FAITHFUL CITIZENSHIP

 

FAITHFUL CITIZENSHIP

The Church has a lot to say about the duties and rights of Catholic citizens.  She received from Jesus the Great Commandment, which is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Jesus said that the second is like it – you shall love your neighbor as yourself.  One of the ways to love one’s neighbor is to work towards the common good of society, which benefits all the people.  According to Pope St. John XXIII, the common good embraces “the sum total of all those conditions of social life which enable individuals, families, and organizations to achieve complete and effective fulfillment.”  For Catholics, the protection and advancement of the life and dignity of the human person at the personal and communal level must take first place in formulating social policy. 

John XXIII wrote in his famous encyclical on social justice, Pacem in Terris, just what should be the priority in social policy: "the right to life, to bodily integrity, and to the means which are suitable for the proper development of life; these are primarily food, clothing, shelter, rest, medical care, and, finally, the necessary social services."  The Church affirms that those who live in a democracy are especially obligated to advance, as they are able in accordance with their means and position in society, the policies which they believe will achieve the common good.  Practically speaking, the minimal obligation for Catholics in such a society is to vote.  Those who are able ought to do more.           

The Bishops of the United States have made public statements time and again to urge the faithful to vote with an informed conscience, that is, a conscience formed by faith and reason.  In Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship they write that "The obligation to participate in political life is rooted in our baptismal commitment to follow Jesus Christ and to bear Christian witness in all we do.  As the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, ‘It is necessary that all participate, each according to his position and role, in promoting the common good. This obligation is inherent in the dignity of the human person. . . . As far as possible citizens should take an active part in public life’.”

Catholics are not expected to form a separate political party, but rather they are to be a leavening influence in whatever party they belong.  The bishops write that “As citizens, we should be guided more by our moral convictions than by our attachment to a political party or interest group. When necessary, our participation should help transform the party to which we belong; we should not let the party transform us in such a way that we neglect or deny fundamental moral truths or approve intrinsically evil acts. We are called to bring together our principles and our political choices, our values and our votes, to help build a civilization of truth and love.” 

The choice of candidates is not always clear cut.  We may feel good about some but not all of their positions on various issues.  However, the bishops have reminded us that not every issue has the same gravity.  Some are more fundamental than others, especially those which directly touch upon human life and dignity.  There are some acts that are so evil that no circumstance could ever make them morally acceptable.  The bishops specifically name abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, and human embryo experimentation as intrinsically evil and a grave threat to society.  I believe that any candidate who promotes these is not worthy of the office.  In our imperfect world the perfect political candidate may not exist, but we need to be guided be a well-informed Catholic conscience to make what we believe, in the sight of God, to be the best choice possible for the common good.

*** You may find the full text of Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship on the U.S Bishops’ website at usccb.org and typing the title of the document in the search box.