In anticipation of a general election in Scotland, the
Bishops of that land issued the following statement in 2010. It is an
excellent proclamation of the principles of Catholic voting:
The political choices we face today are not the choices
your parents and grandparents faced.
They would never have voted for any candidate who refused to protect unborn
human life, who supported experimentation on human embryos, or planned to
assist unfortunate people to commit suicide.
They would never have voted for a candidate who would undermine marriage
and family in the way that has happened in recent years with cross-party
support. They would never have voted for candidates who rejoiced in same
sex unions. They would never have voted for candidates who would stop the
Church offering adoption services. They would never have voted for
candidates who were clearly hostile to the values they held dear.
Your parents and grandparents voted for those they believed shared the same
fundamental Christian values as they did. It is for us to do likewise to
shape a society where the dignity of each individual and life itself is
respected.
As Catholics we know the importance of protecting every human life and of
the value that married family life gives to society. These values were once
widely shared but times have changed. Many of those standing for election,
of whatever party, do not share our basic principles and values.
That is why we say to you: when you vote, make your faith count. Vote with
your faith to protect human life; to support marriage and the family; to
protect religious freedom; to protect Catholic education. Vote with your
faith, and uphold the right of conscience and religious freedom.
In urging you to let your faith count at the ballot box, we ask you to
think carefully before you cast your vote. Which candidate displays values
closest to yours? Which candidate will best respect and protect your
religious freedom and your freedom of conscience? Which candidate do you
trust most to do a good job for you and your community?
As your bishops, it is not our intention to tell you which party to vote
for. It is our duty to encourage you to engage with the political process
and to vote for the candidate who best represents the values we, like our
parents and grandparents before us, hold dear.
In anticipation of the election of 2010, the
Archdiocese approved a voter education flyer for distribution through the
parishes. This flyer, which was prepared by our Office, is entitled "Forming a Good Catholic Conscience for Voting"
(also available in Spanish), is intended to instruct parishioners on
the principles by which a good Catholic conscience is formed, and specific
guidance on how to do so in connection with voting.
See also this statement from the New Your State
Catholic Conscience entitled "Pastors, Parishes and Political Responsibility",
which has instructions on what kinds of political and other activities are
permitted or prohibited in our parishes.
Please note also that "voter guides" (i.e.,
documents that compare candidate positions on issues)from outside groups
are not to be distributed by parishes in the Archdiocese, because such
guides may not fairly represent the issues of interest to the Church, and
may involve the Church in forbidden partisan political activity.
The documents and information below are good tools for
educating Catholics on their civic and moral responsibilities.
The United States Catholic Bishops
have issued a document, "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship",
which provides guidance on how to form one's conscience for voting, as well
as principles of Catholic teaching on which we should rely. The
document is also available in a shorter bulletin insert. The entire document and the bulletin insert are also available in
Spanish. Other resources are available from the U.S. Bishops' website.
The U.S. Bishops have also
published a very useful article on forming conscience for the voting decision.
It can be downloaded here, and it is also available in Spanish.
The Bishops of New York State have
issued a statement on forming conscience, "Our Cherished Right, Our
Solemn Duty". It can be downloaded here (it is also available in Spanish).
As far as the Catholic Church is
concerned, the principal focus of her interventions in the public arena is
the protection and promotion of the dignity of the person, and she is
thereby consciously drawing particular attention to principles which are
not negotiable. Among these the following emerge clearly today:
-
protection of
life in all its stages, from the first moment of conception until natural
death;
-
recognition and
promotion of the natural structure of the family--as a union between a man
and a woman based on marriage--and its defense from attempts to make it
juridically equivalent to radically different forms of union which in
reality harm it and contribute to its destabilization, obscuring its
particular character and its irreplaceable social role;
-
the protection
of the right of parents to educate their children.
34. Catholics often face difficult
choices about how to vote. This is why it is so important to vote according
to a well-formed conscience that perceives the proper relationship among
moral goods. A Catholic cannot vote for a candidate who takes a position in
favor of an intrinsic evil, such as abortion or racism, if the voter's
intent is to support that position. In such cases a Catholic would be
guilty of formal cooperation in grave evil. At the same time, a voter
should not use a candidate's opposition to an intrinsic evil to justify
indifference or inattentiveness to other important moral issues involving
human life and dignity.
35. There may be times when a Catholic who rejects a candidate's
unacceptable position may decide to vote for that candidate for other
morally grave reasons. Voting in this way would be permissible only for
truly grave moral reasons, not to advance narrow interests or partisan
preferences or to ignore a fundamental moral evil.
36. When all candidates hold a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, the
conscientious voter faces a dilemma. The voter may decide to take the
extraordinary step of not voting for any candidate or, after careful
deliberation, may decide to vote for the candidate deemed less likely to
advance such a morally flawed position and more likely to pursue other
authentic human goods.
37. In making these decisions, it
is essential for Catholics to be guided by a well-formed conscience that
recognizes that all issues do not carry the same moral weight and that the
moral obligation to oppose intrinsically evil acts has a special claim on
our consciences and our actions. These decisions should take into account a
candidate’s commitments, character, integrity, and ability to influence a
given issue. In the end, this is a decision to be made by each Catholic
guided by a conscience formed by Catholic moral teaching.
38. It is important to be clear
that the political choices faced by citizens not only have an impact on
general peace and prosperity but also may affect the individual’s
salvation. Similarly, the kinds of laws and policies supported by
public officials affect their spiritual well-being...
Opposition to abortion and
euthanasia does not excuse indifference to those who suffer from poverty,
violence and injustice. Any politics of human life must work to resist the
violence of war and the scandal of capital punishment. Any politics of
human dignity must seriously address issues of racism, poverty, hunger,
employment, education, housing, and health care. Therefore, Catholics
should eagerly involve themselves as advocates for the weak and
marginalized in all these areas. Catholic public officials are obliged to
address each of these issues as they seek to build consistent policies
which promote respect for the human person at all stages of life. But being
'right' in such matters can never excuse a wrong choice regarding direct
attacks on innocent human life.
The USCCB has also published a
very useful article on forming conscience for the voting decision. It
can be downloaded here.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith has also given guidance to Catholics in making morally sound
decisions on public policy matters:
There are legal limits on the kinds of political
activity that can be carried out by religious organizations. In general,
religious organizations are permitted to speak out about issues, and to
seek to influence legislation, but they are not permitted to engage in any
way in partisan political activity. Here are some documents
that will help Catholic institutions in applying these rules to their
activities:
Please
note that "voter guides" (i.e., documents that compare candidate
positions on issues)from outside groups are not to be distributed by
parishes in the Archdiocese, because such guides may not fairly represent
the issues of interest to the Church, and may involve the Church in
forbidden partisan political activity.
To find out about the candidates in the upcoming
elections, go here
and fill in your address.
Information about the positions of some candidates can
be found here.
(Please note that these links will take you to websites
that are not affiliated with the Archdiocese or any other Catholic
institution. We have no control over, nor do we take responsibility
for or endorse, the contents of the websites. They are provided for
information only, and should not be considered in any way an explicit or
implicit endorsement of any candidate, or a comparison of any candidate's
positions to the teachings of the Church.)
