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Catholic priests in public office

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A number of Catholic priests have served in public office.[1] The Catholic Church discourages and restricts this practice.

In canon law

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Roman Catholic canon law discourages and restricts members of the clergy from holding secular civil or political office. Canon 285 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, which governs the Latin Church, states that priests "are to avoid those things which, although not unbecoming, are nevertheless foreign to the clerical state" and prohibits clergy from assuming "public offices which entail a participation in the exercise of civil power."[2][3] The same canon makes an exception for priests who have the permission of their bishop.[2][3]

Laws by country

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The constitutions of Bolivia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Venezuela prohibit members of the clergy from serving as president.[4] The Constitution of Paraguay prohibits clergy of any religion from becoming candidates for president, vice president, senator, deputy, or departmental governor.[5] The Constitution of Myanmar prohibits "members of religious orders" from serving as president or as members of the Pyithu Hluttaw, the lower house of parliament.[4][6] Article 130 of the Constitution of Mexico prohibits clergy from holding any public office, among other restrictions.[4][7]

Andorra

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The Bishop of Urgell is a ruling co-prince of Andorra; the bishop's ex officio role as a monarch has existed since 1278. The bishop additionally sends a personal representative to rule as a viceroy in their stead.

Examples by country

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Austria

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Ignaz Seipel, a priest, theologian and academic, served as the Foreign Minister of Austria from 1926 to 1929 and in 1930, and served as Chancellor of Austria from 1922 to 1924 and 1926 to 1929.

Theodor Innitzer, who would become a cardinal and Archbishop of Vienna, served as the Austrian Minister of Social Affairs from 1929 to 1930.

Canada

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Three Catholic priests have been elected to the House of Commons of Canada.

Andrew Hogan was the first Catholic priest to serve as a Canadian Member of Parliament. First elected to represent the electoral district of Cape Breton—East Richmond, Nova Scotia, in the 1974 federal election, he was re-elected in 1979 but defeated in 1980. Hogan was a member of the New Democratic Party.

Robert Ogle was elected to the House of Commons in 1979 in the electoral district of Saskatoon East, Saskatchewan. Ogle was re-elected in 1980. He chose not to seek re-election in 1984 as a result of the new ban by the Holy See on clergy in public office. Like Hogan, Ogle was a member of the New Democratic Party.

Raymond Gravel was elected in a 2006 by-election in the electoral district of Repentigny, Quebec. He had received a dispensation from his diocesan bishop to enter politics. Gravel did not seek re-election in the 2008 federal election after Holy See authorities ordered him to choose between politics and the priesthood following controversy over his opposition to anti-abortion Bill C-484 and his support for the Order of Canada nomination of abortion rights activist Henry Morgentaler. Although he chose to leave politics, Gravel maintained that he remained, in accordance with Catholic doctrine, opposed to abortion.[8] Gravel was a member of the nationalist Bloc Québécois.

Czech Republic

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Daniel Herman is a laicized Roman Catholic priest who was Minister of Culture, representing the Christian Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party (KDU-ČSL).

Dominican Republic

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Fernando Arturo de Meriño, a priest who would later become an archbishop, served as President of the Dominican Republic from 1880 to 1882.

France

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Barthélemy Boganda, a priest from Ubangi-Shari (today the Central African Republic), was elected to the French National Assembly in 1946, serving until 1958. He left the priesthood in 1950 and married, and from 1958 to 1959 served as the first Prime Minister of the Central African Republic.

Germany

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Beda Weber was a German Benedictine priest who served as a member of the Frankfurt Parliament in 1849.

Ludwig Kaas was a priest of the Weimar Republic. In 1919 he was elected to the Weimar National Assembly and in 1920 was elected to the Reichstag, where he served until 1933.

Libya

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For a brief period in 2011 during the Libyan Civil War, the Nicaraguan priest Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann served as the Libyan ambassador to the United Nations.

