Statement by the U.S. Catholic Bishops on Political Responsibility

U.S. Catholic Bishops on Political Responsibility

Elections are a time for debate and decisions on the leaders, policies, and values that will guide our nation. For the last five presidential elections, the Administrative Board of [the U.S.] Bishops' Conference has issued a statement on political responsibility to encourage broad participation in the electoral process, outline the role of the Church in public life, and raise the moral and human dimensions of key issues for discussion in the coming campaigns.

We update and reissue this statement, convinced that the 1996 elections will be a time for important choices for our nation. American public life is too often overshadowed by widespread public cynicism and frustration. Many citizens simply don't vote. Many Americans seem disinterested or disenchanted with politics. This alienation is a dangerous trend, threatening to undermine our democratic traditions. . . .

Public life should be a place of civil debate and broad participation. However, many people see politics as part of the problem, not part of the solution. . . . Too much of our public life reflects our fears more than our hopes, dividing us by age, race, region, and class. Too often the voices that set the agenda of public life are not those who seek the common good, but those who seek to divide us. The politics of money and polarization may help fund raising and ratings, but it is a bad way to build community. . . .

To listen to some, our nation is in trouble because of too many immigrants and welfare mothers, not enough birth control, abortions, prisons, and executions; and too much foreign aid and affirmative action. Our problems are more fundamental. They cannot be blamed on the people who are poor and powerless. The "rich and famous" and the rest of us have at least as much responsibility as the "least among us."

These political trends diminish genuine public debate and increase cynicism, feeding frustration that "politics as usual" responds to the elite and powerful constituencies more than ordinary citizens and the common good. We share these concerns not to cast blame, but to advance and strengthen our democracy. Public service is both a vocation and a public trust. . . . We need more, not less public legislative networks, and community organizations, which give important vitality and substance to public life.

As the nation prepares for the 1996 elections, we need to examine our own political behavior and take steps to build public confidence and participation in the political process. . . . [A]s citizens, we need to face our own public responsibilities: to register and vote; to understand issues and assess candidates' positions and qualifications; and to join with others in advocating for the common good. . . .

The key to a renewal of public life is reorienting politics to reflect better the search for the common good (i.e., reconciling diverse interests for the well-being of the whole human family) and a clear commitment to the dignity of every person. . . . American political life must refocus on the search for the common good over the pursuit of partisan advantage, private gain, or special interest agendas. . . . The common good is shaped by the moral convictions, personal virtue, and active commitment of every person. The renewal of democracy is not simply a task for others, but for each of us. It is the traditional virtue of citizenship that will renew American democracy. In bringing the virtues and values we seek to uphold in our personal lives into the public arena, we strengthen public life and build a better society. . . .

The religious community has important responsibilities in political life. We believe our nation is enriched and our traditions of pluralism enhanced when religious groups join with others in the debate over the politics and vision that ought to guide our nation. Our Constitution protects the right of religious bodies to speak out without governmental interference, endorsement, or sanction. Religious groups should expect neither favoritism nor discrimination in their public roles. The national debate is not enhanced by ignoring or ruling out the contributions of citizens because their convictions are grounded in religious belief. . . .

As leaders of the Catholic community, we join these debates to share our experience in serving the poor and vulnerable and to add our values to the national dialogue over our nation's future. What we seek is not a religious interest group, but a community of conscience within the larger society, testing public life on these central values. . . . Our call to political responsibility is neither a partisan nor a sectarian appeal, but a call to reinvigorate the democratic process as a place for debate about what kind of society we want to be, about what values and priorities should guide our nation.

This kind of political responsibility does not involve religious leaders telling people how to vote or religious tests for candidates. These would be, in our view, pastorally inappropriate, theologically unsound, and politically unwise. Rather, we seek to lift up the moral and human dimensions of public issues for our own community and for the broader society. We encourage people to use their voices to enrich the democratic life of our our nation and to act on their values in the political arena. We hope American Catholics, as both believers and citizens, will use the resources of our faith and the opportunities of this democracy to help shape a society more respectful of the life, dignity, and rights of the human person, especially the poor and vulnerable. . . .

Our community of faith does not rely on focus groups or polls to chart our directions; we advocate a consistent commitment to the human person. We draw our principles from Catholic teaching and tradition, not partisan platforms or ideological agendas. We stand with the unborn and the undocumented when many politicians seem to be abandoning them. We defend children in the womb and on welfare. We oppose the violence of abortion and the vengeance of capital punishment. We oppose assault weapons on our streets and condoms in our schools. Our agenda is sometimes counter-cultural, but it reflects our consistent concern for human life. . . .

The Catholic community educates the young, cares for the sick, shelters the homeless, feeds the hungry, assists needy families, welcomes refugees, and serves the elderly. People who are poor and vulnerable, the elderly, and immigrants are not abstract issues for us. They are in our parishes and schools, our shelters and soup kitchens, our hospitals and charitable agencies. . . . Our task is to bring together our values, experience, and community in an effective public witness. Catholics need to share our values, raise our voices, and use our votes to shape a society more respectful of human life, human dignity, and human rights. . . .

This view of the Church's ministry and mission requires the Church to relate positively to the political order, since social injustice and the denial of human rights can often be remedied only through government action. . . . In addition, it is the Church's role as a community of faith to call attention to the moral and religious dimension of secular issues, to keep alive the values of the Gospel as a norm for social and political life, and to point out the demands of the Christian faith for a just transformation of society. . . . Drawing on their own experience and exercising their distinctive roles with the Christian community, bishops, clergy, religious, and laity should join together in common witness and effective action to bring about the Church's vision of a well-ordered society based on truth, justice, charity, and freedom. . . .

A proper understanding of the role of the Church will not confuse its mission with that of government but, rather, see its ministry as advocating the critical values of human rights and social justice. . . . Christians believe the gospel is the measure of human realities. However, specific political proposals do not in themselves constitute the Gospel. . . . We bishops specifically do not seek the formation of a religious voting bloc; nor do we wish to instruct persons on how they should vote by endorsing or opposing candidates. . . . We hope that voters will examine the positions of candidates on the full range of issues, as well as their personal integrity, philosophy, and performance. . . .

In summary, we believe that the Church has a proper role and responsibility in public affairs flowing from its gospel mandate and its respect for the dignity of the human person. . . . We urge all citizens to use their franchise by registering to vote and going to the polls. We encourage them to get information from the campaigns as well as from media coverage of those campaigns and to take stands on the candidates and the issues. . . . We urge each person to become involved in the campaign or party of their choice, to learn about the issues, and to inform their conscience.

We urge Christians to provide courageous leadership in promoting a spirit of responsible political involvement and a commitment to the common good. In the elections of 1996, we urge our fellow believers to proclaim the "Gospel of life," to protect "the least among us," and to pursue the common good.