WE'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THEIR LIES OR IGNORANCE. YOU CAN DECIDE FOR YOURSELF WHICH IT IS.

Posted by Tim

In today's Voice of the People, Fr. Ken Carriveau attempts to excuse the archdiocese's absence of testimony on Bill 326-33 by saying that to do so would have been against "federal guidelines" banning political activity for tax-exempt organizations"

"I suggest that it is not a “case of fear mongering,” but rather, as in my case, a matter of following federal guidelines. Confusion over the ban on political activity by tax-exempt organizations has existed ever since it was first imposed by Congress in 1954."

It's funny to see Carriveau reference "confusion over the ban on political activity by tax-exempt organizations" when Carriveau himself is even more confused. He apparently does not know the difference between political activity and legislative activity. The IRS itself makes this distinction:

MORE STUPIDITY

The letter soliciting donations for the Archbishop's 70th birthday party notes that the "Diocese (sic) of Agana is a 501(c)3 organization, hence all donations are tax deductible."

I'd like to know when the Archdiocese of Agana applied for a 501(c)3 status. This is really stupid. Churches are automatically tax-exempt and do not need 501(c)3 status.

26 U.S. Code § 508

Special rules with respect to section 501(c)(3) organizations.

(a) New organizations must notify secretary that they are applying for recognition of section 501(c)(3) status. (b) Presumption that organizations are private foundations.

(c) Exceptions.

(1) Mandatory exceptions. Subsections (a) and (b) shall not apply to—

(A) churches, their integrated auxiliaries, and conventions or associations of churches.

It is stupid because it unnecessarily subjects the Archdiocese of Agana to limitations on its activities:

"For a 501c3 church to openly speak out, or organize in opposition to, anything that the government declares "legal," even if it is immoral (e.g. abortion, homosexuality, etc.), that church will jeopardize its tax exempt status." 

- http://hushmoney.org/501c3-facts.htm

In fact, threatening its 501(c)3 status played a major role in shutting up the church during the same-sex union debate in 2010:

Church’s tax exemption questioned - Marianas Variety, Aug. 31, 2010

For a church leadership not to know something so basic that it was already automatically tax-exempt and did not need to unnecessarily subject itself to the restrictions of a 501(c)3, especially in regards to its ability to publicly address serious moral issues, is more evidence of the kind of clownish, inept leadership that we all have grown terribly weary of, and all the more reason why we SHOULD NOT donate to this fake birthday party so Apuron can go on more junkets with his South American faves while trashing the real diocesan vocation of local boys.