Some people strongly believe that there should be a strict separation of church and state, but Reverend Frank Pavone of Priests for Life thinks it is okay if church leaders want to get involved in social affairs and discuss politics and the U.S. presidential elections this November.
Pavone told Newsmax TV on Wednesday that churches must "have the freedom to speak the gospel message" as well as tackle whatever topics they so choose—"whether we're in church, in our business life, in our personal lives, whether we're in the kitchen or in the voting booth," he said.
"All of the things we do, including casting a vote, are moral actions," Pavone added. "They have a moral component. It's the church's responsibility to say: 'When you go to the voting booth, what are the things you have to consider? What are the issues? What kind of positions of the candidates do you need to look for?'"
Pavone said church leaders have a moral obligation to their congregation, and it is not right for them to separate or ignore social issues.
"They're either leading you and your nation closer to the kingdom of God and what the gospel prescribes or farther away," he said.
For Pavone, his main goal is to "encourage the churches to realise that if they believe this and they say it from the pulpit, they should not be acting with any kind of fear that the IRS or government in any other way is going to come in and punish them for teaching and preaching what they believe as a church."
"There needs to be freedom," he stressed.
Pavone, who is the author of the book entitled "Abolishing Abortion: How You Can Play a Part in Ending the Greatest Evil of Our Day," is a Roman Catholic priest who is also a well-known pro-life activist. He is the president of the National Pro-Life Religious Council, a group of Christian denominations that seek to end abortion.
