.

http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/parishes-and-schools/index.cfm

Yes, speak to the Diocese
 
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Priest can’t tell you to vote or not vote for Trump. The priest can tell you which issues are important and worth considering when going to vote. I know plenty of priests who vote Democrat and plenty who vote Republican.
 
Just write to the bishop. If they are that inappropriate then it needs to be corrected. Worst thing the bishop can do is turn it down.
 
I would talk to him privately after Mass or something. No reason to escalate it to the bishop and get the guy in trouble if you don’t have to. Follow Jesus on this one:
If your brother sins, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that ‘every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. – Matthew 18:15-17
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From what you said above, it sounds like there are a number of people in your parish who are displeased with what he’s putting in the bulletin. So just tell him what you think, and encourage other people to do the same. Priests do listen to that sort of thing, especially if they hear the same feedback from several parishioners.
 
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Another thing, I cannot think of one parish I know where the Pastor is the bulletin maker. You may find out these are coming from a secretary or volunteer.
 
Wow. The priests I have worked for say “if we did not trust you do content right, you would not be on staff”.
 
Your Priest’s comments could be interpreted as being intended to champion and intercede for All human rights. Right now, it’s open season to physically attack Police Officers, and politically incorrect to defend them. They are dying at a higher rate than protesters. The riots and protesting are causing deaths, and no one of these people who have died or will die is less important than George Floyd. Yet the world won’t be chanting their names and erecting memorials to them.
 
EnglishTeacher said:
He preaches about his political opinions all the time, and he very often puts similar content in the bulletin. Lately it has gotten worse; he puts in whole pages of cringey pro-police memes that are impliedly against the Black Lives Matter movement.
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Are these bad because they are opposite of your views or are they generally offensive to everyone. There is nothing wrong with being pro-police. Being pro-police does not make someone anti anything.

Check you offense before reporting anyone to the bishop. As far as I know it still a right in America to have different opinions.
 
I haven’t read all of the replies.

I’m a strong believer in approaching people first before going over their heads. That’s just the ethical and charitable way of going about sticky matters.

Write a snail-mail letter to your priest expressing your concerns. Before sending it, make sure someone close to your proofreads it. Keep in mind that your parish secretary will, (mostly likely), also see it. Emphasize the need for peace and unity within our Church during these divisive times. Encourage him to write or contact you at his soonest convenience. If you don’t hear from him in, say, a week . . . . then contact your Bishop.

Editing to add: I think written form is fine. Thinking carefully through your words will prevent you from saying anything you’ll regret.
 
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EnglishTeacher said:
Speak directly to the priest? He doesn’t publish his email address anywhere, and I have to admit I would rather not try to make an appointment with him - but maybe I am being a coward.
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If you can discuss it with a forum full of strangers, you should be able to discuss it with your pastor, who for all you know reads this public forum.

It may be
  • that someone else is putting the content in the bulletin
  • that there are people in the parish who are police or have police in their family and need some support right now
  • that the pastor and you would both benefit from having a dialogue about this content
 
blackforest said:
I’m a strong believer in approaching people first before going over their heads. That’s just the ethical and charitable way of going about sticky matters.
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Plus usually if you reach out to the Bishop’s office about a parish matter like this, they’ll want to know if you contacted your priest about it first. If you say “no” then they’ll tell you to go do that and then get back to them.
Horton said:
Are these bad because they are opposite of your views or are they generally offensive to everyone. There is nothing wrong with being pro-police. Being pro-police does not make someone anti anything.
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^^ This as well.
It is not against BLM to be supportive of police. I was on a march last week and there were police officers in the march and also supporting the march. I don’t want to see people of color brutalized or made to feel uncomfortable; at the same time I don’t think every police officer is a bad person or that they should all be fired. There are many police officers of color and their lives of course matter too.
 
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These are 100% from him. I know that is unusual, though.
 
It’s possible that I would agree with these bulletins if I saw them.
However, it is wrong to divide the parish. I think he is abusing his position.
 
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