A number of

Catholic priests The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...

have served in public office. The

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

discourages and restricts this practice.

In canon law

Roman Catholic

canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

discourages and restricts members of the clergy from holding secular civil or political office.

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

285 of the 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'', which governs the

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

, states that priests "are to avoid those things which, although not unbecoming, are nevertheless foreign to the clerical state" and prohibits clergy from assuming "public offices which entail a participation in the exercise of civil power." The same canon makes an exception for priests who have the permission of their bishop.

Laws by country

The constitutions of

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

, and

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

prohibit members of the clergy from serving as president. The

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

prohibits clergy of any religion from becoming candidates for

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

deputy Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spain, ...

, or departmental governor. The

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

prohibits "members of religious orders" from serving as president or as members of the

Pyithu Hluttaw The Pyithu Hluttaw (, ; House of Representatives) is the ''de jure'' lower house of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, the bicameral legislature of Myanmar (Burma). It consists of 440 members, of which 330 are directly elected through the first-past-the ...

, the lower house of

parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. Article 130 of the Constitution of

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

prohibits clergy from holding any public office, among other restrictions.

Andorra

The

Bishop of Urgell The Diocese of Urgell (; ) is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Catalonia (Spain) and the Principality of Andorra in the historical County of Urgell,co-prince of

Andorra Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...

; the bishop's ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, or council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by r ...

'' role as a monarch has existed since 1278. The bishop additionally sends a

personal representative In common law jurisdictions, a personal representative or legal personal representative is a person appointed by a court to administer the estate of another person. If the estate being administered is that of a deceased person, the personal repres ...

to rule as a

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

in their stead.

Examples by country

Austria

Ignaz Seipel Ignaz Seipel (19 July 1876 – 2 August 1932) was an Austrian Catholic priest and conservative politician, who served as the List of Chancellors of Austria, Chancellor of the First Austrian Republic twice during the 1920s and leader of the Chris ...

, a priest, theologian and academic, served as the

Foreign Minister of Austria This article lists the ministers of foreign affairs of Austria, from 30 October 1918 up to today. During the time of the ''Anschluss'' to Nazi Germany from 1938 to 1945, Austria had no government in its own right. The current Austrian foreign mini ...

from 1926 to 1929 and in 1930, and served as

Chancellor of Austria The chancellor of Austria, officially the federal chancellor of the Republic of Austria (), is the head of government of the Austria, Republic of Austria. List of chancellors of Austria, Twenty-nine people have served as chancellor. The curre ...

from 1922 to 1924 and 1926 to 1929.

Theodor Innitzer Theodor Innitzer (25 December 1875 – 9 October 1955) was Archbishop of Vienna and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. Early life Innitzer was born in Neugeschrei (Nové Zvolání), part of the town Weipert (Vejprty) in Bohemia, at that time ...

, who would become a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

and

Archbishop of Vienna The Archbishop of Vienna is the prelate of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna who is concurrently the metropolitan bishop of its ecclesiastical province which includes the dioceses of Eisenstadt, Linz and St. Pölten. From 1469 to 1513, ...

, served as the Austrian Minister of Social Affairs from 1929 to 1930.

Canada

Three Catholic priests have been elected to the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

. Andrew Hogan was the first Catholic priest to serve as a Canadian Member of Parliament. First elected to represent the electoral district of

Cape Breton—East Richmond Cape Breton—East Richmond was a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1968 to 1997. This riding was created in 1966 from Cape Breton South, Inverness—Richmond and N ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, in the 1974 federal election, he was re-elected in

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

but defeated in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

. Hogan was a member of the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

. Robert Ogle was elected to the House of Commons in 1979 in the electoral district of Saskatoon East,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

. Ogle was re-elected in 1980. He chose not to seek re-election in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

as a result of the new ban by the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

on clergy in public office. Like Hogan, Ogle was a member of the New Democratic Party. Raymond Gravel was elected in a 2006 by-election in the electoral district of Repentigny,

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. He had received a dispensation from his diocesan bishop to enter politics. Gravel did not seek re-election in the 2008 federal election after Holy See authorities ordered him to choose between politics and the priesthood following controversy over his opposition to anti-abortion Bill C-484 and his support for the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

nomination of abortion rights activist

Henry Morgentaler Henekh "Henry" Morgentaler (March 19, 1923 – May 29, 2013), was a Polish-born Canadian physician, and abortion rights advocate who fought numerous legal battles aimed at expanding abortion rights in Canada. As a Jewish youth during World War ...

