A week before the general election, members of St. Gertrude the Great Catholic Church in Bell Gardens listened to the parish announcement as Father Nabor Rios introduced the political candidates.
“I’m not telling people to vote for her,” he told people as he paused. “Well, I say vote for her, but Isabel is going to run…Párate mija [stand up my daughter]”
Attending Sunday Mass on Oct. 27 was Isabel Guillen, one of several candidates running for Bell Gardens City Council. Rios stood up and continued speaking to the worshipers.
“Isabelle is going to run for city council,” he said, and people applauded.
On October 29, Rios endorsed Guillen and running mate Jennifer Rodriguez on his Facebook account linked to the church’s website.
On October 29, one week before the general election, Pastor Nabor Rios of St. Gertrude the Great Catholic Church in Bell Gardens posted on his Facebook account linked to the church’s website: Posted support for a political candidate. The post comes after worshipers were urged to vote for one of two candidates two days earlier, as tax-exempt organizations campaign for or against candidates running for public office. violates federal law prohibiting He later deleted the post.
(Facebook)
A week later, voters elected Guillen, but not Rodriguez, to the Bell Gardens City Council.
It’s unclear how much influence Rios had with voters, but the endorsement violated a 1954 federal law that prohibits religious groups and nonprofit organizations from supporting or opposing political candidates. With Republicans in control of Congress, President Trump may try to repeal the law again.
The Johnson Amendment (named after its sponsor Lyndon B. Johnson, then a Democratic U.S. senator from Texas) requires that all nonprofits “directly or indirectly engage in political campaigning, or “Participation in or intervention is strictly prohibited.” against candidates for elective office,” the Internal Revenue Service said.
Rebecca Marquardt, vice president and legal director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said St. Gertrude could be stripped of its tax-exempt status for violating the law.
“He said the magic words: ‘I think you should vote for this person,'” she said. “He clearly violated [the law] And I think he knew he was violating it. ”
Yanina Diaz, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, said in a written response to the Times that the archdiocese has strict guidelines regarding lobbying and political activity.
“The archdiocesan office was not aware of the activities and statements until they occurred and discussed the matter directly with Father Nabors,” she wrote. “He expressed regret that he did not understand the impact of his actions.”
Rios did not respond to requests for comment, but after The Times contacted the archdiocese about the matter, he deleted the campaign posts from his Facebook account.
Pastor Nabor Rios of St. Gertrude the Great Catholic Church in Bell Gardens violated federal law when he endorsed two political candidates on his Facebook account connected to the church. It seems that. He later deleted the post.
(Facebook)
Marquardt said the Facebook posts could pose a problem for the church if the IRS decides to investigate violations.
“The church’s official website links to his Facebook page with campaign posts, and he is also representing the church in that capacity, so there could be some controversy here,” she said. Ta. “It’s a little difficult and not very clear, but I think given the overall context of what happened a week before the election, it was pretty clear that he was involved.” [a] It’s a violation of the Johnson Amendment. ”
An archdiocese spokeswoman said other questions raised by the Times, including allegations that a priest allowed Mr. Guillén and Mr. Rodriguez to speak to congregants about their candidacy on church grounds in August, Did not answer.
Guillen and Rodriguez denied in interviews with the Times that they were not allowed to speak to voters on church grounds. Guillen, who is scheduled to be sworn in next month, said he did not ask Rios for support during the mass.
The newspaper also sought to determine whether the archdiocese had received a July 2023 letter to the archbishop in which parishioners complained about Rios’ political activities.
“I am writing to you because I am very concerned about what is going on at St. Gertrude’s in Bell Gardens,” the letter said. “In recent weeks, Father Nabors has openly discussed political issues during his homily and during announcements at the end of Mass.”
At the time, Rios and Rodriguez were among hundreds of residents who opposed an ordinance that would have allowed cannabis retailers to operate in the city. The measure was approved by the City Council in June 2023.
This was Rodriguez’s third attempt to run for president. She served on the Bell Gardens City Council until 2019, when a Los Angeles Superior Court judge found she breached her duties by failing to attend two consecutive meetings for more than 60 days without a valid excuse. . She was ordered to pay more than $29,000 to the city in benefits and wages she received while she was away.
Bell Gardens City Manager Michael O’Kelly said that amount remains unpaid and a lien has been placed on her home. Rodriguez said the reason for her absence was a medical issue and that she was unaware of the lien.
The Times reported a copy of the Oct. 27 Sunday Mass video in which Rios supports Guillen, as well as a second video in which he tells worshipers in Spanish that he was reprimanded by the archdiocese for speaking out about politics. I got it. Rios has since deleted the video from her Facebook account.
“The bishop is telling me to stop,” he said in a second video. “And I told the bishop, ‘I’m not going to stop.'” Want to know why? Because we are more political than Catholic. Many of you love President Trump more than Jesus Christ. ”
Mr. Rodriguez and Mr. Guillen defended Mr. Rios, saying his actions were driven by a passion for the community he loves and seeks to protect.
“He’s a constituent and he has concerns like many of us,” Guillen said.
Rodriguez accused marijuana interest groups of targeting Rios. That’s because of his statements against cannabis interest groups and because at least one of his candidates lost the election.
“This is a witch hunt,” she said. “They’re angry that their candidate wasn’t selected.”
The Johnson Amendment has long been controversial, with some religious broadcasters and other church-affiliated groups claiming it violates their right to free speech. However, surveys show that most Americans support the law.
“This is an incredibly popular law, no one likes being told who to vote for, and people go to church expecting to hear political lectures. So it makes sense,” Marquardt said. “They go to church expecting a service.”
Experts also cautioned against removing the law because it could create loopholes in campaign finance laws. Because churches are not required to disclose their donors to the IRS, donors can remain anonymous in their attempts to influence elections and receive a tax deduction for their donations.
Still, conservatives and religious groups have long called for the Johnson Amendment to be removed, despite its lack of enforcement by the IRS. The two sides became closer in 2016 when President Trump announced that he would repeal the bill.
The following year, President Trump signed an executive order limiting sanctions against religious groups that speak out on moral or political issues from a religious perspective.
Although the order had no meaningful impact on the law, with Trump’s return to the White House, Republican control of the House and Senate, and a conservative majority on the Supreme Court, religious groups, particularly evangelical leaders, They hope that this law will be effective. Soon it will no longer be an obstacle for them.
“Some clergymen are willing to challenge the Johnson Amendment and believe that there is a federal court system that might take their side, so they violate the law and go further. I think we’re seeing more clergy,” Marquardt said. “But I don’t think the average American wants that.”
