by Bishop James Conley
This past November, I was invited by Bishop Kevin Rhoades of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend in Indiana, to serve as a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Standing Committee for Relgious Liberty. This is an honor and a privilege that I take very seriously. The freedom of religion goes to very heart of what it means to be a human person. We are created in the image and likeness of God, and therefore we possess an inherent sanctity and dignity unlike all other creatures. We also have an innate desire and duty to live out this dignity in the public way.
The United States was founded on certain basic freedoms of the human person and among these freedoms is the freedom of religion. In fact, the very first amendment to the Constitution of the United States, adopted in 1791, specifically defended the free exercise of religion. This first amendment was championed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. The freedom of religion, sometimes expressed as “religious liberty,” is now universally considered to be a fundamental human right. Freedom of relgion is protected in all the most important international human rights conventions and civilized governments.
This first amendment to the Constitution, the first of the Bill of Rights, is considered the “most sacred” of all the freedoms upon which this country was founded. We know that our forefathers and foremothers came to this country as immigrants so that they could freely worship the one true God. Many of our ancestors were fleeing countries which did not respect many freedoms, particularly the freedom of religion.
The USCCB Committee for Religious Liberty “seeks to strengthen and sustain religious freedom by assisting US Bishops, individually and collectively, to teach about religious freedom to the faithful and the broader public, and to promote and defend religious freedom in law and policy.”
The new introductory note to the US Bishops’ teaching document entitled “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” reminds us that “As Catholics and Americans, we are blessed to be able to participate in our nation’s political and public life. Our freedoms respect the dignity of individuals and their consicences and allow us to come together for the common good. Election seasons, therefore, should contain a sense of gratitude and hope…. But increasingly, it seems, election seasons are a time of anxiety and spiritual trial. Political rhetoric is increasingly angry, seeking to motivate primarily through division and hatred. Fear can be an effective tool for raising money. The most heated arguments online often get the most clicks. Demonizing the other can win votes.”
With primary elections just around the corner, we are called be “salt and light” in the temporal sphere, including the political life of our country. We are called to be “leaven” in our society to help raise the minds and hearts of our brothers and sisters to the higher things in life, the permanent things, like life, liberty and the pursuit of justice. While bishops and priests can and should offer moral guidance, it is you, the layfaithful who are called to transform this space. Elections are an important time for the exercise of your God-given authority and responsibility.
Please consider these powerful words of St. Paul VI, the Pope of the Second Vatican Council: “Laymen should take up as their own proper task the renewal of the temporal order. If the role of the hierarchy is to teach and to interpret authentically the norms of morality to be followed in this manner, it belongs to the laity, to take the initiatives freely and to infuse a Christian spirit into the mentality, customs, laws and structures of the community in which they live.”
Politics is not a spectator sport. We can’t just sit back on the sidelines and watch in horrified fascination as our country seems to continue to unravel. Sometimes the choices we face in an election are imperfect – whether they relate to candidates or proposed solutions to specific issues. That doesn’t mean we grab the popcorn, sit in the grandstands and just watch what happens. We are still called to actively participate in the electoral process – working for the best possible solution given the difficult circumstances.
There are two petition drives specifically focused on abortion that are underway in Nebraska. The goal for both is to bring a constitutional amendment on abortion before voters in November. One supported by pro-abortion organizations is deceptive, dangerous and extreme. It proposes to enshrine the evil of late-pregnancy abortion into the state constitution. It could wipe out all current safeguards regarding abortion put in place in the last 50 years. This pro-abortion initiative could be the most important issue we vote on in our lifetime. It must be defeated and Catholics are called to stand up for the life and protection of both the mother and the unborn child by opposing it.
Another ballot initiative offers protection for preborn children in Nebraska. All three bishops in the state agree that while it may be imperfect in its protection of all preborn children, it is a positive step toward safeguarding human life, protecting preborn children in the second and third trimester. Thus, it is morally permissible for Catholics and all voters to support this proposed intiative.
While we may or may not see these two initiatives on our ballot in November, next month we will have the opportunity to make decisions on local, state and national issues and candidates in Nebraska’s primary election. It is important to exercise your right to vote. Read about the issues and candidates, understand your responsibility as a Catholic voter by reading “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” available at lincolndiocese.org/elections, and then vote.
No game was ever won by sitting on the sidelines and the important issues we face this year that will affect us for our lifetimes and beyond will not be properly decided unless all of us move into the public square and participate in the electoral process. We owe it to those who came before us and fought for the religious liberty and freedoms that are now at stake to get involved. Our duty is to make our voice heard on the political field, not sit in the grandstands and watch others decide the future of our state and country.