. Although he chose to leave politics, Gravel maintained that he remained, in accordance with Catholic doctrine, opposed to abortion. Gravel was a member of the nationalist

Bloc Québécois The Bloc Québécois (, , BQ) is a centre-left politics, centre-left and list of federal political parties in Canada, federal political party in Canada devoted to Quebec nationalism, Quebecois nationalism, social democracy, and the promotion o ...

Czech Republic

Daniel Herman is a laicized Roman Catholic priest who was

Minister of Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organiza ...

, representing the Christian Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party (

KDU-ČSL KDU-ČSL (In Czech language, Czech, the initials of the Christian and Democratic Union – Czechoslovak People's Party; ), often shortened to ("the populars"), is a Christian democracy, Christian democratic list of political parties in the Czec ...

Dominican Republic

Fernando Arturo de Meriño, a priest who would later become an

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

, served as

President of the Dominican Republic The president of the Dominican Republic () is both the head of state and head of government of the Dominican Republic. The presidential system was established in 1844, following the proclamation of the republic during the Dominican War of In ...

from 1880 to 1882.

France

Barthélemy Boganda Barthélemy Boganda ( – 29 March 1959) was a Central African politician and independence activist. Boganda was active prior to his country's independence, during the period when the area, part of French Equatorial Africa, was administered by ...

, a priest from

Ubangi-Shari Ubangi-Shari () was a French colonial empire, French colony in central Africa, a part of French Equatorial Africa. It was named after the Ubangi River, Ubangi and Chari River, Chari rivers of the Central African Republic, rivers along which it w ...

(today the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to Central African Republic–Chad border, the north, Sudan to Central African Republic–Sudan border, the northeast, South Sudan to Central ...

), was elected to the

French National Assembly The National Assembly (, ) is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral French Parliament under the French Fifth Republic, Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (France), Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known ...

in 1946, serving until 1958. He left the priesthood in 1950 and married, and from 1958 to 1959 served as the first

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

of the Central African Republic.

Germany

Beda Weber was a German

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

priest who served as a member of the

Frankfurt Parliament The Frankfurt National Assembly () was the first freely elected parliament for all German Confederation, German states, including the German-populated areas of the Austrian Empire, elected on 1 May 1848 (see German federal election, 1848). The ...

in 1849.

Ludwig Kaas Ludwig Kaas (23 May 1881 – 15 April 1952) was a German Roman Catholic priest and politician of the Centre Party during the Weimar Republic. He was instrumental in brokering the Reichskonkordat between the Holy See and the German Reich. ...

was a priest of the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

. In 1919 he was elected to the

Weimar National Assembly The Weimar National Assembly (German: ), officially the German National Constitutional Assembly (), was the popularly elected constitutional convention and de facto parliament of Germany from 6 February 1919 to 21 May 1920. As part of it ...

and in 1920 was elected to the Reichstag, where he served until 1933.

Libya

For a brief period in 2011 during the

Libyan Civil War Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. All figures are from the United Nations Demographic Yearbooks ...

, the Nicaraguan priest

Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann (February 5, 1933 – June 8, 2017) was an American-born Nicaraguan diplomat, politician and Catholic priest of the Maryknoll Missionary Society. As the President of the United Nations General Assembly from September 20 ...

served as the Libyan ambassador to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

Nicaragua

In the 1970s and 80s, the

President of Nicaragua The co-presidents of Nicaragua (), officially known as the presidency of the Republic of Nicaragua (), are the heads of state and head of government, government of Nicaragua. The office was created in the Constitution of 1854. From 1825 until ...

Daniel Ortega José Daniel Ortega Saavedra (; ; born 11 November 1945) is a Nicaraguan politician and dictator who has been the president of Nicaragua, co-president of Nicaragua since 18 February 2025, alongside his wife Rosario Murillo. He was the 54th an ...

, appointed three priests to his cabinet:

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

Fernando Cardenal Fernando Cardenal Martínez (26 January 1934 – 20 February 2016) was a Nicaraguan Jesuit and liberation theologian. Family Fernando Cardenal was born into a wealthy and influential family in Granada, Nicaragua, as the fifth son of Rodolfo Ca ...

as Minister of Education, and his brother,

Ernesto Cardenal Ernesto Cardenal Martínez (20 January 1925 – 1 March 2020) was a Nicaraguan Catholic priest, poet, and politician. He was a liberation theologian and the founder of the primitivist art community in the Solentiname Islands, where he lived fo ...

, as Minister of Culture.

