Bishop's Monthly Column, August 2004

Light of the Gospel must enhance vision of Catholic voters

Election year is upon us.

Once again, a steady stream of seasoned politicians, along with a cast of aspiring newcomers, is paraded before us. The media is flooded with poignant images, cleverly crafted messages, and costly marketing strategies. Political interest groups have jumped into the fray, predictably endorsing candidates, parties, and positions that comport to their ideals and ideologies. And we, the voting public, are left to make difficult choices amidst a maelstrom of candidates, complex issues, and tempting promises. What is a voter to do?

The Catholic Church offers a vision and a set of values that provide guidance and insight as we select and support particular candidates, parties, policies, and positions. In its wisdom, the Church endorses no particular political system, nor is it to be identified with a particular party or candidate. The Church does, however, offer the thoughtful voter a means to make decisions that are consistent with the light of the Gospel and consistent with our rich tradition of Catholic social teaching.

A VISION OF LIFE
The essence of Catholic social teaching is found in a vision of the human person. The core of that vision is simple and profound. Every person, from the moment of conception though natural death, is created in the image of God. All human life is inherently valuable, and that value is neither conferred by the state nor dependent on one’s societal status or human achievement.

Pope John Paul II writes “to rediscover and make others rediscover the invaluable dignity of every human person makes up an essential task, in a certain sense the central and unifying task, of the service which the Church and the lay faithful in her are called to render to the human family.” (C.L. 91)

The first question the voter must ask herself or himself is this: Does a candidate, party, or piece of legislation reflect and embrace this vision? Or does my candidate or party of choice undermine and/or compromise this foundational image that is rooted in the Gospel and our Catholic tradition?

HUMAN RIGHTS
This vision of human dignity can never devolve into empty rhetoric or political niceties. In short, the vision of human dignity must be matched by human rights. In fact, human rights give substance and shape to the vision of the human person. Vision shaped by values gives content to the Church’s social teaching. In 1963 Pope John XXIII first proposed a list of human rights endorsed by the Catholic Church. This list has been expanded during the papacy of Pope John Paul II, who includes some of the most important human rights the Church endorses:

The right to life, liberty and security of the person; the right to food, clothing and housing, sufficient health care, rest and leisure; the right to freedom of expression, education and culture; the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; the right to manifest one’s religion either individually or in a community, in public or in private; the right to choose a state of life, to found a family and to enjoy all conditions necessary for family life; the right to property and work, to adequate working conditions and a just wage; the right of assembly and association; the right to freedom of movement, to internal and external migration; the right to nationality and residence; the right to political participation and the right to participate in the free choice of the political system of the people to which one belongs.

This list provides a framework for both politicians and voters alike as we face tough social and economic choices affecting civil liberties, economic opportunities, and social policies in our state, nation and beyond.

THE COMMON GOOD
In our era, individual rights and personal choice have nearly become sacrosanct. Therefore, the notion of the common good in a nation that hallows personal choice is more important than ever. Pope John XXIII gave us an incisive description of the common good as “the sum total of conditions of social living, where persons are enabled more fully and readily to achieve their own perfection.”

In Faithful Citizenship the American Bishops remind us:

Politics in this election year and beyond should be about an old idea with new power – the common good. The central question should not be, “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” It should be, “How can ‘we’ – all of us, especially the weak and vulnerable – be better off in the years ahead? How can we protect and promote human life and dignity? How can we pursue greater justice and peace?”

The notion of the common good moves us beyond a “survival of the fittest” mentality, to greater sensitivity to the poor and vulnerable among us. Father Kenneth Himes writes, “each of us has an obligation to contribute to the common good so that human life can flourish, and no description of the common good can exclude concern for an individual, writing off some person or group as unworthy of our interests.” The value of the common good prefers dialogue, international consensus, and diplomacy as the preferred means of achieving international peace and economic and political stability at home and beyond our borders.

In making political choices this fall, it is good to keep the value of the common good in mind. In that way, exaggerated notions of personal choice and freedom will be kept in check. The values inherent in the common good will help us support and embrace economic and social policies that support the widow and the orphan, the oppressed and the needy; and will help us to relieve their heavy burdens.

A PREFERENTIAL OPTION FOR THE POOR
The phrase “preferential option for the poor” is another way of saying walk a mile in the shoes of a poor person before selecting political candidates, parties, and policies. A preferential option for the poor encourages solidarity and identification with the least little ones in our community. This same value inspires us to see Christ in everyone and provide for them not from our surplus, but rather from our very substance. An option for the poor prompts us to live lives of charity and compassion. But it also inspires us to ask the more difficult question: What are the underlying causes that keep individuals and classes of people bound by poverty and injustice?

Indeed, we are facing a political season which promises to be both difficult and challenging. We are also entering a political process that can strengthen our society, relieve the plight of the poor and transform our culture through the light of the Gospel. This vision of Catholic social teaching and some of the values it contains offers the voter a lens through which to see society with an eye toward the unborn, the sick, the widow, the orphan, and the poor. Catholic social teaching flows from a rich tradition that sees the good and inherent worth in all, and seeks to build up conditions that support family life, human rights and religious freedom.

Therefore, I encourage you to become more familiar with our inheritance of Catholic social teaching. Read. Pray. Think critically. Let the light of the Gospel enlighten your choices and draw you closer to Christ, who is found in the lives of the least among us awaiting people of compassion, courage and conviction to set him free.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Rev. George L. Thomas
Bishop of Helena

For further reading see:

“Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility,” USCCB; www.usccb.org

“Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions,” USCCB; www.usccb.org

“The Lay Members of Christ’s Faithful People” Pauline Books and Media; www.pauline.org

“Responses to 101 Questions on Catholic Social Teaching” Father Kenneth Himes, OFM; Paulist Press; www.paulistpress.com

Published in The Montana Catholic, Vol. 20, No. 8, August 13, 2004.