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Fr. Jerry J. Pokorsky: On the Laity and the Prudential Application of Moral Principles – Brown Pelican Society of Lousiana

Fr. Jerry J. Pokorsky: On the Laity and the Prudential Application of Moral Principles

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Taken from Fr. Jerry J. Pokorsky: On the Laity and the Prudential Application of Moral Principles

By Father Jerry J. Pokorsky, Catholic World Report, Jan. 29, 2026

Father Jerry J. Pokorsky is a priest of the Diocese of Arlington. He is pastor of St. Catherine of Siena parish in Great Falls, Virginia.. He holds a Master of Divinity degree as well as a master’s degree in moral theology.

Absent clear, sufficient, and compelling evidence of grave injustice, Catholic bishops and priests should respect the proper role of the laity and exercise restraint in the political sphere.

In the prescient 1980s BBC comedy series Yes, Prime Minister, Prime Minister Jim Hacker must choose the next Anglican bishop of Bury St. Edmunds. His choice is between an atheist and a socialist. The prime minister’s adviser dryly observes, “It’s interesting, isn’t it? That politicians want to talk about moral issues, and bishops want to talk about politics.”

Catholics may notice a similar pattern today.

While bishops are entrusted with teaching binding Catholic moral principles, the prudential application of those principles in political and military affairs properly belongs to the laity, and clerical overreach into contingent judgments risks obscuring that essential distinction. …