Nigeria

In 2023 Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, a Nigerian Catholic cleric and politician was elected to serve as a Nigerian governor in the state of Benue in 29 May 2023.

Paraguay

In 2005,

Fernando Lugo Fernando Armindo Lugo Méndez (; born 30 May 1951) is a Paraguayan politician and Loss of clerical state, laicized Bishops in the Catholic Church, Catholic bishop who was President of Paraguay from 2008 to 2012. Previously, he was a Roman Cath ...

, the Bishop of San Pedro, requested laicization to run for office but it was denied. In 2008, he was elected

President of Paraguay The president of Paraguay (), officially known as the president of the Republic of Paraguay (), is the head of the executive branch of the government of Paraguay, serving as both head of state and head of government according to the Constitu ...

, in spite of Article 235 of the

prohibiting any minister of any religion from serving as president. After his election he was laicized. In 2012, he was

impeached Impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In Eu ...

for unrelated reasons.

Poland

Hugo Kołłątaj Hugo Stumberg Kołłątaj, also spelled ''Kołłątay'' (1 April 1750 – 28 February 1812), was a prominent Polish constitutional reformer and educationalist, and one of the most prominent figures of the Enlightenment in Poland, Polish Enlighten ...

was a Polish noble and Catholic priest who in 1786 received the office of the

Referendary Referendary is the English form of a number of administrative positions, of various rank, in chanceries and other official organizations in Europe. Pre-modern history The office of ' (plural: ', from the Latin ', "I inform") existed at the Byza ...

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

. He co-authored the

Constitution of May 3, 1791 The Constitution of 3 May 1791, titled the Government Act, was a written constitution for the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that was adopted by the Great Sejm that met between 1788 and 1792. The Commonwealth was a dual monarchy comprising ...

and held a variety of posts before falling out of political favor in 1802 as a result of his radical views.

Stanisław Staszic Stanisław Wawrzyniec Staszic (baptised 6 November 1755 – 20 January 1826) was a leading figure in the Polish Enlightenment: a Catholic priest, philosopher, geologist, writer, poet, translator and statesman. A physiocrat, monist, pan-Sla ...

was a philosopher and political activist who served in the government of

Congress Poland Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It was established w ...

Slovakia and Czechoslovakia

Andrej Hlinka Andrej Hlinka (born 27 September 1864 – 16 August 1938) was a Slovak Roman Catholic priest, journalist, banker, politician, and one of the most important Slovak public activists in Czechoslovakia before World War II. He was the leader of the ...

served in the Parliament of Czechoslovakia from 1920 to 1938 and was leader of the

Slovak People's Party Andrej Hlinka, Hlinka's Slovak People's Party (), also known as the Slovak People's Party (, SĽS) or the Hlinka Party, was a far-right Clerical fascism, clerico-fascist political party with a strong Catholic fundamentalism, Catholic fundamental ...

from 1913 until his death. From 1939 to 1945, the priest

Jozef Tiso Jozef Gašpar Tiso (, ; 13 October 1887 – 18 April 1947) was a Slovaks, Slovak politician and Catholic priest who served as president of the Slovak Republic (1939–1945), First Slovak Republic, a client state of Nazi Germany during World War ...

was President of the

First Slovak Republic First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

, a

satellite state A satellite state or dependent state is a country that is formally independent but under heavy political, economic, and military influence or control from another country. The term was coined by analogy to planetary objects orbiting a larger ob ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he was convicted and hanged for treason that subsumed also war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

Solomon Islands

Augustine Geve was a Catholic priest who served as a member of the

National Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

from 2001 to 2002 and was Minister of Youth, Women and Sports from 2001 to 2002. He was assassinated on 20 August 2002.

United Kingdom

David Cairns, a laicised Catholic priest, was elected to the

House of Commons of the United Kingdom The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...

between 2001 and 2011, following the

House of Commons (Removal of Clergy Disqualification) Act 2001 The House of Commons (Removal of Clergy Disqualification) Act 2001 (c. 13) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The purpose of the act was to remove the disqualifications for clergy in standing for election as Members of Parliam ...

which removed the ban on clergymen being elected as an MP. Former Archbishops of Westminster

Basil Hume George Basil Hume (born George Haliburton Hume; 2 March 1923 – 17 June 1999) was an English Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Westminster from 1976 until his death in 1999. A member of the Benedictines, he was made a cardinal i ...

and

Cormac Murphy-O'Connor Cormac Murphy-O'Connor (24 August 1932 – 1 September 2017) was a British Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Westminster from 2000 to 2009. He was also president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He was made ...

were individually offered

life peerage In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

s and a seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

but both declined the offer.

