Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship

     In 2007, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops released a document titled ‘Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship’ to address our dual roles as Catholics and citizens.  The document is not a voter’s guide and does not tell us who to vote for; instead it examines current issues in the light of Catholic moral teaching and encourages the faithful to form and follow their consciences when voting.

     According to the bishops, “responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation.”  This is echoed in the Catechism: “As far as possible citizens should take an active part in public life” (CCC 1915).  This applies to all of us, not only US citizens or those of voting age.  Citizenship involves more than voting and we are called to act faithfully in other matters of the public sphere as well.  Essentially, being a good citizen is required of us as Catholics, although the definition of “good citizen” may differ according to circumstance (age, nationality, position, etc.)

The first part of the document is an overview of Catholic social teaching:

     Catholic Social Teaching begins with the preeminent obligation to protect innocent life from direct attack and extends to defending life whenever it is threatened or diminished. Every human being has a right to life, the fundamental right that makes all other rights possible, and a right to access to those things required for human decency—food and shelter, education and employment, health care and housing, freedom of religion and family life. 

     The family is the first and fundamental unit of society and is a sanctuary for the creation and nurturing of children. It should be defended, strengthened, and supported economically, morally, and socially (which should be considered in comprehensive immigration reform). The principle of solidarity extends the concept of community throughout the world and insists that loving our neighbor has global dimensions. 

     Additionally, the economy must serve people, not the other way around.  We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of God’s creation; care for the earth is a duty of our faith and a sign of our concern for all people.  We should advocate for health care  reform that respects human life and dignity.  Our nation should establish and comply with limits on use of military force. 

     When considering all of these important issues, the bishops warn against taking them to be of equal weight.  “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.” Intrinsically evil actions include direct threats to the sanctity and dignity of human life such as abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, destructive research on human embryos, torture, and racism; they must always be rejected and opposed and must never be supported or condoned.  These immoral means cannot be justified by a good end; torture is still condemned when used for purposes of national security.  At the same time, it is also wrong to dismiss other important issues; voting against intrinsic evils “does not exhaust one’s responsibility towards the common good.”  As Catholics, we are not single-issue voters.

     The bishops draw a distinction between matters of intrinsic evil and those that require prudential judgment as to the best way to apply Catholic teaching, such as “[addressing] the needs of the poor [and feeding] the hungry”.  These matters of prudential judgment, then, rely on a properly formed conscience, which is a “serious and lifelong obligation” for all Catholics. Forming your conscience requires you to listen to, understand, and act upon Church teaching; desire to embrace the truth; examine the facts and information on the subject; and prayerfully reflect on the matter at hand. 

     The bishops consider not voting to be an “extraordinary step”, and one to be taken out after deep reflection, not out of apathy or laziness.  Voting for a candidate with an unacceptable position is only permissible for [other] “truly grave moral reasons” (such as both candidates supporting an intrinsic evil, perhaps). 

     Our moral convictions as Catholics should guide us more than party affiliation.  As we are called to be a light for the world, we should be forces of change within our parties, instead of allowing our parties to change our beliefs on right and wrong.  Essentially, we should be in the party, not of the party. 

     For more information, visit: http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/ and  http://www.dsj.org/ministries/social-ministries/election-2012