Where Justice and Truth Meet – August, 2024 – Prepare to Vote

In a sense, November 5 is just around the corner. We have the privilege and responsibility to vote, to take part in our nation’s political and public life. In 2024, we exercise that privilege and responsibility in a time of polarization, fear, and often the inability to have honest, constructive conversations.

As we listen to the US Catholic Bishops naming abortion as the preeminent priority, we also lift up the words of Pope Francis from his 2013 encyclical The Joy of the Gospel:

“Our defense of the innocent unborn,
for example, needs to be clear, firm
and passionate, for at stake is the
dignity of a human life, which is
always sacred…. Equally sacred,
however, are the lives of the poor,
those already born, the destitute, the
abandoned and the underprivileged,
the vulnerable infirm and elderly
exposed to covert euthanasia, the
victims of human trafficking, new
forms of slavery, and every form of
rejection."

In our voting deliberations, we look to the twin foundations of Catholic social doctrine – human dignity and the common good.

How to do this with a multiplicity of issues affecting human dignity and the common good is challenging.

Discerning whom to vote for needs to go beyond looking at a single issue. The bishops write in Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship:

“As Catholics we are not single-issue
voters. A candidate’s position on a
single issue is not sufficient to
guarantee a voter’s support.”

Voting on a single issue allows a multitude of social sins to continue unchecked.

As we cast our votes, the principles of Catholic Social Tradition below can guide us in our decisions about these relevant issues of our time.

o Health Care as a basic right
o Climate Justice for our common home
o Immigration - being a welcoming community
o Racism and dignity for all
o Economic Justice - an inclusive economy
o Violence & Safe Communities
o Democracy – right and responsibility