CHURCHES AND POLITICKING

A church in Miami visited by Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry during his campaign has been cleared of political activity that could have jeopardized its tax-exempt status, reports The Miami Herald. According to the lawyer for the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, the Internal Revenue Service will be closing the investigation after finding that the church was not campaigning on behalf of Senator Kerry. The inquiry began after a Washington political watchdog group lodged a complaint against the church, calling the visit a “rally.”