As a Catholic business man or woman you are a leader and have certain responsibilities. I am writing this opinion piece on the very important task of giving guidance on determining how to vote. I am doing this considering (1) the moral teaching of the Catholic Church; (2) the development of a well formed conscience and applicable human virtues; (3) the belief that there are “intrinsic evils” and “non-negotiables” that should never be followed and candidates who support one or more should not receive your vote; (4) the USCCB document Faithful Citizenship and (5) more than 50 years of personal experience active in politics including elective office while being a practicing Catholic.
May God be with you in your discernment.
I am a concerned father of three and grandfather of 16. I am afraid for their future. I am afraid for the future of America. I write to you from my heart. We are in trouble as a country. If we continue on the current path, we may not have a country for many years. I recently watched a documentary on the start of WWII.
The thing that stood out the most in that documentary was how America’s leaders and the average citizen were unaware or unbelieving of war preparations by Japan and Germany. Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of England, believed the war was to wipe out Christian civilization. History is repeating itself, just in different countries, with sophisticated technology and an internal threat to transform America to no longer be a Judeo-Christian nation.
My prayer for each reader of this article is that you become awakened to what is happening in America and, if you are already awakened, let this article be the impetus to get you to awaken others.
Become informed and VOTE in November.
Here are just a few of the issues at stake in this election:
- Appointments of judges to the U.S. Supreme Court (from 1-4 judges) that will chart the direction of America for decades to come
- Will America return to being a leader in the world or continue to equivocate?
- Will we have a strong military that can protect the homeland?
- Will we return to a respect for the dignity and protection of human life?
These issues are too important for you and I not to vote.
VOTING
ROME, Italy, August 30, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – Cardinal Raymond Burke, one of the most outspoken defenders on Catholic teaching regarding life, marriage, sexuality, and the family, weighed in on the upcoming U.S. election, telling reporters that the faithful must vote for the candidate who will do the most to “advance” the protection of human life, defense of the family, respect for freedom, and care for the poor.
“I think that what we have to do in this time is to look at both candidates to see if one of them will not, at least in some way, advance the common good, both with respect to the good of human life, the good of the family, the freedom of conscience, the care of the poor, and to look at that very carefully,” the Cardinal told reporters during an international teleconference conducted by Carmel Communications and attended by LifeSiteNews.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has every four years for decades been issuing a book Faithful Citizenship which addresses considerations to be made to determine how to vote. The most recent edition is entitled Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. As a Catholic, it is important to study and consider this document.
I read the book and herein set out the USCCB Catholic position in italicized text with page number. Portions of the italicized text are underlined for added emphasis. My position is expressed in regular and bold text. I believe the positions I take are supported by the USCCB document. Some people have taken a few paragraphs to read into them a way to vote for anyone, even someone who champions intrinsic evil or the “non-negotiables,” but that is not right.
Catholics often face difficult choices about how to vote. We are guided by a well-formed conscience and Catholic moral teaching that recognizes that all issues do not carry the same moral weight and that the moral obligation to oppose policies promoting intrinsically evil acts has a special claim on our consciences and our actions. Take into account a candidate’s philosophy, commitments, character, integrity, ability to influence a given issue and performance (pg. 15).
It is important to be clear that political choices faced by citizens may affect the individual’s salvation (pg.16). That means your omission to properly form your conscience or voting for a candidate whom you know champions intrinsic evil places the salvation of your soul at risk.
Worship pleasing to God can never be a purely private matter, without consequences for our relationships with others; it demands a public witness to our faith (pg. 16).
Catholic leaders (elected or community leaders) must commit themselves to the pursuit of the virtues, especially, courage, justice, temperance, and prudence…even when it conflicts with current public opinion (p. 16). Support laws shaped by fundamental human values and oppose laws and policies that violate life and dignity at any stage from conception to natural death (pg. 16).
Supporting these positive proposals is NOT to bring a “Catholic” interest to the political sphere but the truth of the dignity of the human person (pg. 16).
