Nobody has to face more intrusive paparazzi than the President of the United States.Whether it’s the much-publicized “date night” that President Obama and his wife took a few months ago or his March Madness tournament bracket, the man can’t go anywhere without being followed by a mob.This can cause all kind of problems, particularly when it comes to deeply private matters — even something as personal as his family’s religious observations.Obama and his family have faced a great deal of difficulty in finding a place to worship. It’s nothing new — a president’s choice of church is a highly public, deeply politicized ritual that occurs every time a new one is sworn in.Because the president is under absolute scrutiny at all times, a president must choose a church that will offend as few people as possible. No one knows this better than Obama, whose long-time membership in Trinity United Church — pastored by the inflammatory Rev. Jeremiah Wright — put him in hot water during the grueling campaign that elected him to office. Obama was forced to leave the church and distance himself from Wright to minimize his connection to controversial comments the pastor made.So it’s no surprise that Obama would only choose a new church after a great deal of scrutiny.After months of deliberation, Obama announced that his family will attend Evergreen Chapel, a non-denominational church at Camp David, the military base that serves as a country retreat for the president. It is very isolated, and one of the president’s few relatively quiet refuges.During the first months of his presidency, Obama and his family attended several congregations in Washington D.C. Each time, the church they visited was flooded with sight-seers hoping to catch a glimpse of the president in a “natural” setting.Aside from obviously creating an awkward worship environment — people would snap shots of Obama on camera phones as they walked down the aisle to take communion — the mass of newcomers prevented many long-time congregation members from attending their weekly service. In addition, large, public congregations translate into significant costs for maintaining security.It eventually became obvious that no congregation in the city could provide a meaningful worship environment for either the Obamas or anyone they were around.Evergreen Chapel provides a perfect solution. The 150-seat chapel has an average Sunday congregation of 50-70 people, and is in a secluded environment not vulnerable to invasion by sight-seers.And Obama will almost certainly not have to deal with controversy in regards to his pastor. Lt. Carey Cash — great-nephew of legendary musician Johnny Cash — is a Southern Baptist who served a tour as Marine chaplain in Iraq.Although it seems Obama has found a politically bullet-proof church, the very fact that all of this must be considered at all is disheartening.It’s understandable that the President must sacrifice much of his private life upon taking the oath of office. But what is not understandable is that so many rubberneckers would lack enough respect for such a deeply personal and meaningful part of his life that he is forced into hiding just to go to church.It’s true that Obama has a group of ministers that serve as his spiritual counsellors. But a few people, no matter how qualified, are a poor substitute for the nurturing environment provided by a congregation with which a family is deeply attuned.This isn’t to say that Evergreen is a poor congregation. But the odds of the church of political convenience also being the church with which the Obamas find some deep connection aren’t good. Besides, they can only attend when they are at Camp David — a luxury the president’s hectic schedule largely prevents.It’s a shame we, as a nation, are so obsessed with the personal details of our leaders’ lives that we cause their spiritual lives to suffer. The president is under more stress than perhaps any human being, and the solace provided by a real church home is something that we should have the decency to allow him. 
Matthew Albright is a 20-year-old mass communication major from Baton Rouge.—-Contact Matthew Albright at [email protected]