Nicaragua

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In the 1970s and 80s, the President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, appointed three priests to his cabinet: Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fernando Cardenal as Minister of Education, and his brother, Ernesto Cardenal, as Minister of Culture.

Paraguay

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In 2005, Fernando Lugo, the Bishop of San Pedro, requested laicization to run for office but it was denied. In 2008, he was elected President of Paraguay, in spite of Article 235 of the Constitution prohibiting any minister of any religion from serving as president. After his election he was laicized. In 2012, he was impeached for unrelated reasons.

Poland

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Hugo Kołłątaj was a Polish noble and Catholic priest who in 1786 received the office of the Referendary of Lithuania. He co-authored the Constitution of May 3, 1791 and held a variety of posts before falling out of political favor in 1802 as a result of his radical views.

Stanisław Staszic was a philosopher and political activist who served in the government of Congress Poland.

Slovakia and Czechoslovakia

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Andrej Hlinka served in the Parliament of Czechoslovakia from 1920 to 1938 and was leader of the Slovak People's Party from 1913 until his death.

From 1939 to 1945, the priest Jozef Tiso was President of the First Slovak Republic, a satellite state of Nazi Germany. Following World War II, he was convicted and hanged for treason that subsumed also war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

Solomon Islands

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Augustine Geve was a Catholic priest who served as a member of the National Parliament from 2001 to 2002 and was Minister of Youth, Women and Sports from 2001 to 2002. He was assassinated on 20 August 2002.

United Kingdom

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David Cairns, a laicised Catholic priest, was elected to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom between 2001 and 2011, following the House of Commons (Removal of Clergy Disqualification) Act 2001 which removed the ban on clergymen being elected as an MP.[9] Former Archbishops of Westminster Basil Hume and Cormac Murphy-O'Connor were individually offered life peerages and a seat in the House of Lords but both declined the offer.[10][11]

United States

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Possibly the earliest known instance of a Catholic priest serving in public office in the United States was Gabriel Richard. Born in France, he founded the University of Michigan and served as a delegate from Michigan Territory from 1823 to 1825.

Two priests, Robert Drinan and Robert John Cornell, have served in the United States Congress. In 1980, when Pope John Paul II decreed that priests not serve in elected office,[12] Representative Drinan withdrew from his re-election campaign, and Cornell withdrew from his bid to re-gain the seat he had lost in the 1978 Congressional election. In 1983, the prohibition on serving in governmental office was codified as section 3 of canon 285 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law.

List of priests who have held public office

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This list includes priests who held public office, the country in which they held office, and the office(s) they held.

