The writer was controversial for his anti-clerical views on church influence in politics.

anti-clerical 是由前缀 anti-（表示"反对"）和形容词 clerical（与神职人员或教会相关的）组成的复合形容词。anti- 表示"反对"，clerical 来自 clergy（神职人员），所以 anti-clerical 意思是"反对教会干预的"，特指反对教会干预政治的观点。