2008 Woodie Awards
The Obligations of Catholic Voters
Catholics are called to be responsible voters and act with strong faith and reason on all ballot issues
Beth Hanson
Issue date: 11/1/06 Section: Faith
It can be confusing trying to live one's Catholicism in our current culture. It is too easy to lose our identity to the world, to be caught up in the materialism of Western culture, to become self-centered and to sacrifice ultimate good for immediate satisfaction. Therefore, when election campaigns start, it is beneficial to remind ourselves that, as American Catholic citizens, we are a part of community, and what we endorse with our vote does, indeed, have ramifications on our immediate setting, our country and our globe. What role, then, does our Catholicism play in our civic responsibilities? Our duty to others and Christ is to vote aligned with a conscience shaped by essential moral principles.
The Second Vatican Council says, "All citizens are to bear in mind that it is both their right and duty to use their free vote to promote the common good" (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, No. 75). We are to be in the world but not of it, to promote truth and to vote in the light of faith and reason. The faith of the Church forms personal consciences, but a Catholic conscience, even as played out through an individual's actions, is never individualistic. Our apostolic creed states, "We believe . . ." not I believe. Our vote, in determining one candidate or another, can drastically affect many lives. Exercising our duty to vote reminds us of our common humanity and directs us toward our common salvation.
Accompanying a duty to vote is the duty to examine one's conscience. Hopefully, through God's grace, the inner voice of that conscience is still at work, screaming, "Do not do that!" or perhaps, "You know you should do that!" Our conscience is God's law written on our hearts through our intrinsic connection to Him as our creator. To obey our conscience is an expression of love to Christ. Similarly, to disobey our conscience is an act against God. In Dominum et Vivificantem, John Paul II describes the conscience as "the most secret core and sanctuary of a man, where he is alone with God, whose voice echoes in his depths." Yet, even though one's conscience is deeply emotional, it is important to remember that conscience does not form law, but rather reflects it. It is very possible for someone to be certain about something that is wrong. Vatican II says this about forming a right conscience:
The Second Vatican Council says, "All citizens are to bear in mind that it is both their right and duty to use their free vote to promote the common good" (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, No. 75). We are to be in the world but not of it, to promote truth and to vote in the light of faith and reason. The faith of the Church forms personal consciences, but a Catholic conscience, even as played out through an individual's actions, is never individualistic. Our apostolic creed states, "We believe . . ." not I believe. Our vote, in determining one candidate or another, can drastically affect many lives. Exercising our duty to vote reminds us of our common humanity and directs us toward our common salvation.
Accompanying a duty to vote is the duty to examine one's conscience. Hopefully, through God's grace, the inner voice of that conscience is still at work, screaming, "Do not do that!" or perhaps, "You know you should do that!" Our conscience is God's law written on our hearts through our intrinsic connection to Him as our creator. To obey our conscience is an expression of love to Christ. Similarly, to disobey our conscience is an act against God. In Dominum et Vivificantem, John Paul II describes the conscience as "the most secret core and sanctuary of a man, where he is alone with God, whose voice echoes in his depths." Yet, even though one's conscience is deeply emotional, it is important to remember that conscience does not form law, but rather reflects it. It is very possible for someone to be certain about something that is wrong. Vatican II says this about forming a right conscience:
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