April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
BISHOP'S COLUMN
At election time, let principles guide decisions
In the September-October edition of Catholic Answers magazine, Mark Shea, a senior editor for the Catholic Exchange and columnist for Crisis magazine, has penned an insightful article on the canards that are raised every election year relative to Catholics becoming engaged in politics.
I would like to cite three of the canards which Mr. Shea surfaces and offer responses to these assertions which both he and our U.S. bishops' document on political responsibility, "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship," make to them.
Tear down wall
1 The alleged constitutional "wall of separation" between church and state implies a duty of separation between Catholics and Everything.
First, Mr. Shea underscores that "there is no constitutional 'wall of separation' that prohibits believers from influencing the state or how we order our common life. The phrase never appears in the U.S. Constitution. It is the fruit of pseudo-knowledge, the same way we 'know' Humphrey Bogart said, 'Play it again, Sam' (except he didn't), Copernicus was burned at the stake by the Church (except he died in his bed and was buried with holy rites), and the Origin of Species discussed 'survival of the fittest' (actually, it was Herbert Spencer who coined the term). In fact, the 'wall of separation' phrase comes from a letter Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptists."
The text of the First Amendment reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assembly, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
The point of this amendment is not to tell believers they cannot participate in the public square, but to tell Congress that it cannot establish a state church (as, for instance, the Anglican Church is the state church in England) or prohibit freedom of religion.
Faith and politics
This means that believers of whatever stripe are free to express their faith in the public square and, as they please, let it influence the way they vote. For Catholic Christians, this means allowing one's faith to influence our participation in the political process.
This is not only permissible by the Constitution, but it is an imperative of our faith, rooted in our baptismal commitment to follow Jesus Christ and to bear Christian witness in all that we do.
Unfortunately, politics in our country often can be a contest of powerful interests, partisan attacks, sound bites and media hype. The Church calls for a different kind of political engagement: one shaped by the message of the Scriptures, the social teaching of the Church and a concern for the weak, vulnerable and marginalized.
As the U.S bishops' document "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship" underscores, we Catholics "should be guided more by our moral convictions than by our attachment to a particular political party or interest group. When necessary, our participation should help transform the party to which we belong; we should not let the party transform us in such a way that neglects or denies fundamental Christian values and moral truths.
"We are called to bring together our principles and political issues, our values and our votes to build a better world."
We're neutral
2 A second canard is that the Catholic Church is directly or indirectly supporting a particular party or candidates.
In response to this assertion, it must be noted that "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship" is not a voter's guide; nor does it endorse specific political parties or candidates.
Rather, our statement offers a reflection on Catholic social teachings, grounded in respect for the life and dignity of every human person and the concern Catholics should have for the common good; and then it urges members of our Church to apply this teaching to the key social, economic and moral issues confronting our contemporary society.
Hence, the role of the Church and its bishops is not that of endorsing political candidates or engaging in partisan politics, but it is the teaching role of helping people form their consciences so that we can make informed and sound moral judgments in fulfilling our cherished right and solemn duty as engaged and voting citizens in a pluralistic democracy.
In other words, as Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, chair of the bishops' Committee on International Peace and Justice, notes: "The idea is that Catholics should work within the parties to change them, creating a diverse and substantial group motivated not so much by idealogy but by challenging cultural issues, large and small."
Awkward but necessary
As we all know - and as Bishop Pates observes - this is easier said than done. We are asking Catholics to raise uncomfortable positions in exceedingly hostile environments, for Catholic moral and social teaching has no natural political home in the United States. Neither major party makes room for both Catholicism's communitarian social teachings and its traditional sexual morality.
The Democratic Party, for example, tends to be a staunch proponent of abortion and other reproductive rights that are contrary to Catholic teaching. The Republican Party tends to take a restrictive position toward immigrants and to favor budgetary cuts and tax policies that can have disproportionate impact on programs to help the poor. Leaders in both parties are often split on issues like euthanasia, the sanctity of marriage and the death penalty.
Consequently, many Catholics find themselves politically homeless when it comes to voting their consciences.
Conscience clause
3 This is where a third canard comes into play: Whatever somebody feels like doing is an "act of conscience that automatically trumps the teaching of the Church."
In Mr. Shea's opinion, "many Catholics on both sides of the aisle invoke the word 'conscience' as a sort of magic, all-authorizing shibboleth excusing them from consideration of the Church's actual teaching.
"So, for instance, some Catholic politicians and voters on the left have declared that abortion is a 'matter of conscience' that trumps the teaching of the Church, while some from the other side of the aisle have argued that the Church's teaching on prisoner abuse in the war on terrorism is 'out of date' and needs to be ignored 'for the sake of conscience.
