Cardinal Renato Martino joins Board of Priests for Life, Comments on Voting

Priests for Life is happy to announce that His Eminence Cardinal Renato Martino, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at the Vatican, has joined the Episcopal Board of Priests for Life. "Cardinal Martino has been a long-time friend of our ministry," explained Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director. "I was privileged to get to know him when he served as the Holy Father's representative at the United Nations and I was serving at the Vatican's Pontifical Council for the Family. Then, when we opened our new headquarters, he honored us by coming to bless our building. We have always had the benefit of his wise counsel and long experience. We look forward to continued fruitful collaboration."

Cardinal Martino was the 2002 recipient of the National Right to Life Committee's "Proudly Pro-life Award." The other Catholic clergy who have received that award over the years are Cardinal John O'Connor (1994), Bishop James McHugh (2000), and Fr. Frank Pavone (2001).

In May of this year, Priests for Life interviewed Cardinal Martino in Rome on the subject of the political responsibility of Catholics. Here are some excerpts of the Cardinal's remarks.

" The Church must always take up the prophetic role and be ready and willing to comment in the political sphere whenever and where ever the necessity arises. This does not mean that the Church should involve itself directly in the political debate but the Church must always be like "the voice crying in the wilderness"… The Church teaches that we must be involved in the political life around us. We must call upon our governments to promote and protect our lives and provide us with peace, justice and security.

"…A Catholic or anyone with a well formed conscience, a well formed understanding of right and wrong; good and evil can NEVER vote for a political program or law 'which contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals'.

"As in the case of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher and so many like them through the ages, …a Catholic politician or a Catholic voter cannot separate himself or herself from his or her moral responsibility. You cannot choose when and where to be Catholic and that includes political life and voter responsibility.

"It is in the voting booth and the ballot that the average citizen can exercise that involvement, not only in the political life of their neighbourhood, city or nation but also to become involved in assuring, as Blessed Pope John told us, 'that every institution, whether economic, social, cultural or political ...facilitate man's self betterment.'

"What better motivation can we have to be involved or become more active in the making our societies, our world a better place? And what could be easier than being an informed voter? Voting is a right and as well as a duty but it is also essential to be informed and to vote as your heart and your conscience tell you.

"The Holy Father speaks of the protection of life as the fundamental realization and respect for human rights. Without that realization, without that respect for the right to life, no other discussion of human rights can continue; it must be based upon the foundation of human dignity and the right to life.

"In my time at the United Nations, the Delegation stressed that relationship and interconnectedness between recognition of human dignity, the right to life and the protection of other human rights and fundamental freedoms. Unfortunately, there are too many people, delegations, states that refuse to discuss that human dignity, they refuse to recognize that gift that binds all human beings together."

Priests for Life
PO Box 141172
Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. 888-PFL-3448, (718) 980-4400
Fax 718-980-6515
Email mail@priestsforlife.org

Subscribe to Fr. Frank's bi-weekly prolife column (free): subscribe@priestsforlife.org