Catholic Bishops of Pennsylvania Issue Strong Statement on the Elections
Posted by Eric Scheidler (November 1, 2012 at 12:39 pm)
Today, drawing on the themes of today’s Feast of All Saints, the Roman Catholic bishops of Pennsylvania issued a strong statement on the duty of Catholics to bring the traditions of their faith to bear when they go to the polls next week. In recent weeks, Pennsylvania has emerged as a battleground state in presidential election.
Here’s an excerpt:
Today it is no longer the case, as it was for our country’s Founders, that religion can provide a shared moral framework and vocabulary for a pluralistic democracy. In fact, Americans would do well to realize that many of our country’s leading thinkers in law, higher education, and the social sciences simply no longer believe in the idea of inalienable natural rights guaranteed by a Creator higher than the State—one of the cornerstone principles of the American experiment.
This has serious implications because many of our most urgent political issues—ranging from the economy, immigration, and abortion to global security—raise profoundly moral questions. These questions cannot be resolved without a common understanding of right and wrong. Consider today’s aggressive efforts to redefine the nature of marriage, to exclude parental authority in the choice of the best education for their children, and to force Catholic healthcare and social services to end their ministries unless they violate their religious identities through mandated support of practices contrary to the very sanctity of human life.
Religious liberty itself—”our first, most cherished freedom”—is no longer secure. At first glance, this may seem otherwise because religious freedom is so deeply ingrained in our national history. But democracy has no special immunity to losing its soul by little steps.
Read the whole thing, and then share it with your friends and family in Pennsylvania and other battleground states where heeding the bishops’ call could make a difference on Election Day.