Useless Advice
Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life

September 13, 2004

"We can't tell people how to vote."

I hear that phrase often. Some within the Church who say it think they are giving clear
advice about what Churches - and other tax-exempt organizations - are restricted from
doing.

But it's hardly clear advice. In fact, it's totally useless advice.

If we mean to say that Churches, under current law, cannot say "Vote for John Smith,"
then we should say, "Churches under current law cannot say 'Vote for John Smith.'"

But there are many other things Churches can say and have said. The United States
Catholic Bishops, for example, wrote the following paragraph in their 1998 document
Living the Gospel of Life:

"We encourage all citizens, particularly Catholics, to embrace their citizenship not merely
as a duty and privilege, but as an opportunity meaningfully to participate in building the
culture of life. Every voice matters in the public forum. Every vote counts. Every act of
responsible citizenship is an exercise of significant individual power. We must exercise
that power in ways that defend human life, especially those of God's children who are
unborn, disabled or otherwise vulnerable. We get the public officials we deserve. Their
virtue -- or lack thereof -- is a judgment not only on them, but on us. Because of this, we
urge our fellow citizens to see beyond party politics, to analyze campaign rhetoric
critically, and to choose their political leaders according to principle, not party affiliation
or mere self-interest" (n.34).

So did they "tell people how to vote" or not?

How about the following line from the Vatican's Doctrinal Note on The Participation of
Catholics in Political Life: "A well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to
vote for a political program or an individual law which contradicts the fundamental
contents of faith and morals" (n.4).

Did the Vatican "tell people how to vote" or not?

Obviously, to assert that "we can't tell people how to vote" is so vague as to be
meaningless If we mean endorsing candidates, that's one thing. The Church as an
institution cannot do that, but pastors and individual believers, as well as organizations
not under the same restrictions, certainly can. It is, in fact, a spiritual work of mercy to
inform one's neighbors about the candidates and urge them to vote for the best choice.

But short of making endorsements, the Church can and must give people moral
guidance about how to vote, just as the Vatican and the United States bishops do in the
quotes mentioned above. If we fail to give such guidance, we fail in our mission as the
light of the world, and become as irrelevant as a lamp under a bushel basket
Such a failure is especially grievous when our votes affect the lives and deaths of tens of
millions of the most defenseless children, threatened by abortion. If the Church cannot
speak at a time like this, what are the stones of our great buildings for, after all? Indeed,
if we are silent, the very stones will cry out.