Bishops say how to vote, but not for whom
ORLANDO | Coming soon to a parish bulletin near you is newly released guidance from Florida’s Catholic bishops on how to vote Nov. 4 — not for whom to vote, mind you, just how to vote.
And their teaching is this: “Vote with a properly formed conscience in order to defend human life and protect dignity.” That’s the subtitle of the Catholic Bishops of Florida Election Year Statement issued Sept. 15 for widespread distribution, including placement in bulletins throughout the state for weekend Masses Oct. 11–12. (The bishops' statement is available also in Spanish.)
“The bishops are not going to tell people whom to vote for. Consequently, it’s very important that they have a formed conscience,” said Mike McCarron, executive director of the Florida Catholic Conference, which represents the bishops on public policy matters. “The vast majority of people do not want to be told whom to vote for or against.”
The five–paragraph statement contends all U.S. citizens have a duty to participate in the public debate, and that Catholics have a special calling to make sure Gospel values and the sacredness of human life are represented. It defines conscience as “more than a voice within calling us to follow what is considered acceptable behavior for the day.”
The statement acknowledges that making a decision about a candidate often is not easy.
“As Catholics, we are not single–issue voters, but at the same time we recognize that all issues do not carry the same weight. ... A Catholic cannot vote for a candidate who takes a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, such as the direct and intentional destruction of human life, if the voter’s intent is to support that position,” the statement reads. “There may be times when a Catholic who rejects a candidate’s unacceptable position may decide to vote for that candidate, but this would be permissible only for truly grave moral reasons, and not to overlook a fundamental moral evil in order to advance a narrow interest or partisan preference.”
McCarron said intrinsic evils include all of those listed as “preeminent threats to human life and dignity” in the U.S. bishops’ November 2007 document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.” They are abortion, cloning and destruction of human embryos, assisted suicide and euthanasia, genocide, torture and the targeting of noncombatants in war or terrorist attacks. But what constitutes “truly grave moral reasons” is matter of conscience, as developed within the broad spectrum of Catholic social teaching, McCarron said.
“It has to be a proportionate reason, one that would be equal to the severity” of abortion, euthanasia and other intentional destruction of human life, McCarron said. He added that he finds it difficult to think of a reason that would meet that test, particularly on the abortion issue, and that the bishops “intentionally set the bar very high.”
The church’s other teachings that should be considered when evaluating candidates, as laid out in the “Faithful Citizenship” document, are extensive and fall into the categories of human life, family life, social justice and global solidarity. For examples, the U.S. bishops say Catholics should work to avoid war and promote peace, to discontinue the nation’s reliance on the death penalty and to enact public policies that assure jobs at just wages for all who can work, protect and nurture children, provide affordable and accessible health care and housing for all, and are fair and compassionate for immigrants, documented and undocumented.
“Some folks would view (as grave moral reasons) the immigration concerns, or affordable housing or uninsured people, all the really important social concerns, that might be where their heart is,” McCarron said, later adding: “If you weigh (a morally unacceptable position) against all the other concerns that are out there … do all of those mount up to a proportionate reason to vote for that candidate? That would be an individual decision. They are going to have to make that call themselves.”
The statement applies to all races for public office, but it was issued this year because of the presidential election. McCarron said it is not unusual for Florida’s bishops to issue such a statement during a presidential election year but that “this is a more focused statement about the duty of the faithful to be involved” and gives new emphasis to conscience.
Also on Sept. 15, Florida’s bishops issued a statement reiterating their support for Amendment 2, also on the Nov. 4 ballot, which would constitutionally define marriage in the state as a union of one man and one woman.
Return To Top | Return To Election 2008 Web Special Archive | Florida Catholic Home Page