After some conversation in Kurzweg today with a student who is uncertain about who to vote for in November, I looked up an article by my old Denver Archbishop, Charles Chaput, who I admire as one of the most Fatherly and on-target Bishops in the U.S. He recently wrote an article in the Denver Catholic Register entitled 10 Points for Catholic Citizens to Remember. I suggest you read the whole thing if you have a minute. It's not very long and it brings up some good points when thinking about who to vote for in this upcoming Presidential election. I've posted his final 3 'Points' here because they are of special interest. Can a Catholic in good conscience support a 'pro-choice' candidate? Arch-Bishop Chaput or as my students in Denver liked to call him, ABC, says that Catholics can indeed support a pro-choice candidate if they have a proportionate reason to justify it. Personally I say even if that is 'technically' a possibility it's about as likely as justifying the use of the death penalty in the U.S. by saying we have no sufficient way of detaining the prisoners, but thats an issue we can save for another day. What is a proportionate reason? Read his definition and then tell me if you can think of one. I sure can't.
8. So can a Catholic in good conscience support a “pro-choice” candidate? The answer is: I can’t and I won’t. But I do know some serious Catholics — people whom I admire — who will. I think their reasoning is mistaken. But at the very least they do sincerely struggle with the abortion issue, and it causes them real pain. And even more importantly: They don’t keep quiet about it; they don’t give up their efforts to end permissive abortion; they keep lobbying their party and their elected representatives to change their pro-abortion views and protect the unborn. Catholics can support “pro-choice” candidates if they support them despite — not because of — their “pro-choice” views. But they also need a compelling proportionate reason to justify it.
9. What is a “proportionate” reason when it comes to the abortion issue? It’s the kind of reason we will be able to explain, with a clean heart, to the victims of abortion when we meet them face to face in the next life — which we most certainly will. If we’re confident that these victims will accept our motives as something more than an alibi, then we can proceed.
10. Lastly, the heart of truly “faithful” citizenship is this: We’re better citizens when we’re more faithful Catholics. The more authentically Catholic we are in our lives, choices, actions and convictions, the more truly we will contribute to the moral and political life of our nation.
Whatcha think?
