Politics, Inseparable from Morality
By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Herald Columnist
(From the issue of 1/25/07)
This Monday, Jan. 29, together with the Virginia Catholic
Conference and Richmond Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo, I invite the faithful
of our diocese to attend Catholic Advocacy Day at the Virginia General
Assembly in Richmond.
The gathering will be held at St. Peter’s Catholic Church and Capitol
Square from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This is a timely opportunity for the
faithful to gather together, visit with state legislators and address
issues on the upcoming legislative agenda, such as abortion, embryonic
stem cell research, the death penalty, the minimum wage, assistance for
private school students, justice for immigrants and economic justice.
The day will begin with a prayer and welcome, followed by issue briefings
at St. Peter’s Church. We will then have the opportunity to visit
with legislators, followed by a closing prayer.
For some, there is the belief that being religious and participating in
the political process cannot coexist. I would like you to consider, though,
that just as it is our civic duty to vote in elections, so too it is our
moral obligation to defend the teachings we hold close to our hearts.
The Virginia Catholic Conference has highlighted priorities to be discussed
at this year’s Virginia General Assembly, which began on Jan. 10.
The categories include many topics relating to the dignity of human life
— respect life issues, health and social concerns, education and
family life issues. I encourage you to learn more and see how you might
participate.
In an instructive teaching document on faithful citizenship, the Vatican’s
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith writes, “It is commendable
that in today’s democratic societies, in a climate of true freedom,
everyone is made a participant in directing the body politic….Indeed,
all can contribute, by voting in elections for lawmakers and government
officials, and in other ways as well, to the development of political
solutions and legislative choices which, in their opinion, will benefit
the common good” (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Doctrinal
Note on Some Questions Regarding The Participation of Catholics in Political
Life).
In a recent address to Canadian bishops, Pope Benedict XVI echoed these
thoughts: “In your discussions with politicians and civic leaders
I encourage you to demonstrate that our Christian faith, far from being
an impediment to dialogue, is a bridge, precisely because it brings together
reason and culture” (Ad Limina Address to the Bishops of the Episcopal
Conference of Canada-Ontario).
Truly, I believe that we can come together as Catholics and also as Virginians
in faithful citizenship.
I encourage you to look also to our diocesan patron, St. Thomas More,
declared by Pope John Paul II to be the patron of statesmen and politicians,
who “taught by his life and death that man cannot be separated from
God, nor politics from morality,” (Some Questions Regarding the
Participation of Catholics in Political Life, 3).
I am grateful for your prayers and support of the sanctity of human life.
In a time when moral values are challenged daily, our commitment to living
the Gospel of life becomes all the more fundamental.
For more information on Catholic Advocacy Day, including the Virginia
Catholic
Copyright (c) 2007 Arlington Catholic
Herald
