26 October 2004
Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC), a reproductive rights advocacy group, has filed a complaint with the IRS, asking the agency to take immediate action against the Archdiocese of Denver due to Archbishop Charles Chaput’s attempts to “influence the outcome of the presidential election” by urging Catholics to vote against candidates who support abortion rights and stem cell research. CFFC charges that Chaput has used half of his columns in the archdiocese newspaper to urge voters to reject candidates who do not adhere to doctrine, and has also exerted influence in interviews, speeches, and last week’s New York Times op-ed, and in telling Catholics that a vote for a pro-choice candidate was a sin that required confession.