The
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved revisions to "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship" on political responsibility during their recent
meeting in Baltimore. The updates in the document “take account of recent developments in the
United States in both domestic and foreign policy” including “the ongoing
destruction of over one million innocent human lives each year by abortion” and
physician-assisted suicide.
The
bishops warn against “intrinsically evil” actions which must always “be
rejected and opposed and must never be supported or condoned.” Abortion and euthanasia are listed as prime
examples because they “have become
preeminent threats to human dignity because they directly attack life itself,
the most fundamental human good and the condition for all others”. Human
cloning and destructive research on human embryos, and “other acts that
directly violate the sanctity and dignity of human life”, are also
intrinsically evil and “must always be opposed”.
The bishops warn that it “is a mistake with grave moral consequences
to treat the destruction of innocent human life merely as a matter of
individual choice. A legal system that violates the basic right to life on the
grounds of choice is fundamentally flawed.”
Catholics are called “to make practical
judgments regarding good and evil choices in the political arena” and the bishops
warn that the taking of innocent life in abortion cannot be equated as “just
one issue among many” and must always be opposed.
They
advise that when voting, “It is essential
for Catholics to be guided by a well-formed conscience that recognizes that all
issues do not carry the same moral weight and that the moral obligation to
oppose policies promoting intrinsically evil acts has a special claim on our
consciences and our actions. These decisions should take into account a
candidate’s commitments, character, integrity, and ability to influence a given
issue. In the end, this is a decision to be made by each Catholic guided by a
conscience formed by Catholic moral teaching.”
Catholics
serving in elected office are called to have “a heroic commitment” and “must commit themselves to the pursuit of the
virtues, especially courage, justice, temperance, and prudence. The culmination
of these virtues is the strong public promotion of the dignity of every human
person as made in the image of God in accord with the teachings of the Church,
even when it conflicts with current public opinion. Catholic politicians and
legislators must recognize their grave responsibility in society to support
laws shaped by these fundamental human values and oppose laws and policies that
violate life and dignity at any stage from conception to natural death.”
Opposing
evil should also “open our eyes to the good we must do, that is, to our
positive duty to contribute to the common good and to act in solidarity with
those in need.”
Faithful
Citizenship explains the USCCB’s position that it “supports laws and policies to protect human life to the maximum degree
possible, including constitutional protection for the unborn and legislative
efforts to end abortion, assisted suicide, and euthanasia. We also promote a
culture of life by supporting laws and programs that encourage childbirth and
adoption over abortion and by addressing poverty, providing health care, and
offering other assistance to pregnant women, children, and families.”
The
bishops call for greater assistance for the sick and dying stating, “The end of life is a holy moment, a moment
that marks a preparation for life with God, and it is to be treated with
reverence and accompaniment. The end of life is as sacred as the beginning of
life and requires treatment that honors the true dignity of the human person as
created in the image of the living God. We recognize that addressing this
complex issue effectively will require collaborative efforts between the public
and private sectors and across party lines.”
The
document ends with the section, Goals for Political Life: Challenges for
Citizens, Candidates, and Public Officials, and a list of ten policy goals which the bishops offer in the hope that it will “guide Catholics
as they form their consciences and reflect on the moral dimensions of their
public choices.” The ten issues
“address matters of different moral weight and urgency”, some involve
intrinsically evil acts, which can never be approved while others “involve affirmative obligations to
seek the common good.”