Name Country Office(s) Ref.
Moses Adasu  Nigeria Governor of Benue State (1992–1993) [13]
Paul-Siméon Ahouanan Djro  Ivory Coast President of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2015–2017) [3]
Hyacinth Alia  Nigeria Governor of Benue State (2023–present) [13]
Jean-Bertrand Aristide  Haiti President of Haiti (1991)
Xabier Arzalluz*  Spain Member of the Congress of Deputies (1977–1980)
Barthélemy Boganda*  France
 Central African Republic
Member of the National Assembly of France (1946–1958)
Premier of the Central African Republic (1958–1960)
Martial Boni Boni  Ivory Coast Member of the Independent Electoral Commission (2014–2019) [3]
Denis Bradley  United Kingdom Vice Chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board (2001–2006) [14]
David Cairns  United Kingdom Member of Parliament (2001–2011)
Minister of State for Scotland (2005–2008)
Ernesto Cardenal  Nicaragua Minister of Culture (1979–1987)
Fernando Cardenal  Nicaragua Minister of Education (1984–1990)
Robert John Cornell  United States Member of the House of Representatives (1975–1979)
France Cukjati  Slovenia State Secretary for Primary Healthcare (2000)
Member of the National Assembly (2000–2011)
Speaker of the National Assembly (2004–2008)
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly (2008–2011)
Enrico Dandria  Malta Member of the National Assembly (1919) [15]
Robert Drinan  United States Member of the House of Representatives (1971–1981)
Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann  Nicaragua
 Libya
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nicaragua (1979–1990)
Ambassador of Libya to the United Nations (2011)
Eligius Fromentin  United States Secretary of the Louisiana State Senate (1812–1813)
Member of the Senate (1813–1819)
Judge of the New Orleans Criminal Court (1821)
District Judge (1821–1822)
Augustine Geve  Solomon Islands Member of Parliament (2001–2002)
Minister of Youth, Women and Sports (2001–2002)
Raymond Gravel  Canada Member of Parliament (2006–2008) [16]
Daniel Herman*  Czech Republic Member of Chamber of Deputies (2013–2017)
Minister of Culture (1920–1933)
Andrej Hlinka  Czechoslovakia Member of the National Assembly (1920–1938)
Andrew Hogan  Canada Member of Parliament (1974–1980) [16]
Theodor Innitzer  Austria Minister of Social Affairs (1929–1930)
Ludwig Kaas  Germany Member of the Weimar National Assembly (1919–1920)
Member of the Reichstag (1920–1933)
Hugo Kołłątaj  Poland Vice-Chancellor of the Crown
Philippe Fanoko Kpodzro  Togo President of the High Council of the Republic (1991)
President of the National Assembly (1991–1994)
[17]
Simon Lokodo  Uganda Member of Parliament (2006–2021)
Minister of State for Industry and Technology (2009–2011)
Minister of State for Ethics and Integrity (2011–2021)
Member of the Uganda Human Rights Commission (2021–2022)
[18]
Emerson Luego  Philippines Mayor of Mabini, Davao de Oro (2022–present) [19]
Fernando Lugo*  Paraguay President of Paraguay (2008–2012)
Member of the Senate (2013–2023)
Apollinaire Malu Malu  DR Congo President of the Independent National Electoral Commission (2013–2015) [3]
Michael McKee  Canada Member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick (1974–1992)
Provincial Minister of Labour and Multiculturalism (1987–1991)
Judge of the Provincial Court of New Brunswick (1992–2015)
[20]
John McLaughlin  United States Speechwriter and advisor to President Richard Nixon (1971–1974) [21][22]
Fernando Arturo de Meriño  Dominican Republic President of the Chamber of Deputies (1878–1883)
President of the Dominican Republic (1880–1882)
Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya  Zaire President of the Sovereign National Conference (1991)
President of the High Council of the Republic (1992–1994)
Speaker of the Transitional Parliament (1994–1995)
[23]
Romolo Murri  Italy Member of the Chamber of Deputies (1909–1913) [24]
Gioan Baotixita Nguyễn Văn Riễn  Vietnam Member of the National Assembly (2016–2021) [25]
Charles J. O'Byrne  United States Secretary to the Governor of New York (2008) [26]
Robert Ogle  Canada Member of Parliament (1979–1984) [16]
Charles Onen  Uganda Member of Parliament (2021–present) [27]
Joseph Owusu-Agyeman  Ghana Justice of the High Court (2020–present) [3]
Ignazio Panzavecchia  Malta Member of the Council of Government (1891–1892)
Member of the National Assembly (1919)
Member of the Senate (1921–1925)
[28]
Gabriel Richard  United States Delegate to the House of Representatives (1823–1825)
Ignaz Seipel  Austria Minister of Public Works and Social Welfare (1918)
Chancellor of Austria (1922–1924; 1926–1929)
Minister of the Interior (1923–1924; 1926–1929)
Minister of Foreign Affairs (1926–1929; 1930)
Stanisław Staszic  Duchy of Warsaw
 Poland
Minister of State of the Duchy of Warsaw (1809–1810)
State Councillor of the Duchy of Warsaw (1810–1815)
Ministry of Industry of Poland (1816–1824)
Minister of State of Poland (1824–1826)
Jozef Tiso  Czechoslovakia
 Slovakia
Minister of Health of Czechoslovakia (1927–1929)
Minister of the Interior of Slovakia
Prime Minister of Slovakia (1938–1939)
President of the Slovak Republic (1939–1945)
Beda Weber  Germany Member of the Frankfurt National Assembly (1848–1849)
Fulbert Youlou*  French Congo
 Congo
Mayor of Brazzaville (1956)
Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo (1958–1959)
Presidents of the Republic of the Congo (1960–1963)