United States

Possibly the earliest known instance of a Catholic priest serving in public office in the United States was

Gabriel Richard Gabriel Richard ( ; October 15, 1767 – September 13, 1832) was a French Roman Catholic priest who ministered to the French Catholics in the parish of Sainte Anne de Détroit, as well as Protestants and Native Americans living in Southeast Mi ...

. Born in France, he founded the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

and served as a delegate from

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

from 1823 to 1825. Two priests,

Robert Drinan Robert Frederick Drinan (November 15, 1920 – January 28, 2007) was an American Jesuit priest, lawyer, activist, and Democratic U.S. Representative from Massachusetts. He left office in 1981 to obey Pope John Paul II's prohibition on priests h ...

and Robert John Cornell, have served in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

. In 1980, when

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

decreed that priests not serve in elected office, Representative Drinan withdrew from his re-election campaign, and Cornell withdrew from his bid to re-gain the seat he had lost in the 1978 Congressional election. In 1983, the prohibition on serving in governmental office was codified as section 3 of canon 285 of the

1983 Code of Canon Law The 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'' (abbreviated 1983 CIC from its Latin title ''Codex Iuris Canonici''), also called the Johanno-Pauline Code, is the "fundamental body of Ecclesiastical Law, ecclesiastical laws for the Latin Church". It is the sec ...

List of priests who have held public office

This list includes priests who held public office, the country in which they held office, and the office(s) they held. {, class="wikitable sortable" !Name !Country !Office(s) !Ref. , - , , , Governor of Benue State (1992–1993) , , - , , , President of the

Truth and Reconciliation Commission A truth commission, also known as a truth and reconciliation commission or truth and justice commission, is an official body tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoing by a government (or, depending on the circumstances, non-state ac ...

(2015–2017) , , - , , , Governor of Benue State (2023–present) , , - , , , Governor of Chimbu (1997–1998)
Member of Parliament (1997–1998; 1999–2003) , , - , , ,

President of Haiti The president of Haiti (, ), officially called the president of the Republic of Haiti (, , ), is the head of state of Haiti. Executive power in Haiti is divided between the president and the government, which is headed by the prime minister of ...

(1991) , , - , * , ,

Member of the Congress of Deputies The Congress of Deputies () is the lower house of the , Spain's legislative branch, the upper house being the Senate. The Congress meets in the Palace of the Parliament () in Madrid. Congress has 350 members elected from fifty-two constituencie ...

(1977–1980) , , - , * ,
, Member of the

National Assembly of France The National Assembly (, ) is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral French Parliament under the French Fifth Republic, Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (France), Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known ...

(1946–1958)
Premier of the Central African Republic (1958–1960) , , - , , , Member of the

Independent Electoral Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

(2014–2019) , , - , , , Vice Chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board (2001–2006) , , - , , , Member of Parliament (2001–2011)

Minister of State for Scotland The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland is a junior ministerial post (of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State rank) in the Government of the United Kingdom, supporting the Secretary of State for Scotland. The post is also kno ...

(2005–2008) , , - , , , Minister of Culture (1979–1987) , , - , , , Minister of Education (1984–1990) , , - , , , Member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

(1975–1979) , , - , , , State Secretary for Primary Healthcare (2000)
Member of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

(2000–2011)
Speaker of the National Assembly (2004–2008)
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly (2008–2011) , , - , , , Member of the National Assembly (1919) , , - , , , Member of the

(1971–1981) , , - , , , Member of Parliament (2021–2024) , , - , ,
, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nicaragua (1979–1990)
Ambassador of Libya to the United Nations (2011) , , - , , , Secretary of the

Louisiana State Senate The Louisiana State Senate (; ) is the upper house of Louisiana’s legislature. Senators serve four-year terms and participate in various committees. Composition The Louisiana State Senate has 39 members elected from single-member districts ...

