Conservative priest lashes out: Vote 'the right way' or 'you might not have a church to go to'
The chaplain for a Florida-based Catholic law school bashed the idea of separation of church and state in a thinly-veiled call for supporters to vote for Republicans this year, Lifesite News reported.
"Somehow, [Christians] have come to buy the story that you cannot be political in church," Father Michael Orsi said during an event earlier this month. "Let me tell you right now, oh yes, you can, and oh, yes, you better be. Because you might not have a church to go to if you don't vote the right way in November."
The "story" is actually a federal law passed in 1954 banning churches from "any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office" as a requirement to being listed as a 501(c)(3) organization.
Orsi, who was photographed last month protesting outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Naples, rejected the concept, arguing that "the Bible is a political document.
He also contradicted himself, saying that Germany fell under Nazi control partly because churches refused to speak out against the threat against the country.
"Look [at] the result: millions of Jews, pastors, priests, homosexuals, gypsies all lost their lives because everyone was afraid," he said. "What are you afraid of, a couple of bucks? Your tax-exempt status? What’s that going to do to you? Your churches may be closed anyway."
At the same time, he warned the audience that appeals courts and the Constitution itself could be damaged if "a certain party" won the presidential election.
"I'm not going to vote for a candidate who decides that we can redefine the meaning of marriage," said Orci, referencing Democrat Hillary Clinton. "Our opponents believe once they destroy the family, once they destroy the churches, they can re-create society in their own image and their own likeness. That, my friends, is not just political. That is diabolical. Get it straight, for crying out loud -- the devil is in this."
Orsi's remarks, as posted online, can be seen below.