"The main factors at work in almost all postmodern 'conscientious' objection to the Church's teaching - whether from 'conservative' apologists for torture or from 'progressive' apologists for abortion - is not serious consideration of the Church's teaching but serious consideration of how to lawyer, game, mickey and euphemize in order to pretend one takes the tradition seriously while ignoring the clear and obvious teaching of the Church (which both declares abortion to be an 'abominable crime' (Catechism of the Catholic Church) and torture to be intrinsically immoral ('Veritatis Splendor')."
Uncomfortable truths
The reality is that conscience does not consist merely of, "How can it be wrong when it feels so right?" A Church teaching is not rendered moot by the fact that it is inexpedient, uncomfortable or inconvenient.
The Church equips its members to address political and social questions by helping them to develop a well-formed conscience. That is why "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship" underscores that "Catholics have a serious and lifelong obligation to form their consciences in accord with human reason and the teaching of the Church. Conscience is not something that allows us to justify doing whatever we want; nor is it a mere 'feeling' about what we should or should not do.
"Rather, conscience is the voice of God resounding in the human heart, revealing the truth to us and calling us to do what is good while shunning what is evil. Conscience always requires serious attempts to make sound moral judgments based on the truths of our faith.
"The formation of conscience includes several elements. For Catholics, this begins with a willingness and openness to seek the truth and what is right by studying sacred Scripture and the teaching of the Church as contained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is also important to examine the facts and background information about various choices. Finally, prayerful reflection is essential to discern the will of God. Catholics must also understand that if they fail to form their consciences they can make erroneous judgments."
Forming conscience
In forming our conscience, we must seek to do so in a fashion that neither treats all issues as moral equivalents (for example, giving abortion and racism the same moral status as the federal standard for the minimum wage or the best policies to combat global warming) nor reduces Catholic social teaching to one or two issues.
That is why Catholics often face difficult choices about how to vote. A Catholic cannot vote for a candidate who takes a position in favor of an intrinsic evil.
As "Faithful Citizenship" teaches: "Those who knowingly, willingly and directly support public policies or legislation that undermine fundamental moral principles cooperate with evil. Voting for candidates who hold such an unacceptable position would be permissible only for grave moral reasons, not to advance narrow interests or partisan preferences or to ignore a fundamental moral evil."
A Catholic, in other words, cannot vote for a candidate who takes a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, if the voter's intent is to support that position. Opposing intrinsically evil acts has a special claim on our conscience and voting for such a candidate would be permissible only for serious reasons.
This position articulated in "Faithful Citizenship" is consistent with that of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) who, in 2004, wrote that "when a Catholic does not share a candidate's stand in favor of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons."
At the same time, "Faithful Citizenship" notes, "a voter should not use a candidate's opposition to an intrinsic evil to justify indifference or inattentiveness to other important issues involving human life and dignity."
Choosing a candidate
Voting decisions, then, should take into account a candidate's positions, character, integrity and ability to influence a given issue. Ultimately, the decision for whom to vote must be made by each Catholic guided by a conscience formed by Gospel values and Catholic moral and social teaching.
This year's presidential and federal elections especially are referendums about critical issues concerning the role of government; how to resolve our national debt crisis; whether entitlement programs for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Health Care Act need to be changed or reformed; and, if not, how best to insure their solvency for future generations.
Where do the candidates or parties stand on human life issues like abortion; the destruction of human embryos in the name of research; the support for the death penalty to combat crime; torture; and imprudent resort to war to address international disputes?
What plans do candidates have for employment, education, housing and supporting a family? Where do candidates stand on immigration, affordable housing and criminal justice issues? How will they protect religious liberty?
With poverty at over 15 percent nationally and extreme poverty in so many underdeveloped nations, what is the position of candidates regarding hunger and homelessness in our own country and on foreign assistance for Third World nations?
What is the view of candidates on care for the environment: on hydrofracking, climate change and developing alternative energy sources?
Social teaching
Catholic social teaching provides a moral framework for addressing these questions which do not easily fit ideologies of "right" or "left," "liberal" or "conservative," or the platform of any political party. Our teaching is not partisan or sectarian, but reflects fundamental ethical principles that are common to all people.
More detailed information on policy positions adopted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops can be found in our political responsibility statement, "Forming Consciences on Faithful Citizenship," or at www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship">www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship.
As our document states, we need a renewed kind of politics: one that is more focused on moral principles than on the latest polls; more on the needs of the weak than on benefits for the strong; more on the pursuit of the common good than on the demands of narrow interests.
This is the kind of political participation that reflects the social teaching of our Church and the best traditions of our nation. May Catholic voters and others be guided by these principles in our forthcoming elections.[[In-content Ad]]
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