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Socio-Political Issues
A Catholic's Choice in this Election
Gary Morella
A September 2, 2004, article posted by the Post-Dispatch reports:
“Archbishop Raymond Burke is giving St. Louis Catholics a way to vote for politicians who support abortion rights without committing a grave sin or having to go to confession. …
“Burke now says there is one scenario in which a Catholic could vote for a politician who supports abortion rights without committing a grave sin. In that scenario, a Catholic who personally opposes abortion rights, votes for a candidate who supports abortion rights ‘for what are called proportionate reasons,’ he said.”
The problem with proportional reasons arguments is that it is never made clear that they are not the traditional teaching of the Church. You won’t find such arguments in Casti connubii, for example. Nor will you ever find Jesus Christ teaching the "lesser of two evils." What you do find Christ teaching is that the gate to Heaven is narrow in comparison to the wide gate to Hell! What needs to be said is that while today Catholics are forced into making such choices, they must never lose sight of the fact that Christ taught that one should look to the perfect ideal. Even if it is not realizable in this fallen world, it is something that still must be strived for. The idea is to work so that such proportional-reasons arguments are not necessary, rather than encourage them. How is Roe vs. Wade ever going to be overturned if the devil is given such an out, e.g., baby killing is OK in cases of rape or incest, which is a lie!
U.S. News & World Report, May 10, 2004 |
For me, first as a Catholic, and second, as an American who is a Vietnam Era Navy Veteran, there is no choice in this election. I would like to have a viable electable third party, but such does not exist. Thus, I must work to educate the party which has demonstrably at least shown an inclination to listen to the teachings of Holy Mother Church, and taken definitive positive action on that knowledge, as reported by various Catholic News sources, in comparison to the party of the devil. That education will not take place if I tell them that the Church teaches that there are acceptable proportional reasons for cooperating in material evil. Catholics, first and foremost, have an obligation to vote their informed consciences in regard to the hot button issues, for which there is no discussion, i.e., against the direct facilitators of intrinsically moral evil acts, who make no apologies for doing so and even go to the blasphemous extent of calling themselves "Catholic" in the process.
There is one major party, at least, that recognizes that there is such a thing as intrinsic moral evils, and has initiated action against the same. It needs to be continuously encouraged to do more along these lines in accord with the teachings of Christ and His Church founded upon the Rock that is Peter. Yes, it has a long way to go, but the alternative is a party that shamelessly promotes intrinsic moral evils, including the contraceptive mentality of the age that has spawned the moral aberrations we are currently witnessing - aberrations which have been prophesied as a function of ignoring Catholic moral teaching. The difference is striking!
Posted September 24, 2004
Related Articles of Interest:
The Vatican Pulls a Kerry - Flip-flops on Heretical Politicians
Bishop Pilla on Communion to Pro-abortion Politicians
The Confused “Clear Teaching” of the Bishops
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