THE TABLET
October 4, 2008

True Political Responsibility

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

October has traditionally been celebrated as Respect Life Month.  Each year now for several decades, the Catholic Church in the United States has concentrated its attention on life issues during this month.  This year’s theme is Hope and Trust in Life!, which is taken from a homily given by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, last year, in which he described a failure to hope and trust in life as “the obscure evil of modern western society.”  Recently, when the Holy Father visited the United States and spoke to the Bishops gathered, he commented on the wonderful religious spirit of our country, but also noted that the spirit is too often confined to our places and times of worship.  Specifically he said:  “The subtle influence of secularism … color(s) the way people allow their faith to influence their behavior.  Is it consistent to profess our beliefs in church on Sunday, and then during the week to promote business practices or medical procedures contrary to those beliefs?  Is it marginalized, to promote sexual behavior contrary to Catholic moral teaching, or to adopt positions that contradict the right to life of every human being from conception to natural death?”

It is important that we give voice to our beliefs and convictions in the public sector.  For too long, a fictitious understanding of the separation of Church and State has led many people to believe that his/her moral conviction, and those things that can be known by reason, somehow cannot be injected into the public forum. Because we live in a pluralistic society, where all manner of beliefs and values must be tolerated, we therefore, must keep our moral convictions separate from our decision making.  This is truly a misrepresentation of democracy, where all values can be debated in the public forum and where a consensus of voters makes laws and elects representatives.

Several weeks ago, the Holy Father visited France, perhaps the most secular democracy in Europe, and stopped in Paris on his way to the 150th Anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes. In greeting members of the French government in Paris, the Holy Father spoke about the concept of “positive secularism,” in France, which French President Nicolas Sarkozy had discussed with Pope Benedict XVI when he visited him in Rome nine months ago. The Holy Father commented, “…it is fundamental, on the one hand, to insist on the distinction between the political realm and that of religion in order to preserve both the religious freedom of citizens and the responsibility of the State towards them; and, on the other hand, to become more aware of the irreplaceable role of religion for the formation of conscience and the contribution which it can bring to – among other things-the creation of a basic ethical consensus in society”.  I urge you to read President Washington’s 1796 farewell address to the nation which echoes these same sentiments.  To claim that we cannot consult any of our moral convictions, especially when they are founded on reason and not just faith, when dealing with issues in the public sphere is truly non-sensical.

The Bishops of the United States, in anticipation of Presidential elections, have, for the past 30 years, published statements on political responsibility.  Last year’s statement, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship was produced through the combined work of all seven public policy committees of the Conference.  During my term as Chairman of the Domestic Policy committee, we had the responsibility of coordinating the statement.  It is a statement of which I am truly proud, and I feel it has profound meaning for our contemporary situation.

This statement, however, has often has its meaning and content twisted by individuals to support their particular political views. Most recently, the September 17th   front page article in the New York Times entitled “Abortion Issue Again Dividing Catholic Votes” by David D. Kirkpatrick, greatly mischaracterized the Bishops’ statement. Mr. Kirkpatrick erroneously stated that the Bishops of the United States had issued the policy statement in order to allow Catholics to vote for a candidate who supported abortion.  This was certainly not the intent of the Bishops; and, in fact, the statement clearly identifies the right to life, especially innocent life, as the fundamental beginning of forming one’s conscience in regard to voting for an elected official. After several attempts, Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, the current Chairman of the Domestic Policy Committee, and I were able to clarify the situation through a joint letter published in the above mentioned newspaper.    The only circumstance in which a Catholic might vote for someone who upheld an intrinsic evil such as abortion and euthanasia would be if there were two candidates who held equally erroneous opinions.  A Catholic might vote for one with the understanding that one might limit evil more than the other, while never intending to vote for a candidate who supports an intrinsic evil.

Forming one’s conscience in the defense of life is never an easy task.  This week, the Bishops of the State of New York released our own statement on political responsibility and faithful citizenship.  The Bishops of our State have tried to clarify even further, how a Catholic must go about forming their conscience.  Voting is a moral act and it is imperative that we cast our votes for those who reflect our Catholic value system.  Never can our consciences be corrupted by party loyalty, media portrayals, or personal preferences. 

Conscience is the tool that we have to choose good over evil. When confronted with evil we may never directly affirm or support it.  The New York State Bishops go on to write that a properly formed conscience will always conclude that “The inalienable right to life of every innocent human person outweighs other concerns where Catholics may use prudential judgment, such as how best to meet the needs of the poor or to increase access to health care for all.”

Last week, a group of Evangelical churches challenged the current rulings of the IRS by publicly endorsing individual candidates in statements from the pulpit.  The idea was to challenge the government’s present position that non-profit organizations may not directly endorse candidates.  While I believe no Catholic Church participated in this protest, I am keenly aware that there are many religious leaders who do directly endorse candidates and allow political candidates to use their churches to promote their candidacies.  This practice is wisely avoided in our Catholic community.  The Church endorses Christ and his Gospel and not candidates or political parties.  However it is important that the Church preserve its right to speak in the public forum on moral issues; and, after the Church’s positions on these moral issues are made clear, leave it to the well-formed consciences of its members to make decisions about for whom they will vote.  Several times I have been asked to give my own personal opinion on whom is the best candidate, and I have always declined.  I have never, however, shied away from teaching how we should come to decisions about for whom we should vote.

We must continually put out into the deep recesses of our consciences to properly discern good from evil, and decide what political candidate will best uphold our values and ethics and conform to our faith and reasoning ability.  This year’s election, as no others in the past, presents some clear choices.  We must all pray that our collective wisdom as Catholics will enable us to form consciences that will exercise true political responsibility.