Church and State (Part IV of VI)

09-08-2024Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Our Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms the Gospel of Life recognizing that the right to life of every innocent human being is a fundamental component of a civil society and its legislation. (CCC, 2273). All Catholics are called by God to be prolife both personally and publicly. Faithful Catholics recognize the right to life for all human beings from the moment of conception to natural death. Knowing that human life is to be protected and cherished, informed and faithful Catholics have a responsibility to elect and support politicians who promote laws that protect life. Voting for prolife candidates a vital part of being a Catholic and an authentic disciple of Our Lord Jesus.

The Sacred Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in January 2003 underlines Pope John Paul II’s teachings which reflects the consistent doctrine of the Church, that “those who are directly involved in lawmaking bodies have a grave and clear obligation to oppose any law that attacks human life. For them, as for every Catholic, it is impossible to promote such laws or to vote” for those who oppose everyone’s right to life. A practicing Catholic accepts and promotes natural and Divine Law regarding the dignity of all human life because every human being is created in the image and likeness of God. When a Catholic fails to accept and promote the dignity of life, especially the unborn child’s right to life, they are committing a grave public sin which causes scandal the faithful.

Pope Francis, during a Wednesday general audience at St. Peter’s square communicated that “we experience our own weakness and our limits. We all have them. We are all sinners. None of us can say: “I’m not a sinner”. If someone among us feels that he is not a sinner, raise your hand. We all are. And this weakness, these limitations, these sins of ours... it is right that they stir great sorrow in us, especially when we set a bad example and we notice we have to become a source of scandal. How many times have we heard in the neighborhood: “That person there is always going to Church but he/she slanders everyone...”. This is not Christian, it is a bad example: it is a sin. And this is how we set a bad example: “and, in short, if this or that person is a Christian, then I shall become an atheist”. Our witness is to make others understand what it means to be Christian. Let us ask not be a source of scandal. Let us ask for the gift of faith, so that we can understand how, despite our smallness and our poverty, the Lord has made us a true vehicle of grace and a visible sign of his love for all humanity. We can become a cause of scandal, yes. But we can also become a cause of witness, by saying with our life what Jesus wants of us” (General Audience in St Peter's Square on Wednesday, 29 October 2014).

In making these decisions in the ballot box, it is essential for Catholics to be guided by a well-formed conscience that recognizes that all issues do not carry the same moral weight. Faithful Catholics have a moral obligation to oppose policies promoting intrinsically evil acts. When deciding on who to vote for, faithful Catholics consider the candidate's commitments, character, integrity, and ability to influence a given issue especially issues concerning each person’s right to life. In the end, the decision about who to vote for is guided by a conscience formed by Catholic moral teaching.

To underscore the importance of being prolife, the Church has clear guidelines about who can and who cannot receive Holy Communion. The Church teaches that any Catholic, politician or not, who votes for and promotes laws or fund bills that promote abortion should not receive Our Lord in Holy Communion. Receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion requires that one be in a state of grace and not conscious of having committed a grave sin. Honest questions regarding life issues need to be asked and answered with prayerful consideration. Questions such as: Am I in full communion with the Catholic Church? Do I uphold and defend the dignity of human life especially the unborn and the elderly?

The practice of indiscriminately presenting oneself to receive Holy Communion, merely as a consequence of being present at Mass, is an abuse that must be corrected. (Redemptionis Sacramentum, nos. 81, 83). Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (the future Pope Benedict XVI) said in 2004: “Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia, when a person’s formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.”

Fr. Don Kline
Pastor