Catholics in Political Life
We speak as bishops, as
teachers of the Catholic faith and of the moral law. We have the duty to teach
about human life and dignity, marriage and family, war and peace, the needs of
the poor and the demands of justice. Today we continue our efforts to teach on
a uniquely important matter that has recently been a source of concern for
Catholics and others.
It is the teaching of the Catholic Church from the very beginning, founded on
her understanding of her Lord’s own witness to the sacredness of human life,
that the killing of an unborn child is always intrinsically evil and can never
be justified. If those who perform an abortion and those who cooperate
willingly in the action are fully aware of the objective evil of what they do,
they are guilty of grave sin and thereby separate themselves from God’s
grace. This is the constant and received teaching of the Church. It is, as
well, the conviction of many other people of good will.
To make such intrinsically evil actions legal is itself wrong. This is the
point most recently highlighted in official Catholic teaching. The legal
system as such can be said to cooperate in evil when it fails to protect the
lives of those who have no protection except the law. In the United States of
America, abortion on demand has been made a constitutional right by a decision
of the Supreme Court. Failing to protect the lives of innocent and defenseless
members of the human race is to sin against justice. Those who formulate law
therefore have an obligation in conscience to work toward correcting morally
defective laws, lest they be guilty of cooperating in evil and in sinning
against the common good.
As our conference has insisted in Faithful Citizenship, Catholics who
bring their moral convictions into public life do not threaten democracy or
pluralism but enrich them and the nation. The separation of church and state
does not require division between belief and public action, between moral
principles and political choices, but protects the right of believers and
religious groups to practice their faith and act on their values in public
life.
Our obligation as bishops at this time is to teach clearly. It is with
pastoral solicitude for everyone involved in the political process that we
will also counsel Catholic public officials that their acting consistently to
support abortion on demand risks making them cooperators in evil in a public
manner. We will persist in this duty to counsel, in the hope that the scandal
of their cooperating in evil can be resolved by the proper formation of their
consciences.
Having received an extensive interim report from the Task Force on Catholic
Bishops and Catholic Politicians, and looking forward to the full report, we
highlight several points from the interim report that suggest some directions
for our efforts:
- We need to continue to teach clearly and help other Catholic
leaders to teach clearly on our unequivocal commitment to the legal
protection of human life from the moment of conception until natural
death. Our teaching on human life and dignity should be reflected in our
parishes and our educational, health care and human service ministries.
- We need to do more to persuade all people that human life is
precious and human dignity must be defended. This requires more effective
dialogue and engagement with all public officials, especially Catholic
public officials. We welcome conversation initiated by political leaders
themselves.
- Catholics need to act in support of these principles and policies
in public life. It is the particular vocation of the laity to transform
the world. We have to encourage this vocation and do more to bring all
believers to this mission. As bishops, we do not endorse or oppose
candidates. Rather, we seek to form the consciences of our people so that
they can examine the positions of candidates and make choices based on
Catholic moral and social teaching.
- The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor
those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should
not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for
their actions.
- We commit ourselves to maintain communication with public
officials who make decisions every day that touch issues of human life and
dignity.
The Eucharist is the source and summit of Catholic life. Therefore, like every
Catholic generation before us, we must be guided by the words of St. Paul,
“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an
unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the Body and Blood of the Lord”
(1 Cor 11:27). This means that all must examine their consciences as to their
worthiness to receive the Body and Blood of our Lord. This examination
includes fidelity to the moral teaching of the Church in personal and public
life.
The question has been raised as to whether the denial of Holy Communion to
some Catholics in political life is necessary because of their public support
for abortion on demand. Given the wide range of circumstances involved in
arriving at a prudential judgment on a matter of this seriousness, we
recognize that such decisions rest with the individual bishop in accord with
the established canonical and pastoral principles. Bishops can legitimately
make different judgments on the most prudent course of pastoral action.
Nevertheless, we all share an unequivocal commitment to protect human life and
dignity and to preach the Gospel in difficult times.
The polarizing tendencies of election-year politics can lead to circumstances
in which Catholic teaching and sacramental practice can be misused for
political ends. Respect for the Holy Eucharist, in particular, demands that it
be received worthily and that it be seen as the source for our common mission
in the world.
June 18, 2004 Copyright © by United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops