Abp Wenski: Voting responsibly a right and a duty

(Vatican Radio) With US Presidential elections less than three weeks away, the nation’s Catholic Bishops have been speaking out on the duty of Catholics, and of all citizens, to vote responsibly.

In a letter read in all the parishes of his Archdiocese, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski explained the Catholic position.

“As we approach a very important general election, I remind those of you who are citizens of this great nation and eligible to vote that voting is not only your right; it is your duty.” Voting responsibly, Archbishop Wenski says, “is one way to promote the common good of our brethren in society.”

Although Bishops and priests will not tell people who they should vote for, Archbishop Wenski says Pastors have a responsibility to offer guidance to their people who are trying to understand the complex moral issues that underline candidates’ public policy positions.

Legislation on abortion and religious liberty are on the ballot in the state of Florida, and Archbishop Wenski notes that the state’s bishops are encouraging their people to support these initiatives. One proposed amendment would “enable the legislature to restore rights of parents and prohibit public funding of abortion,” while the other would “protect faith-based groups’ freedom to serve” the common good in Florida. The states’ bishops are urging a “yes” vote on both measures.

Archbishop Wenski says that, in order to be faithful to the truth about human person, “we must oppose uncompromisingly policies and laws that undermine the common good precisely because they originate in a defective understanding of the human person. For this reason, the Church – clergy and laity – while agreeing to disagree on other matters of prudential judgment cannot but oppose the evils of abortion, euthanasia, fetal stem cell research, human cloning and so-called same sex ‘marriage.’ In these areas, there can be no other legitimate Catholic position.”

Archbishop Wenski concluded his letter with an appeal to Catholics: “Whether you can vote or not, I ask you to pray; and if you are eligible to vote, then I ask you to do so with an informed conscience.”

Americans go to the polls next month to vote in national and local elections.

Listen to Christopher Wells’ report: