BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY
In recent weeks, I have heard from a few members of the Diocese who have spoken or written to me about the upcoming elections. One person wrote, “At this time it is NOT acceptable to tell Catholics to vote their conscience. Some 40–50 percent continue to vote for abortion (and other evils) candidates with a clear conscience.” While I understand the writer’s concern over polling data that has reported on the way in which Catholics have voted in recent decades, we must be careful about assertions as to whether others may or may not be making a choice with a “clear conscience.” According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator” (n. 1783). To have an informed conscience means that we constantly seek to understand God’s plan and will for our lives. In order to help others understand the beauty of God’s law requires that we are in constant communication with others, even those who do not agree with us.
I believe that a large majority of faithful Catholics are saddened and alarmed by the heartbreaking loss of countless innocent lives that have been lost over the past 50 years in our country due to the tragedy of legalized abortion. In the time that I have served as Bishop, I have become aware in a clearer way that many Catholic faithful are disappointed (and angry) that Bishops have not taken a stronger stance in sanctioning elected leaders who publicly profess the Catholic faith, yet seem to disregard or even work against our belief and the Church’s consistent teaching that life begins at the moment of conception. As I have shared previously in this column, I have also heard from many faithful Catholics, whom I believe are following their conscience, who fear that public sanctioning of a “pro-choice” Catholic politician would be a “misuse” of the Bishop’s teaching authority.
As we approach another election, I encourage all eligible Catholics to vote and to be guided in your voting by an informed conscience. While some may be critical of the Bishops of our country because they feel that the Bishops, as a group or individually, do not speak out more strongly on the issue of life or a number of other issues, the Bishops do have a long record of addressing critical issues and of assisting in the formation of conscience. I would strongly recommend that all Catholic voters spend some time reviewing the website of the New Jersey Catholic Conference.
The USCCB website has a large amount of accessible material and resources on forming conscience as “Faithful Citizens.” There is an excellent two-page summary/guide, entitled, Catholics Care, Catholics Vote: Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. It can be found in PDF format here.
There is also a lengthy, four-part document, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility. After an introduction, there are two main parts: Part I: The U.S. Bishops’ Reflection on Catholic Teaching and Political Life. One of the topics or questions addressed in this section is: What does the Church teach about Catholic Social Teaching in the Public Square? — Four Principles of Catholic Social Teaching. The four principles discussed are:
1. The Dignity of the Human Person
2. Subsidiarity
3. The Common Good
4. Solidarity
Part II of the document is: Applying Catholic Teaching to Major Issues: A Summary of Policy Positions of the USCCB. In the introduction the Bishops state:
The fact that much of our political rhetoric has become very negative and that political polarization seems to have grown should not dissuade us from the high calling to work for a world that allows everyone to thrive, a world in which all persons, all families, have what they need to fulfill their God-given destiny. In our democracy, one aspect of this task for all of us requires that we weigh issues and related policies. In this brief summary, we bishops call attention to issues with significant moral dimensions that should be carefully considered in each campaign and as policy decisions are made in the years to come. (pp. 63)
The issues that are addressed are: Human Life, Promoting Peace, Marriage and Family Life, Religious Freedom, the Preferential Option for the Poor and Economic Justice, Health Care, Migration, Catholic Education, Promoting Justice and Countering Violence, Combatting Unjust Discrimination, Care for our Common Home, and others. There is a compelling argument that, if the value of Life itself is not respected and protected, then there is no “point” in speaking about or trying to address some of the other important issues. At the same time, we must realize that the Church’s consistent efforts to work against legalized abortion are interpreted by many people of good will as caring only for the child in the womb and a lack of care for vulnerable human beings at other stages of life. We are the Church, called by God, to untiringly advocate for reverence for the gift of life at all stages. The words of the “Golden Rule” gives us a fundamental basis from Jesus for our actions: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12).
Part III of the document is: Goals for Political Life: Challenges for Citizens, Candidates and Public Officials. This is a concise and clear statement. I will “allow it to speak for itself” as I encourage each reader of this column to spend the time with this teaching document. There is a final section with additional resources: Major Catholic Statements on Public Life and Moral Issues, which I believe gives evidence that there has not been a lack of speaking or teaching on issues and how they should impact our decisions as voters and faithful citizens. Sadly, there has been a lack of “unity” amongst Catholics when it comes to our decisions as voters and the “application” of, hopefully, a well-formed conscience.
I understand the desire of many Catholics to simply focus on the presence of evil or the failure to respect and protect the dignity and value of every human life from the moment of conception. Yet, as the person who wrote to me, saying that it is “NOT acceptable (or not enough?) to tell Catholics to vote their conscience,” I think that most Catholics would agree that “something has gone wrong,” leading to a lack of unity when it comes to the decisions and conclusions of Catholic voters. I believe that taking the time to read these teaching documents and bringing these issues and choices to prayer could lead us to find a way to a greater unity amongst Catholic voters.
This year Election Day falls on All Souls Day, Nov. 2, the day after All Saints Day. Many people, especially Catholics, are aware that St. Thomas More, (patron saint of lawyers, civil servants, politicians, adopted children, and difficult marriages), one time Chancellor of England, willingly accepted execution rather than to betray his conscience or betray the faith. More’s last words on July 6, 1535, evidence the strength of his conviction: “I die the King’s good servant, but God’s first.” Long before his conflict with the King, Thomas More had recognized the winds of Reformation blowing; he advocated for a more just Europe where fairness and honesty would rule the day. In 1516, More wrote Utopia in the hope of reforming Europe, in whose governance the Church was so much involved. In Utopia, More reflected: “The way to heaven out of all places is of like length and distance.” A common purpose to promote the sanctity of life and to ceaselessly seek the dialogue and understanding that promotes that fundamental teaching of our faith can only better serve to lead all of us toward the gift of heaven, which is God’s intention for all of his children.