Richard A. Sokerka
In a few weeks, we will be able to exercise one of our most cherished rights as citizens of our nation, our right to vote.
This is a mid-term election year with all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives up for election as are the six-year terms for 34 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate.
Given the contentious events that have played out before our very eyes in Washington that assault our deepest held moral values, it is more important than ever for Catholics to cast their ballots.
In their statement, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” the U.S. Catholic bishops remind Catholics that “we are called to engage in charitable, respectful and civil dialogue during election season.” In our secular culture that is consumed by partisan attacks on one’s character and faith, sound bites that conveniently hide the truth to advance an agenda and media that do not report the news factually but only offer their opinions disguised as news, Catholics are called to remember that responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life and the voting process is a moral obligation.
Catholics have seen challenges made to their religious freedom from some political leaders because we hold moral positions contrary to theirs on issues such as abortion, euthanasia, and marriage as the union between one man and one woman.
And as witnessed from our politicians in the recent Supreme Court hearings, reasoned discourse is now a lost art, replaced by partisan demagoguery.
Catholics must engage in a different kind of political engagement: it needs to be shaped by the moral convictions of well-formed consciences that focus on the dignity of every human being, the pursuit of the common good, and the protection of the weak and the vulnerable.
That’s why before going into the voting booth, every Catholic should examine each candidate’s position on issues affecting human life and dignity as well as issues of justice and peace, and they should consider candidates’ integrity, philosophy, and their voting record and performance in office.
Catholics need “to see beyond party politics, to analyze campaign rhetoric critically, and to choose their political leaders according to principle, not party affiliation or mere self-interest” (Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics 33-34, National Conference of Catholic Bishops, November 1998).
If we do not exercise our right to vote in this proper way, we will get the elected representatives we deserve: their virtue and moral scruples, or lack thereof, will be a judgment not only on them, but also on us.
See beyond party politics; analyze campaign rhetoric critically and choose elected representatives according to the principles they stand for, not party affiliation, when you enter the voting booth on Nov. 6.