The Four Foundational Principles of Basic Catholic Social Teaching are: (1) dignity of the human person; (2) the common good; (3) subsidiarity and (4) solidarity. Taken together, these principles provide a moral framework for Catholic engagement in advancing what we have called elsewhere a “consistent ethic of life” (Living the Gospel of Life, no. 22). Rightly understood, this ethic does not treat all issues as morally equivalent nor does it reduce Catholic teaching to one or two issues. It anchors the Catholic commitment to defend human life, from conception until natural death, in the fundamental moral obligation to respect the dignity of every person as a child of God. It unites us as a “people of life and for life” pledged to build what St. John Paul II called a “culture of life”. This culture of life begins with the preeminent obligation to protect innocent life from direct attack and extends to defending life whenever it is threatened or diminished. (pg. 17)
It is important for all citizens “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.” (pg. 18)
As Catholics we are not single-issue voters. A candidate’s position on a single issue is not sufficient to guarantee a voter’s support. Yet if a candidate’s position on a single issue promotes an intrinsically evil act, such as legal abortion, redefining marriage in a way that denies its essential meaning, or racist behavior, a voter may legitimately disqualify a candidate from receiving support. (pg. 18)
Direct attacks on innocent persons are never morally acceptable, at any stage or in any condition. In our society, human life is especially under direct attack from abortion, which some political actors mischaracterize as an issue of “women’s health.” (pg. 18)
Participation in political life in light of fundamental moral principles is an essential duty for every Catholic and all people of good will. The Church is involved in the political process but is not partisan. Our cause is the defense of human life and dignity and the protection of the weak and vulnerable (pg. 24). We cannot compromise basic principles or moral teaching (pg. 25). The Church’s cause cannot be ignored because of party affiliation or family history. When a candidate supports abortion and also supports helping the poor, life is the controlling issue.
As Catholics we are called to participate in public life in a manner consistent with the mission of our Lord. The role of the Church in the formation of conscience and the corresponding moral responsibility of each Catholic to hear, receive, and act upon the Church’s teaching in the lifelong task of forming his or her own conscience. The purpose of this book is to help Catholics form their consciences in accordance with God’s truth. The responsibility to make choices in political life rests with each individual. While there is ongoing teaching of our Bishops it is important to remember that Church teaching is coherent and rests on a comprehensive vision of the dignity of the human person. The truth about the sacredness of human life and human dignity call for us to bring this essential truth about human life and dignity to the public square. (pg. 6) The Catholic community brings a consistent moral framework drawn from basic human reason that is illuminated by Scripture and the teaching of the Church (pg. 7). The Church’s kind of political engagement is shaped by the moral convictions of well-formed consciences and focused on the dignity of every human being, the pursuit of the common good, and the protection of the weak and the vulnerable and not powerful interests, partisan attacks, sound bites and media hype (pg. 8). 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 (pg. 9).
The Church insists on the existence of objective moral norms which are valid for everyone, but some in our culture see this as unjust and opposed to basic human rights. This position is a form of moral relativism joined to a belief in the absolute rights of individuals (pg. 9). Moral relativism promotes that there are no absolute truths – none from God and not from the Ten Commandments. It promotes if it feels good do it.
WHAT IS A WELL-FORMED CONSCIENCE?
Conscience is NOT something that allows us to justify whatever we want, nor is it a mere “feeling” about what we should or should not do. Rather, conscience is the voice of God resounding in the human heart, revealing the truth to us and calling us to do what is good while shunning what is evil. Conscience always requires serious attempts to make sound moral judgments based on the truths of our faith. Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act… In all he says and does, man is obliged to follow faithfully what he knows to be just and right (pg. 10).
The elements in formation of conscience are:
- Desire to embrace goodness and truth;
- Seek the truth reading Scripture and teaching of the Church in the Catechism of the Catholic Church;
- Examine the facts and background information about various choices;
- Prayerful reflection is essential to discern the will of God.
Catholics must understand if they fail to form their consciences in the light of the truths of the faith and the moral teachings of the Church they can make erroneous judgments. (pg. 10)
Erroneous judgment can put one’s soul at risk through mortal sin.
The Church helps well-formed consciences by teaching moral truth but also by encouraging development of the virtue of prudence which enables us to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it. Prudence shapes and informs our ability to deliberate over available alternatives, to determine what is most fitting to a specific context, and to act decisively (pg. 10). Prudence often requires the courage to act in defense of moral principles when making decisions.
The Church’s teaching is clear that a good end does not justify an immoral means. Not all possible courses of action are morally acceptable.
Aided by the virtue of prudence with a well-formed conscience, Catholics are called to make practical judgments regarding good and evil choices in the political arena.
Some things we must never do as individuals or as a society. These are called “intrinsically evil” actions. They must always be rejected and opposed and must never be supported or condoned – abortion, human cloning, destructive research on human embryos, euthanasia, assisted suicide and other acts that directly violate the sanctity and dignity of human life (pg. 11). These are also called the “non-negotiables.
It is a mistake with grave moral consequences to treat the destruction of innocent human life merely as a matter of individual choice. A legal system that violates the basic right to life on the grounds of choice is fundamentally flawed (pg. 11).
There are temptations in public life that can distort the Church’s defense of human life and dignity:
- Moral equivalence that makes no ethical distinctions between different kinds of issues involving human life and dignity. The direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life from the moment of conception until natural death is always wrong and is not just one issue among many. It must always be opposed.
- Misuse of these necessary moral distinctions as a way of dismissing or ignoring other serious threats to human life and dignity (pg. 13).
A political commitment to a single isolated aspect of the Church’s social doctrine does not exhaust one’s responsibility toward the common good (pg. 14).
