Catholics have a moral obligation to take part in the political process in order to contribute to the common good and to build up the moral fabric of society, Bishop McManus said. But blindly pulling the Democratic or Republican lever is not the way to vote in these times.
“The best way for Catholics to participate in the political process is primarily through exercising our right to vote. But, we are obliged to vote according to a well-formed conscience,” he said.
What does it mean for a Catholic to have a well-formed conscience?
The third section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church talks about the elements that go into the formation of conscience - which is a lifelong task. A very important part, the bishop explained, is to listen to the moral and social teachings of the Church.
If all Catholics hear the same teachings on those moral and social issues, why then doesn’t there appear to be a Catholic voting bloc?
“Maybe it’s because in our history as American Catholics we who are teachers in the Church may have not emphasized enough to people that they should not vote according to party lines,” Bishop McManus said in an interview two weeks before the Nov. 4 national election.
“The Church is saying that’s not the way to approach political issues in our contemporary context - issues that are full of moral and social implications,” he said.
People are quick to say that the Church tells them to “follow their conscience,” but that is only half true, Bishop McManus said. “We must follow a well-formed conscience.”
The latest document regarding a Catholic’s political responsibility recognizes that. “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” was approved by the U.S. bishops in November 2007. It is the latest in a series of statements the bishops have made every four years to share Catholic teaching on political issues.
The introduction to the document states that every Catholic has a moral responsibility “to hear, receive and act upon the Church’s teaching. .... With this foundation, Catholics are better able to evaluate policy positions, party platforms and candidates’ promises and actions in the light of the Gospel and the moral and social teaching of the Church.”
“Neither of the major political parties is a Catholic party, so to speak,” Bishop McManus said. “Both parties, in some measure, support public policy or legislation which is in contradistinction to the moral teaching of the Church.” “The document is also very clear that although there are many public policy issues that involve moral and social issues, that the moral issue that takes precedence over all the other moral issues ... is the right to life and the dignity of the human person,” Bishop McManus said.
Catholics who follow that teaching and vote for pro-life candidates are often accused of being one-issue voters. But Bishop McManus said that accusation is faulty because the Church says there are many public policy issues that demand our attention. The Church does not only comment on the right to life, but also comments on the economy, poverty, immigration, war, health care, education and a host of other issues.
The bishop said we have an obligation to support those issues that are morally sound and promote the common good. “But the first issue is attending to forming our conscience according to the very fair teaching of the Church that the right to life is a right that must be respected in its most vulnerable stages - at its beginning and at its end,” he said.
Many will ask the question: May a Catholic then vote for a candidate who supports abortion?
Bishop McManus said, “A person can vote for someone who does not support public policy that protects the right to life, if that person has a proportionate reason for doing so, and the vote of that person will not cause scandal to others.
“My question then becomes: What is the proportionate reason for justifying electing politicians who vigorously support legislation that allows abortion to happen?
“The act of abortion in our country has claimed over 40 million lives of unborn babies. Will someone please tell me what that proportionate reason is,” Bishop McManus asked.
Voting is a great right we have as Americans, the bishop said, and we should vote “in a way that is morally sound.”
Other aids for the electorate are voter guides prepared by Catholic Citizenship. Those guides report on state candidates’ answers to questions regarding their positions on various public policy issues.
Victor Pap, executive director of Catholic Citizenship, said that even though some candidates did not respond to the organization’s questions, those who did are noted in the voter guides. Only seven of the 18 House districts have contested races, he noted.
Voter guides for particular races and districts can be accessed online at: http://www.catholic-citizenship.org/
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(Source: CFP)