Catholics, Life Issues and the Election

Over 100 Catholic bishops in the US have weighed in on the importance of protecting human life in light of next week's election, many of them linked on this list. One particularly articulate and powerful statement is from Cardinal Rigali of Philadelphia.

At this moment in our country’s history, defense of innocent human life is a moral responsibility for all of us. The same God who thundered from Mount Sinai: "Thou shalt not kill," thunders still. When life in the womb is destroyed, God thunders: "This is a child!" When by the most barbaric means, unworthy of any civilized people, the brain of a child is sucked out of his or her head by a vacuum, God thunders: "This is a child!" When a baby is left to die of exposure on a shelf because of a failed abortion, and this is considered a "right" by any leader, God, the Source of all law and authority, thunders: "This is a child!" When we are faced with every modern means of education and communication, in addition to the law placed in our hearts at creation, no one, and most especially, no Catholic, can ever say: "I did not know."

Some observers, such as in this LA Times opinion piece, say that Catholic voters are drifting away from concern about protecting human life in making their election decisions. I doubt such a sweeping conclusion, which seems to be based on a selective focus on some of the wildly varying polls being published.

However, there is a reason for concern. I believe that the bishops are speaking out more strongly now partially to correct a couple of loopholes that some in the Church seem to have found in the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' statement "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship".

Is this election one of the "times when a Catholic who rejects a candidate's unacceptable position may decide to vote for that candidate for other morally grave reasons"? Many bishops have said "no," but "Faithful Citizenship" has been being taught throughout the nation's dioceses and parishes for many months. Stories abound of parish seminars where the pro-life concern was dismissed as "single-issue" or "divisive" and "partisan." It got so bad in the Diocese of Scranton that Bishop Joseph Martino crashed a panel discussion in a local parish and announced, "The USCCB doesn't speak for me."

Whatever the outcome of this election or the direction of the Catholic vote, I hope/expect that the bishops will clarify and strengthen their USCCB statements to reflect their stated concerns on the priority of the life issues.