Questions of Faith

Comment

Father Wilmer Todd

Reflect, pray, vote

I recently saw a video where a priest told his congregation that Catholics could only vote for one political party because the other party advocated a woman’s right to have an abortion. Is this true?

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in their reflection, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, state, “Unfortunately, politics in our country often can be a contest of powerful interests, partisan attacks, sound bites, and media hype. The church calls for political engagement shaped by the moral convictions of well-formed consciences and focused on the dignity of every human being.”

The Catholic Bishops also say, “No party and too few candidates fully share the church’s comprehensive commitment to the life and dignity of every human being from conception to natural death.” Neither political party’s values are perfectly in line with Jesus’ teachings.

Some people claim that they are “prolife” because they are against abortion. We agree that abortion is an “intrinsic evil” and a “preeminent issue.” We should try to do everything we can to help people choose life over abortion. However, a pro-life person is not a person who just advocates life from conception to birth. As the Bishops state quite clearly, “The church’s comprehensive commitment to the life and dignity of every human being (is) from conception to natural death.”

In the words of the Bishops, “We are also called to promote the well-being of all, to share our blessings with those most in need, to defend marriage, and to protect the lives and dignity of all, especially the weak, the vulnerable, the voiceless.” This is the core of Catholic moral and social teaching.

Again, the Bishops guide us, “The other direct assaults on innocent human life, such as genocide, torture, and the targeting of noncombatants in acts of terror or war, can never be justified. Nor can violations of human dignity, such as acts of racism, treating workers as mere means to an end, deliberately subjecting workers to subhuman living conditions, treating the poor as disposable, or redefining marriage to deny its essential meaning, ever be justified.”

The Bishops outline other evils that are against human life: “Racism and other unjust discrimination, the use of the death penalty, resorting to unjust war, the use of torture, war crimes, the failure to respond to those who are suffering from hunger or a lack of health care, pornography, redefining civil marriage, compromising religious liberty, or an unjust immigration policy are all serious moral issues that challenge our consciences and require us to act.”

The Bishops remind us, “We are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic and ideological differences. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they may be. Loving our neighbor has global dimensions and requires us to eradicate racism and address the extreme poverty and disease plaguing so much of the world . . . A basic moral test for any society is how it treats those who are most vulnerable.”

With this guidance from the Bishops, it is important to root our political viewpoints in the Gospel and a wellformed conscience that involves prayer, conversation, study and listening. The following are some moral questions that can help us choose candidates in the upcoming November election.

Which candidate will advocate for the unborn, will increase pregnant women’s access to health care and nutrition, will address maternal mortality, especially for Black women, will support families in the tax code and family-friendly workplace policies?

Which candidate will advocate for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, reject racism, xenophobia and support policies that address systemic racism; will oppose discrimination against LGBTQ people and disabled people, oppose the death penalty, believe that housing is a human right, support the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and protect people from predatory financial practices?

Which candidate will advocate for health care for all in need, oppose cuts to, and restrictions on, Medicaid, support the priorities of the disability community, support the health and well-being of older adults, and uphold the welfare of trafficking victims?

Which candidate will support raising the minimum wage so that every working family can earn a living wage, protect workers’ right to organize, seek to accurately measure and address poverty, support a just tax code that gives a “preferential option for the poor” instead of the rich?

Which candidate supports DACA protections and will base immigration policy on family unity, ensure humane treatment at the border and by interior enforcement, extend support to immigrant families in the U.S. and treat them with respect, and value and observe international laws on asylum?

Lastly, which candidate will strive to address global warming and its consequences for us, our children and grandchildren? No current candidates support all these measures.

In the document Faithful Citizenship, the bishops say that “we bishops do not intend to tell Catholics for whom or against whom to vote. Our purpose is to help Catholics form their consciences according to God’s truth. We recognize that the responsibility to make choices in political life rests with each individual in light of a properly formed conscience, and that participation goes well beyond casting a vote in a particular election.”

To help form your conscience, read Faithful Citizenship (https:// www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/ faithful-citizenship/upload/formingconsciences-for-faithful-citizenship. pdf). BC