Next Tuesday is Election Day. Rhode Islanders have an opportunity to cast their vote to choose their president, U.S. senator, U.S. representatives as well as members of the state General Assembly.
Our Church teaches that “responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation." So in order to exercise this responsibility and bear witness to this virtue we must vote and participate in the election. However, we are not simply called to cast a vote for any candidate but rather to carefully examine each individual candidate and study their positions on the important moral issues of our day.
Where candidates stand on issues such as the sanctity of human life especially the unborn, the protection of marriage between one man and one woman, the protection of individual conscience rights and the freedom of religion and the dignity of the human person especially the poor and vulnerable should help us determine who we vote for as Catholics. While we are called to be concerned about all these issues not all issues are the same and as the U.S. Bishops state: “Some are called ‘intrinsically evil’ actions. They must always be rejected and opposed and must never be supported or condoned. A prime example is the intentional taking of innocent human life, as in abortion and euthanasia.”
Tuesday’s election offers us a valuable chance to consider how the messages of the Scriptures and the insights of Catholic teaching can be applied to the significant issues of our society. The U.S. Catholic bishops have urged us to recognize the moral and ethical dimensions of the issues and "to see beyond party politics, to analyze campaign rhetoric critically, and to choose political leaders according to principle, not party affiliation or mere self-interest.”
All Catholics — and even all citizens — must be committed to promoting the common good over selfish concerns and protecting human dignity, not political partisanship. Blessed Pope John Paul the Great stated in his encyclical The Gospel of Life: “It is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which all the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and from which they develop.” On November 6 we call upon Rhode Island Catholics to exercise their civic duty to vote but to remember as they enter the voting booth they are called to vote as conscientious and faithful Catholic citizens. They must first and foremost vote for candidates who will serve the common good but also ensure human life and dignity is also respected and protected in law and in practice. Vote next Tuesday, but cast that vote as a committed and faithful Catholic citizen not a political partisan.
For information on candidates running for local or federal office, responses to candidate surveys or to watch presidential and Congressional debates, please visit the website of the Rhode Island Catholic Conference at www.faithfulcitizenri.org