*laicized before taking office

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Kevin Schmiesing. "John A. Ryan, Virgil Michel, and the problem of clerical politics". VLex.com.
  2. ^ a b Code of Canon Law. 1983. Can. 285.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Sarr, Lucie (2020-09-25). "Is it right for priests to hold political or civic office?". La Croix International. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  4. ^ a b c Theodorou, Angelina E. (2014-07-22). "In 30 countries, heads of state must belong to a certain religion". Pew Research Center. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  5. ^ "Paraguay 1992 (rev. 2011) Constitution". Constitute. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  6. ^ "Myanmar 2008 Constitution". Constitute. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  7. ^ Gomez Aban, M. Fernanda. "Mexico 1917 (rev. 2015) Constitution". Constitute. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  8. ^ "Priest MP leaves politics after pressure from Vatican". CBC. 3 September 2008.
  9. ^ Percival, Jenny (2008-09-16). "Profile: David Cairns". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  10. ^ Davis, Francis (23 April 2009). "The cardinal must not become a peer". The Guardian.
  11. ^ "Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor turns down peerage following Catholic row". 6 December 2009.
  12. ^ Martin, Douglas (12 May 2009). "Robert J. Cornell, Priest Who Served as Congressman, Is Dead at 89". obituary. The New York Times.
  13. ^ a b Burton, Douglas (2023-07-02). "Suspended priest takes charge of Nigeria's strife-torn Benue State". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  14. ^ "Denis Bradley". MacGill Summer School. 2019-06-27. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  15. ^ Muscat, Jake (2023-06-25). "Mgr Enrico Dandria: Priest, politician & patriot". The Malta Independent. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  16. ^ a b c "The Register Archive: Fr. Andy Hogan is Parliament's first priest-MP". The Catholic Register. 2018-07-10. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  17. ^ Atemanke, Jude (2024-01-09). "Catholic Archbishop Known for Freedom, Democracy Advocacy in Togo Dies at 93". ACI Africa. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  18. ^ "Uganda ex-minister Simon Lokodo dies in Geneva". The EastAfrican. 2022-01-29. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  19. ^ Bulosan, Chrislen (2022-05-12). "Priest wins mayoral race in Davao De Oro". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  20. ^ "Order of Moncton - Judge Michael McKee". Moncton. 2019-08-31. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  21. ^ "RIP John McLaughlin: 'Nixon's priest,' speechwriter, talk show host". Aleteia. 2016-08-16. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  22. ^ "Jesuit Was Ordered to Quit as Ford Aide". The New York Times. 1974-10-13. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  23. ^ "Congolese cardinal, peace activist, dies at 81". Crux. 2021-07-12. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  24. ^ Guasco, Maurilio (2012). "MURRI, Romolo". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani. 77.
  25. ^ Ngô, Quốc Đông (2021-05-15). "Vị linh mục luôn hướng đến người nghèo" [The priest always turns to the poor]. Nhân Dân (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  26. ^ Confessore, Nicholas; Hakim, Danny (2008-10-24). "Paterson Aide Quits in Furor Over His Taxes". The New York Times.
  27. ^ "Priest who defied his Bishop to become an MP". NTV Uganda. 2021-01-31. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  28. ^ Schiavone, Michael (2023-11-21). "Biography: Ignazio Panzavecchia". Times of Malta. Retrieved 2024-11-17.