Michael Brooks
Voting as a Catholic in the 2024 election can be a challenging and daunting experience. The Church teaches that Catholics should approach voting as a moral obligation and a virtue of responsible citizenship. Catholics are called to vote with a purpose: to promote the common good, protect human life and dignity, and build a more just and peaceful world. This involves studying the Church's social teachings and applying them to contemporary issues, allowing faith to inform voting decisions. While the Church does not tell Catholics whom to vote for, it provides a cohesive perspective on current issues, with abortion being a primary concern for Catholic voters. Catholics are encouraged to form their consciences according to the teachings of the Church, pray, and evaluate candidates and their policies through this lens.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Voting as a Catholic | To promote the common good and protect human life and dignity |
| Voting as a moral obligation | To build a "civilization of truth and love" |
| Voting with a well-formed conscience | To make wise judgments about the candidates and the issues |
| Voting with faith | To allow the truths of the faith to inform their voting decisions |
| Voting with prayer | To discern the will of God |
| Voting with prudence | To discern how to best vote |
| Voting with zeal | To embrace voting as part of Christian witness |
| Voting for the right candidate | To vote for the candidate deemed less likely to advance a morally flawed position and more likely to pursue other authentic goods |
| Voting against abortion | Abortion is intrinsically evil and cannot be morally justified |
| Voting against euthanasia | Physician-assisted suicide endangers human life |
| Voting for human rights | To defend human rights and dignity |
| Voting for human cloning | To oppose actions that violate human dignity and are destructive of life |
| Voting for the poor | To give priority to helping the poor, both materially and spiritually |
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What You'll Learn
Abortion and euthanasia
Abortion
The Catholic Church has long been one of the foremost opponents of legal abortion, teaching that human life is sacred "from conception to natural death" and that unborn children have a "right to life". The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Since the first century, the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable."
Many Catholic voters consider abortion to be the primary issue they should be concerned with during election seasons. However, Catholics are not unanimous in their opposition to abortion. While those who attend Mass regularly are among the strongest opponents of legal abortion, most Catholics who do not attend Mass weekly say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
Euthanasia
The Catholic Church also generally opposes euthanasia, or "assisted suicide". The Church believes that life is a gift from God and that human beings are made in God's image, and therefore, human life has intrinsic dignity and value. This means that suffering and pain do not negate the value of life and are not reasons for ending it. The Church teaches that each person should enter the dying process with trust in God and in solidarity with their fellow human beings, allowing themselves to be loved unconditionally.
The Church regards any law permitting euthanasia as an "intrinsically unjust law" and does not accept that human beings have a right to die. While the Church believes that it is not obligatory to ward off death at all costs, it maintains that people should not deliberately intervene to bring about death.
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Sex and gender
The Catholic Church's views on sex and gender have been the subject of intrigue and controversy throughout its history. The Church's teachings on these topics are derived from "natural law", canonical scripture, divine revelation, and sacred tradition.
Sexual Activity
The Catholic Church teaches that sexual activity is reserved for marriage, with sexual acts within marriage considered "noble and honourable" and meant to be enjoyed with "joy and gratitude". The Church considers sexual expression outside of marriage or the use of artificial contraception within marriage as grave sins. This includes masturbation, fornication, pornography, and homosexual practices. The Church has consistently opposed artificial methods of birth control, with the 1968 papal encyclical *Humanae vitae* reaffirming this stance. However, there are differing opinions among theologians and the laity on official teachings regarding sexuality.
Gender Roles
The Catholic Church has been criticised for its stance on gender roles, particularly regarding the ordination of women. The Church's position is that only men may be ordained, as the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus were all male. While some view this as discriminatory, the Church asserts that Jesus called women to different but equally important vocations in Church ministry. Official Church teaching considers women and men to be equal and complementary, with Pope Paul VI stating that the witness of women contributes greatly to nourishing the faith of Christian communities.
Gender Identity
The Catholic Church does not approve of the concept of gender identity, believing that gender and sex are connected and intrinsic to an individual's identity. The Church teaches that gender and sex are distinct but inseparable concepts, with Pope Francis stating that they can be distinguished but not separated. The Church rejects the idea that gender is multiple, fluid, changeable, or self-chosen, emphasising the importance of the body and its physical sex.