This exercise of conscience begins with outright opposition to laws and other policies that violate human life or weaken its protection. Those who knowingly, willingly, and directly support public policies or legislation that undermine fundamental moral principles cooperate with evil (pg. 14). In simple language commit a mortal sin!
When all candidates hold a position that promotes an intrinsically evil act, the conscientious voter faces a dilemma. The voter may decide to take the extraordinary step of not voting for any candidate or, after careful deliberation, may decide to vote for the candidate deemed less likely to advance such a morally flawed position and more likely to pursue other authentic human goods. To NOT vote in the election for president this November is, in my opinion, a vote to elect Hillary Clinton.
The greatest social justice issue is the protection of the unborn and the dignity of the human person. The tug of war ongoing inside the Catholic Church is on social justice issues – protection of the unborn vs providing for the poor – and is used by so called “progressive” politicians to provide for the poor as the carrot to win the support of Catholics looking for a way to justify their vote for a person who supports, even gives leadership, to advance Planned Parenthood or other pro-abortion causes. They attempt to equate the life issue with care for the poor, which as stated before, life must take priority.
Cardinal Burke has spoken out in an interview with LifeSiteNews.
Archbishop Raymond Burke, the former prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, named the document on voting and the election produced by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops that he said “led to confusion” among the faithful and led ultimately to massive support among Catholics for Barack Obama.
The U.S. bishops’ document, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, states that, under certain circumstances, a Catholic could in good conscience vote for a candidate who supports abortion because of ‘other grave reasons,’ as long as they do not intend to support that pro-abortion position.
Archbishop Burke, citing an article by a priest and ethics expert of the St. Louis archdiocese, Msgr. Kevin McMahon, who analyzed how the bishops’ document actually contributed to the election of Obama, called its proposal “a kind of false thinking,” that says, “there’s the evil of taking an innocent and defenseless human life but there are other evils and they’re worthy of equal consideration.” Protection of human life takes precedence over all other issues.
Consider also if the voter contends it is not the voter’s intent to support the position of the candidate for whom he or she is voting is that an appropriate person to vote for? Let’s say you know the candidate endorses and supports abortion. You also know what the party platform says. For example, the current Democratic platform on page 37 states:
“Democrats believe unequivocally, that every woman should have access to quality reproductive health care services, including (1) safe and legal abortion, (2) to fund Planned Parenthood health centers and (3) seek to overturn federal and state laws that impede a woman’s access to abortion including by repealing the Hyde Amendment” (which prevents Federal funds for paying for abortion).
Knowing the above, for a voter to tell himself or herself that the voter does not support the candidates pro-abortion position, but votes for him or her anyway is, in my opinion, an attempt to deceive oneself, and the voter participates in the intrinsic evil.
When a candidate or voter says I personally oppose abortion, but I believe in each individual’s right to choose, or says I will follow the court’s decision, this is not acceptable and is another way of trying to appease one’s conscience and make the candidate or voter feel better. As it is said, a law that violates God’s law is no law at all.
It is important to read both Republican and Democratic Party platforms to see what each party stands for. Candidates take a pledge to support the platform.
Sometimes morally flawed laws already exist. In this situation, the process of framing legislation to protect life is subject to prudential judgment and “the art of the possible.” In this circumstance incremental improvements in the law are acceptable. Catholics must never abandon the moral requirement to seek full protection for all human life from the moment of conception to natural death (pg. 14).
Prudential judgment is also needed in applying moral principles to specific policy changes e.g. armed conflict, housing, health care, immigration, and others (pg. 14).
The U.S. government program called the Global Health Initiative is a program that over the last 8 years has spent billions of dollars on family planning (contraception) as a precondition to getting American financial aid for a foreign country. This has enraged the residents of foreign countries against America because the husband and wife could not have children as they desired. Support for this program is found on page 47 of the Democratic platform. Is there any question why people in many countries despise America?
This is the most important election in the history of America because there have been so many actions by President Obama and rulings by the Supreme Court that are fundamentally changing America. That is why your vote is so important in the November election.
The reader needs to know some things about the author of this article. I believe family is the essential building block of America. The family is being torn apart. I am a pharmacist and an attorney. I served 14 years in the Texas House of Representatives from 1971 to 1983 and again from 1991 to 1993 as a Conservative Democrat. After leaving the Legislature and primarily because of the Democratic Party’s move to actively promote abortion, I changed to become a Republican. I am a Co-Founder of the St. John Paul II Life Center in Austin, Texas, which has as its goals to save babies lives and promote the dignity of life for women and all human life. It is not my intention to tell you for whom to vote but to give you guidance on how to properly form your conscience. Then select for whom to vote. Party is not as important as principle.
May you rejoice in HOPE, endure in Affliction and persevere in PRAYER. (Romans 12:12)