Election: November 2, 2010

Dear Friends in Christ,

The General Election is coming soon, November 2. The Catechism of the Catholic Church: “Co-responsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory to pay taxes, to exercise the right to vote, and to defend one’s country” (#2240). Voting is both a right and a duty. We have these rights because ours is a government of the people. We have a duty to assist in the governing process by electing public servants who will be responsible for our common good.

What should a Catholic (or any morally upright person) look for in choosing a candidate for public office? There are five modern moral issues that are non-negotiable. How a candidate stands on these issues should indicate whether he/she is worthy of our vote. These issues are: Abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, and gay marriage. In short, a candidate who opposes all of the above has a true moral sense and deserves our serious consideration. Let’s look at each one as it affects society as a whole.

Abortion kills future citizens and threatens the stability of society because the strength of a society is measured on how it treats its weakest members. Pope John Paul II said in Christifideles Laici:

If, indeed, everyone has the mission and responsibility of acknowledging the personal dignity of every human being and of defending the right to life, some lay faithful are given a particular title to this task: such as parents, teachers, healthworkers and the many who hold economic and political power.(no. 38).

Euthanasia is an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering. It is morally unacceptable and must always be forbidden (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2277). Here again are the words of John Paul II: "All offences against life itself, such as every kind of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia..all these and the like are certainly criminal: they poison human society (Christifideles, no. 38). Production of human embryos in order to harvest stem cells is immoral because the embryos are destroyed in this process. The same is true for human cloning which is being promoted so that the clone’s organs can be removed to replace diseased organs. This amounts to having a “twin” for spare parts. Such bio-technologies usher in a brave new world completely removed from the moral order.

Finally, recognizing same sex unions as “marriage” is to redefine marriage by removing the essential element of the procreation of children. Such unions are harmful to the proper development of human society. As we enter the voting booth November 2 let us do so as responsible, well-informed citizens. Pick up a copy of our Voters Guide and above all pray for our public servants that moral values and the common good may guide them in all their decisions.

Fr. Hildebrand