Historical Impact
The cultural influence of the Catholic Church has been significant, particularly in Western society. The introduction of Christian concepts by the Church has impacted societal views on sex and gender roles. For example, the Church's evangelisation efforts contributed to the end of practices such as human sacrifice, slavery, infanticide, and polygamy in various cultures, including the Roman Empire, Europe, and parts of Latin America and Africa.
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Candidates' personal morals
The Catholic Church teaches that voting is a moral obligation and a virtue of responsible citizenship. Catholics are called to vote with a purpose: to promote the common good and protect human life and dignity. This means that Catholics should vote for candidates whose policies align with their values and help build a more just and peaceful world.
When evaluating candidates, Catholics should consider their personal morals and whether they advocate for good moral policies. While no candidate is perfect, it is essential to assess their positions on issues that are important from a Catholic standpoint, such as abortion and the debate over sex and gender.
Catholics should also be mindful of candidates who support intrinsically evil acts, such as abortion, physician-assisted suicide, human cloning, and other actions that violate human dignity and are destructive of life. Voting for a candidate who holds positions contrary to fundamental moral goods can be justified if there is a grave reason, but Catholics have a duty to make their opposition to those positions known through various means.
In addition to evaluating candidates, Catholics are encouraged to form their consciences according to the teachings of the Church and to pray before voting. This involves spending time with Holy Scripture and the Blessed Sacrament, serving the poor and needy, and letting their faith inform their voting decisions.
Overall, Catholics should approach voting with the "mind of Christ," seeking to promote the common good and uphold the moral values taught by the Church.
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Prayer and Scripture
Catholics are encouraged to form their consciences according to the teachings of the Church, allowing their faith to guide their voting decisions. This involves studying Catholic social teachings, spending time in prayer, and reflecting on Scripture. By turning away from the noise of political discourse and social media, Catholics can listen in silence before the Blessed Sacrament, seeking guidance from God.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, publications like “A Catholic Approach to Voting,” and resources from organizations like the Michigan Catholic Conference provide guidance on researching candidates and faithful citizenship. Catholics are urged to pray for insight and prudence, letting their faith inform their political participation.
In the voting booth, Catholics have the opportunity to contribute to their nation and promote the common good by bringing their values and teachings to bear on societal issues. They should evaluate candidates and issues in light of their faith, considering the protection of human life and dignity as a fundamental priority.
Additionally, Catholics are called to be a light to the nation, allowing the truths of their faith to inform their voting decisions. This may involve challenging longstanding voting habits and partisan loyalties, as they seek to make wise judgments about candidates and issues through the lens of their religious beliefs.
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Protecting human life and dignity
As Catholics, we are called to vote with a purpose: to promote the common good and protect human life and dignity. This means spending time in prayer with Scripture and studying the principles of Catholic social teaching prior to voting.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a great place to start. Catholics should also be mindful that voting is not merely a civic duty, but a moral obligation. Voting with a well-formed conscience, one based on the teachings and values of the Church, is indeed part of living out a life of discipleship in Christ. Each election season, Catholics should be mindful that their vote can help improve the moral fabric of their communities, states, and the nation.
To that end, Catholics are invited to begin their approach to elections by forming their consciences according to the teachings of the Church. This means engaging with the full breadth of the teachings of the Church, which could challenge some individuals’ longstanding voting habits and even historic loyalty to a particular party. The magisterium of the Church provides a cohesive and consistent perspective on current issues, beginning with protecting human life and dignity, where political choices should be guided by faith, rather than by partisan stances.
The Church is very clear that abortion is the primary issue Catholic voters should be concerned with. While not the most popular topic in either conservative or liberal circles, the abortion issue gets to the very heart of the question: "If God has given us the gift of human life, then what does that require of us?" Closely related to abortion is the debate over sex and gender, which addresses another fundamental question about human nature—the difference between men and women.
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Frequently asked questions
Catholics are encouraged to vote with a purpose: to promote the common good and protect human life and dignity. The Church teaches that voting is a moral obligation and that Catholics should bring their principles and values to the ballot box.
Catholics should form their consciences according to the teachings of the Church, which include protecting human life and dignity. They should also pray for insight and guidance, and evaluate candidates in that light.
In this case, voters may decide to vote for the candidate deemed less likely to advance such morally flawed positions. Alternatively, they may take the extraordinary step of not voting for any candidate.
