Reminds Lay Catholics of Duty to Vote Pro-Life

"It's not a question of separation between church and state institutionally, that's taken for granted," said Cardinal George. "It's a question of the relationship between life and faith, so you have to work with peoples' conscience and try to inform their conscience so that they understand the obligations of their faith that apply to their life no matter what form of life they are in, be it political life or economic life or the entertainment arts."

The Cardinal continued, "once you bring that home they have a conscience problem and they have to work it out." He noted that "the usual platitudes" such as 'I am personally pro-life but...' or 'I can't enforce my morality.' "simply aren't enough" to excuse such behavior.

He did, however, remind Catholics of their obligation to vote pro-life. "I'd like to say that both Canada and the United States are more or less functioning democracies and finally it's the people who elect those office holders and the people have to take that obligation to heart when they vote." Not only politicians and bishops, but all the faithful must make their faith evident in their lives, said the Chicago Archbishop. "Sometimes people get all excited and say why don't the bishops do something, but who elected them, the bishops didn't. So it goes all the way up and down the line - this obligation to put together life and faith."

The whole article is here.

-- Bill Nelson (bnelson45@hotmail.com), February 04, 2004

Answers

-- (top@top.top), February 05, 2004.

I am new to this forum and I actually have a question and not an answer. This voting thing has got me in a quandry. From the information I have read, this is what I have gathered. All of the democratic hopefuls are pro-choice and promise to place pro-abortion judges on the Supreme Court if elected. Our present president is pro- life. However, he supports the death penalty. As a Christian, what am I to do?

-- VTyler (trueiswear@yahoo.com), February 16, 2004.

VTyler,

While it is my personal opinion, i would support the deaths of tried criminals over the death of millions of innocents any day. Not that either is right, but one is SEVERELY less in number...

-- paul h (dontSendMeMail@notAnAddress.com), February 16, 2004.

VTyler,
According to Catholic teaching it is just to kill if that is the only way to protect society from an agressor. That would include the death penalty, although it may be in this day and age that we have other ways of protecting society. However it is never permissible to murder innocent children, especially millions of them. If your choice is between someone supporting the protection of society by the death penalty and someone supporting the murder of innocent children, then the moral choice is obvious.

In Christ,
Bill

-- Bill Nelson (bnelson45@hotmail.com), February 16, 2004.

Thanks, I really appreciate your input. I am enjoying reading this forum! I find that I am learning a lot. I am trying to get away from "right thinking" to thinking about what is right. The profession I am in encourages a lot of fluidity with boundaries and beliefs. It effects the thinking after awhile, even if one does not want it to. I desire to do what is in accordance with my faith. Thanks again.

-- VTyler (trueiswear@yahoo.com), February 18, 2004.