By Matthew Vita
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 24, 2000; Page A01

Speaker J. Dennis Hastert named a Roman Catholic priest from Chicago as the new House chaplain yesterday in a bid to end a controversy that has bitterly divided Republicans and Democrats and helped propel religion into the forefront of political campaigns this year.

In a dramatic speech from the floor of the House, Hastert (R-Ill.) accused Democrats of waging "an unseemly political game" by charging that anti-Catholic bias had influenced his decision four months ago to select a Presbyterian minister over a Catholic priest as the new House chaplain.

Hastert's reversal on the chaplain's appointment, a decision that historically has been the speaker's prerogative, underscored the Republicans' extreme sensitivity to the issue of religious bias that has dogged the party, including its presidential front-runner George W. Bush, in the election campaigns.

Hastert's speech was a rare public display of passion by a speaker who has been criticized by some lawmakers for failing to show decisive leadership. "I am a patient man," he said to the hushed chamber. "But even I do not easily take in stride carelessly tossed accusations of bigotry."

Hastert announced that his first choice for chaplain, the Rev. Charles Parker Wright, had withdrawn his name from consideration and that he was instead naming the Rev. Daniel P. Coughlin, the vicar for priests in the Chicago archdiocese, to the post. Coughlin is the first Catholic to serve as House chaplain, who in addition to opening each session with a prayer also counsels members on spiritual matters.

Within minutes of his speech, Hastert administered the oath of office to Coughlin as he stood in the well of the House--a vivid illustration of the Republican leadership's desire to put the issue behind them as quickly as possible.

Asked afterward if he was aware he was walking into a lions' den, Coughlin quipped: "My name is Daniel."

Democratic leaders, who were not told of Wright's resignation or Coughlin's appointment until Hastert's speech, were caught flat-footed by the speaker's decision. "I am very sorry that we have come to this point," House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) told the House. "I have never said, and never believed, that there was bias of any kind in the making of this selection, and I never said that."

Other Democrats were still seething over the whole process, including Hastert's speech, in which they said their views were ignored by the GOP leadership. Several of them quickly introduced a proposal to establish a new bipartisan process for selecting the chaplain.

Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.) took issue with Hastert's suggestion that the Democrats acted out of partisanship. "That offends me," she said.

She said she had raised questions about the fairness of the chaplain selection process because they were warranted: "I did not do this to tear the House asunder. I thought they were very important questions to be raised."

The GOP leadership's decision in November to name Wright instead of the Rev. Timothy J. O'Brien, director of Marquette University's Les Aspin Center for Government, quickly embroiled House Republicans and Democrats in an acrimonious dispute over whether anti-Catholic bias played a role in the choice. O'Brien had received considerable support from a bipartisan task force appointed by Hastert to help select the replacement for the outgoing chaplain, the Rev. James D. Ford, a Lutheran.

The issue quickly became a political liability for the Republicans, especially after Bush's controversial visit to conservative Bob Jones University, which has promoted anti-Catholic teachings, during the South Carolina primary campaign. House Republicans in districts with large Catholic constituencies said they were being pummeled on the issue, which struck a chord in many Catholic dioceses around the country.

House leaders began discussing the idea of appointing a Catholic priest a few weeks ago, according to Republicans. Under this scenario, they reasoned, they could defuse Democratic attacks on the GOP as anti-Catholic while still appointing a religious figure with whom they were comfortable.

"Reverend Wright had been voicing his uncertainty about pursuing the position to several House leaders for a couple of weeks," said a leadership aide, who asked not to be identified. "Several members, Catholic and non-Catholic, suggested that if Wright withdrew, the speaker should choose a conservative Catholic priest."

Hastert had reached out to the Chicago's Catholic archbishop, Cardinal Francis George, a few months ago, inviting George to Washington to sit with him in the speaker's box during the president's State of the Union address. Two weeks ago, he asked George to submit a list of priests who might serve as chaplain, including Coughlin, whom Hastert interviewed on Monday.

On Tuesday night, Wright met with the speaker to inform him that he did not want the job, and Hastert quickly settled on Coughlin, a priest for 40 years. House aides described him as a serene man who has experience in counseling other priests on their problems.

Asked yesterday what he brings to his new post, Coughlin told reporters: "My deep conviction in the power of faith and prayer."

Staff writers Helen Dewar, Juliet Eilperin and Terry M. Neal contributed to this report.