By Moe Wosepka, Executive Director
Montana Catholic Conference

We often hear the question, “Catholics vote all over the board, so is there a Catholic vote, or are there several Catholic votes?”

Catholics do seem to vote all over the board. Why is that? Perhaps one of the reasons is that Catholic social teaching swings from the liberal side of the political spectrum to the conservative side. Combine the full range of issues with the fact that Catholics have a keen interest in public policy matters, and you have passionate Catholic advocates who approach the political process from very diverse perspectives. Then which Catholic vote, if any, is consistent with church teaching?

Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, who served as the Archbishop of Chicago and authored several books and articles on the consistent ethic of life related the Catholic life ethic as a “seamless garment.” In an address at Fordham University in December of 1983 he explained what that means to us as Catholics:

“…the Catholic position on abortion demands of us and of society that we seek to influence a heroic social ethic. If one contends, as we do, that the right of every fetus to be born should be protected by civil law and supported by civil consensus, then our moral, political and economic responsibilities do not stop at the moment of birth. Those who defend the right to life of the weakest among us must be equally visible in support of the quality of life of the powerless among us: the old and the young, the hungry and the homeless, the undocumented immigrant and the unemployed worker. Consistency means we cannot have it both ways. We cannot urge a compassionate society and vigorous public policy to protect the rights of the unborn and then argue that compassion and significant public programs on behalf of the needy undermine the moral fiber of the society or are beyond the proper scope of governmental responsibility.”