Fr. Jerry Pokorsky: Opposition Research

The Four Deaths, by Michael Pakaluk
March 30, 2022
Fr. Nnamdi Moneme: Let Divine Grace Lead Us Back to God
March 30, 2022

By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky, Catholic Culture, March 29, 2022

Fr. Jerry Pokorsky is a priest of the Diocese of Arlington who has also served as a financial administrator in the Diocese of Lincoln. Trained in business and accounting, he also holds a Master of Divinity and a Master’s in moral theology.  …

In the rough and tumble of political elections, politicians use opposition research to help craft their campaign strategies. There may be nothing offensive in bringing to light an opponent’s record. But the revelations may violate the Eighth Commandment, when deliberate distortions or unnecessary disclosures unjustly smear an adversary.

In Robert Penn Warren’s book, All the King’s Men, the Huey Long figure uses opposition research to uncover dirt on his opponents. Willie Stark ominously observes, “Man is conceived in sin and born in corruption, and he passeth from the stink of the didie [baby’s diaper] to the stench of the [funeral] shroud. There is always something.” Indeed. We are all sinners, and our personal stories can be ugly. The Church insists upon the seal of confession for good reasons. A priest must not reveal the sins of a penitent under the pain of mortal sin but also the pain of excommunication. (“A confessor who directly violates the sacramental seal incurs a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See; one who does so only indirectly is to be punished according to the gravity of the delict.” Can. 1388 §1) …

Continue reading >>>>