By Nate Raymond (Reuters) -Churches and other houses of worship can endorse political candidates to their congregations without risking losing their status as tax-exempt nonprofits, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service said.

The move effectively calls for a carve-out for religious organizations from the rarely used IRS rule called the Johnson Amendment.

The statement of policy comes as part of a court case challenging the Johnson Amendment, a 1954 law banning nonprofits from political activism.