(1812–1813)
Member of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

(1813–1819)
Judge of the New Orleans Criminal Court (1821)
United States District Judge, District Judge (1821–1822) , , - , , , Governor of Chimbu (2007–2012)
Member of Parliament (2007–2012) , , - , , , National Parliament of the Solomon Islands, Member of Parliament (2001–2002)
Minister of Youth, Women and Sports (2001–2002) , , - , , , Member of Parliament (Canada), Member of Parliament (2006–2008) , , - , * , , Member of Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, Chamber of Deputies (2013–2017)

(1920–1933) , , - , , , Member of the National Assembly (Czechoslovakia), National Assembly (1920–1938) , , - , , , Member of Parliament (Canada), Member of Parliament (1974–1980) , , - , , , Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection, Minister of Social Affairs (1929–1930) , , - , , (United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor, UNTAET) , Minister for Social Affairs (2000–2001) , , - , , , Member of the

(1919–1920)
Member of the Reichstag (1920–1933) , , - , , , Chancellor of Poland, Vice-Chancellor of the Crown (1791–1792) , , - , , , President of the High Council of the Republic (Togo), High Council of the Republic (1991)
List of presidents of the National Assembly of Togo, President of the National Assembly (1991–1994) , , - , , , Governor of Western Highlands Province, Western Highlands (1997–2002)
Member of Parliament (1997–2002) , , - , , , Parliament of Uganda, Member of Parliament (2006–2021)
Minister of State for Industry and Technology (2009–2011)
Minister of State for Ethics and Integrity (2011–2021)
Member of the Uganda Human Rights Commission (2021–2022) , , - , , , Mayor of Mabini, Davao de Oro (2022–present) , , - , * , ,

(2008–2012)
Member of the Senate of Paraguay, Senate (2013–2023) , , - , , , President of the Independent National Electoral Commission (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Independent National Electoral Commission (2013–2015) , , - , , , Member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick (1974–1992)
Provincial Department of Labour (New Brunswick), Minister of Labour and Multiculturalism (1987–1991)
Judge of the Provincial Court of New Brunswick (1992–2015) , , - , , , Speechwriter and advisor to President Richard Nixon (1971–1974) , , - , , , List of presidents of the Chamber of Deputies of the Dominican Republic, President of the Chamber of Deputies (1878–1883)

(1880–1882) , , - , , , Parliament of South Africa, Member of Parliament (1994–1999)
Minister of Education (South Africa), Deputy Minister of Education (1996–1999)
Mayor of Tshwane (2000–2006) , , - , ,
, Member of the House of Assembly of Papua and New Guinea, House of Assembly (1972–1975)
Member of Parliament (1977–2005)
Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Deputy Prime Minister (1985–1988)
President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Governor of Bougainville (1999–2005)
Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, President of Bougainville (2010–2020) , , - , , , President of the Sovereign National Conference (1991)
President of the High Council of the Republic (Zaire), High Council of the Republic (1992–1994)
Speaker of the Transitional Parliament of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Parliament (1994–1995) , , - , , , Member of the Chamber of Deputies (Kingdom of Italy), Chamber of Deputies (1909–1913) , , - , , , Member of the National Assembly of Vietnam, National Assembly (2016–2021) , , - , , , Secretary to the Governor of New York (2008) , , - , , , Member of Parliament (Canada), Member of Parliament (1979–1984) , , - , , , Parliament of Uganda, Member of Parliament (2021–present) , , - , , , Justice of the High Court of Ghana, High Court (2020–present) , , - , , , Member of the Council of Government (1891–1892)
Member of the National Assembly (1919)
Member of the Senate of Malta, Senate (1921–1925) , , - , , , Delegate to the

(1823–1825) , , - , , , Minister of Public Works and Social Welfare (1918)

(1922–1924; 1926–1929)
Minister of the Interior (Austria), Minister of the Interior (1923–1924; 1926–1929)
Minister of Foreign Affairs (Austria), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1926–1929; 1930) , , - , ,
, Minister of State of the Duchy of Warsaw (1809–1810)
State Councillor of the Duchy of Warsaw (1810–1815)
Ministry of Industry of Poland (1816–1824)
Minister of State of Poland (1824–1826) , , - , , , Mayor of Damulog (2007–2016) , , - , ,
, Minister of Health of Czechoslovakia (1927–1929)
Minister of the Interior of Slovakia
Prime Minister of Autonomous Land of Slovakia, Slovakia (1938–1939)
President of the Slovak Republic (1939–1945), Slovak Republic (1939–1945) , , - , * , , Mayor of Hienghène (1977–1989)
Vice-President of the Government Council of New Caledonia, Government Council (1982–1984) , , - , , , Member of the Frankfurt National Assembly (1848–1849) , , - , * ,
{{flagcountry, Republic of the Congo , Mayor of Brazzaville (1956)
List of prime ministers of the Republic of the Congo, Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo (1958–1959)
List of presidents of the Republic of the Congo, Presidents of the Republic of the Congo (1960–1963) , *laicized before taking office

References

Catholic ecclesiastical titles Catholic canon law of persons Politicians by occupation