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Called to Embrace All of Life: The Catholic Vote and Catholic Values |
Pax Christi, USA:
“A Catholic moral framework does not easily fit the ideologies of “right” or “left,” nor the platforms of any party…Our responsibility is to measure all candidates, policies, parties, and platforms by how they protect or undermine the life, dignity, and rights of the human person, whether they protect the poor and vulnerable and advance the common good.” – From “Faithful Citizenship,” issued by the United States Catholic Bishops.
It is a common misperception of politicians seeking office that the Catholic vote can be courted by addressing a narrow range of issues. In reality, the great majority of Catholics in the U.S., in agreement with the U.S. Catholic Bishops, will vote for candidates based “on the full range of issues, as well as on (the candidate’s) personal integrity, philosophy and performance” (“Faithful Citizenship,” U.S. Catholic Bishops, 2004).
Members of the media – and indeed a few of our own religious leaders – do a great disservice to our church and nation when they attempt to use one or another issue as the benchmark for Catholic identity. To characterize a whole content of our faith in a single issue is inappropriate and unjust.
“The Christian faith is an integral unity, and thus it is incoherent to isolate some particular element to the detriment of the whole of Catholic doctrine. A political commitment to a single isolated aspect of the Church’s social doctrine does not exhaust one’s responsibility toward the common good” (“Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life,” Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, November 24, 2002 and approved by the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II).
The Catholic Church teaches that all life is sacred. A candidate for office must understand that the Church stands against any policy or course of action which diminishes life, dignity or the rights of the human person: abortion, capital punishment, war, scandalous poverty, denial of healthcare, mistreatment of immigrants and racism, to name but a few. All are essential issues to a “pro-life” voter.
For over 30 years, Pax Christi USA has raised the immorality and injustice of modern warfare as a serious affront to our Church’s proclamation of the sanctity of life. Over the past two years we have seen more than 900 U.S. military and over 15,000 innocent Iraqi civilians killed in what Pope John Paul II repeatedly stated was an unjust and unnecessary war. Contrary to words use din political speeches, a commitment to the sanctity of life must be judged by the actions taken to defend and promote life in all its forms. War is a defeat for the culture of life and political leaders that bring about or perpetuate war sin against God and humanity and cannot be considered in any sense of the word “pro-life.”
There are 60 million Catholics in the U.S. We take the responsibility of voting seriously. Each of us will evaluate candidates based on what our conscience – formed by reading the signs of the times in light of the example of Jesus in the Scriptures and the teachings of our Church throughout the ages – demands. We will examine the broad range of issues, measuring “all candidates, policies, parties, and platforms by how they protect or undermine the life, dignity, and rights of the human person, whether they protect the poor and vulnerable and advance the common good” (“Faithful Citizenship,” U.S. Catholic Bishops, 2004).
In the gospels, Jesus implores us to love our enemies, to feed the hungry, to bless the peacemakers, to set the oppressed free, and to care for the widow, the orphan, and the stranger. This November, we will look for and vote for candidates who take as seriously as we do the teachings and example of Jesus Christ.
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Cry of the Poor |
"How can it be that even today there are still people dying of hunger? Condemned to illiteracy? Lacking the most basic medical care? Without a roof over their heads? . . .
"Christians must learn to make their act of faith in Christ by discerning His voice in the cry for help that rises from this world of poverty."
-- Pope John Paul II
Novo Millennio Ineunte, no. 50
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