Beholden!

Curious little report about SA social inclusion commissioner, David Cappo, which says that the new Federal Government thinks the SA model is 'fantastic', with the reservation that because Cappo is a priest this may mean he is compromised because (to quote them) he is beholden both to Mike Rann and to God!
This sort of 'nervous nellyism' always makes me smile. It mainly, and often only, seems to come up in relation to religious people of various hues.
Surely everyone is multiply 'beholden'.
True, non-religious folk are often very suspicious of the religious and not without cause. But if the Social Inclusion commissioner had been a Boy Scout, Gay, a director of BHP or a senior academic would there still be the same sort of objection.
Personally I wonder what people actually think 'beholden to God' might mean....they of course don't mean that at all I suspect...but rather are suggesting that Cappo is a functionary of the institutional church, and a particularly strong brand of it at that.
I must say that while I am not particularly drawn to the brashness of Premier Rann, and often find him arrogant and dismissive of others, he is to be commended for the insightful appointment (some years ago now) of Cappo. The Church is not where he would naturally be drawn, so one must assume that he assessed Cappo on merit and not because he might be able to put in a word with the Almighty (BBHHN)!, or that he was beholden to anyone in particular.