USCCB official speaks about ‘Faithful Citizenship’ |
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Written by ANGELA KESSLER, Chronicle Editor
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Friday, 24 October 2008 08:52 |
FOSTORIA—An executive from the United States Council of Catholic Bishops recently made a stop in the Diocese of Toledo to discuss faithful citizenship.
John Carr, executive director of human development, justice and peace for the bishops, discussed what it means to be a faithful citizen both now, as we decide how to cast our ballots, and after the election.
The basis for the presentation was to discuss the bishops’ document, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.” The in-depth presentation beyond the document, included thoughts on our society as a whole and why the bishops are emphasizing the importance of making thoughtful, informed decisions during this election. Mr. Carr also challenged Catholics to become more involved even after Nov. 4.
“In some ways I think the most counter-cultural, the most challenging thing our church teaches is not that all life is sacred, it is not that the poor ought to come first, it is not that war ought to be a last resort (although all those things are challenging), [it] is that politics is a good thing, that participation in public life is a moral obligation and a part of being a Catholic Christian,” Mr. Carr said.
In addition, he said, the “Faithful Citizenship” document is a tool the bishops have created to guide voters in forming their consciences before walking into the voting booth. It is not the church telling Catholics how to vote, he said, adding voting is also not about the religious practices of the candidates.
“It’s not about how they talk about their faith, whether they sing in the choir or whether they’ve been born again,” Mr. Carr emphasized. “Secondly, it’s not about the political clout of religious groups.”
Instead, he said, it is making political decisions to bring about justice. This is a clear teaching of the church, Mr. Carr said, quoting what Pope Benedict XVI stated in his encyclical Deus Caritas Est: “…the Church wishes to help form consciences in political life and to stimulate greater insight into the authentic requirements of justice as well as greater readiness to act accordingly, even when this might involve conflict with situations of personal interest.”
To begin to look at the issues, Mr. Carr offered his view of our society and church. As a nation, he believes we are still wounded from the 9/11 attacks; that whatever any individual thought about going into war, very few thought it would be this difficult; and nine of 10 people think our country is moving in the wrong direction. In addition, he said, the failing economy is pulling us apart and we live in a fractured world as evidenced by recent moves by Russia and the limited rights of people living in oppressed countries.
As a church, we are also challenged, he said. Besides the challenge of passing along our faith to the next generation and overcoming the sex abuse scandals, Mr. Carr said we are challenged with the intense polarization of our political life.
“I think some of that is showing up in our church: where people’s political convictions sort of affect how we treat each other in church,” Mr. Carr said. “I ask, does your faith shape your politics, or is it the other way around? Are we trying to make a political point or are we trying to live out our faith?”
Add to that, a society that has morally lost its way, and it becomes clear the need to make an informed, conscientious decision when filling out a ballot, he said.
“Our most fundamental problems are not just economic or political; they are moral, they are ethical, they are even spiritual,” he said. “This is not just about party or interest. This is about life and death. This is about war and peace. This is about who goes to heaven and who gets left behind,” Mr. Carr said. “So, our bishops have called us for a renewed kind of politics that focuses more on moral principles than the latest polls, focuses more on the needs of the weak than the benefits of the strong and more on the pursuit of the common good than the demands of narrow interests.”
To address these problems in the political realm, Mr. Carr suggested thinking about issues with what he calls the Catholic “and.” Based on Catholic social teaching, he said, faithful citizens should think about human life and dignity, human rights and responsibilities, family and community, priority for the poor and the vulnerable, the dignity of work and the rights of the worker, solidarity and subsidiarity, care for the planet and for the poorest people on the planet. The common good, he adds, is all of these “ands” put together.
The Catholic “but,” he continued, teaches all life is sacred, but not all issues are equal.
“A million abortions are not the same as a cut in the food stamp program, although we work on both. The culture of life begins with the protection of unborn children, but it doesn’t end there,” he emphasized.
“All these ideas, all these principles lead us to a different set of questions. It’s not just are you better off now than you were eight years ago,” he said. Instead, the questions should be: Are the unborn protected? Are the poor lifted up?
“Even after the last few weeks, it’s not just the economy. It’s not who’s ready on day one. It’s not who picks up the phone at 3 a.m. It’s not who’s the maverick. It’s not who can bring the most change,” Mr. Carr insisted. “It’s life and death. It’s war and peace. It’s what kind of society, what kind of world, will we leave our children?”
In the Faithful Citizenship document, the bishops lay out foundations, duties and temptations all Catholics need to keep in mind as they decide on how to cast their ballot and otherwise involve themselves in politics, he said.
The two foundations of the bishops’ document are to develop a more well-formed conscience and to act with prudence. Both of these foundations ask us to do the hard thing, not the easy thing, Mr. Carr said. Prudence adds the task of applying important principles to concrete situations to make the right judgment.
Our duties, he said, are to resist and oppose what is intrinsically evil and to pursue what is right.
“We can never be a part of the destruction of innocent humans and the unborn. We cannot support genocide or torture or racism,” he said.
Additionally, we must be cautious as we approach and think about the issues.
“Sometimes we think if we get the things that are fundamental right, we don’t have to worry about anything else,” Mr Carr added. “But caring for the weak, making sure kids have health care working for a world where children do not die of hunger — those are not optional concerns for Catholics. Those are not just political opinions.”
As Catholics, the bishops call us to be responsible citizens. Mr. Carr said this means all Catholics should be registered to vote, all Catholics should be voting in every election and more Catholics should be running for office.
“I think in some ways what we have to think about is: this is the work of the lifetime,” Mr. Carr said. “In the end I think what we’re about is changing the culture, changing the way we think about human life and dignity.
“It’s important to remind ourselves that politics is more than what happens in that voting booth,” he added. “It’s about what happens all the time.”
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Last Updated on Monday, 22 December 2008 11:09 |
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