“It is perfectly fine for politically active lay Catholics to proclaim themselves as such; indeed, it’s an evangelical duty.”
Absolutely
“We lay people are the ones who have to live in the world and promote its sanctification.”
Agreed; and I will add that the political activity of the laity should be informed by The Faith.
“As for Chaputs’s politics, he’s a citizen and entitled to his views.”
Fine; but his political views are not a measure of Christian orthodoxy and through his simplistic theology they should not be presented as such. The laity, as we see here, is all too ready to measure theology and The Faith exactly that way!
“I hope he’s shrewd enough to avoid being co-opted by those interested in the Church only as a flag of convenience.”
We’ll see. Neither Burke nor Martino were and now we see Chaput going after a highly respected Vatican theologian and Cardinal. Sometimes I wonder if some of your bishops aren’t preparing to “go it alone”.
I never saw Burke or Martino as having been co-opted. They were being bishops: teaching and laying down the law. The fact that their doing so was politically inconvenient to one side doesn't make them tools or partisans. Are you suggesting their enforcement of discipline was selective? I'd need to see some evidence of that.
This highly respected Cardinal is also ignorant of American society and politics. Not being a native English speaker he depends on others to interpret Obama’s meaning. They might be the retired cardinal of Washington or the active one of LA.