October 24, 2004

Patriotism is related to the virtue of piety, which is reverence for one's ancestors and the truths of one's inheritance. Civil duties, including voting, are binding on the Christian. In his history of the popes, von Ranke points out that the distinction between sacred and secular powers was a unique insight of Christianity. The separation of the Church from the State was intended to free religion from the civil power. This does not mean that the Christian is not to be involved in the life of the state nor does it mean that the state is to be run without obedience to God. In the encyclical Immortale Dei, Pope Leo XIII said that rulers must set God before them as "their exemplar and law in the administration of the State.”

As Election Day approaches, we must reject any facetious concept of "respecting" the laws of God without obeying them. And we must not let a lot of secondary, or prudential issues, be insinuated into the national debate as a smokescreen for violating essential moral norms. While there is latitude for different conscientious positions on war, immigration, capital punishment, tax structures and the like, there are five issues in this election which are non-negotiable and the faithful Catholic must not vote to support them: abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, and homosexual “marriage”.

As times change, so do the platforms of political parties. It may be difficult to change voting patterns when one has long been a member of a political party. Conscience demands that principles take precedent over custom. Too many Catholics have been guided by habit instead of piety. It is a sin to cooperate materially or formally with the promotion of intrinsically evil acts in the public forum. Material cooperation would include voting for any candidate who defends abortion and related offences against human life. Formal cooperation is worse: deliberately voting for such individuals because they take that position. This is not an instruction in whom to vote for. It is an instruction in how to vote according to a formed conscience. If we offend these truths we eat and drink the Holy Eucharist to our own condemnation (1Cor 11:29-30). If a politician promotes or defends a political party's platform that violates essential moral norms while boasting that he is a Catholic, and that he once was an altar boy, or some other such fatuity, he brings a grave judgment on himself. The bishops have issued a check-off list of the positions of the major presidential candidates. Without endorsing any particular candidate, they indicate that President Bush is consistent with the Church's moral teaching on the five basic issues, while Senator Kerry is not. Consequently, Senator Kerry is the first presidential candidate officially to be endorsed by Planned Parenthood. It is the duty of every pastor to advise the faithful of these facts.

Fr. George W. Rutler