Part VI (the finale) of my discussion of Catholic participation in public life, with Deacon Omar Gutiérrez.
In Layman’s Terms: We have recently heard some Catholics debating whether one can be both Catholic and a member of the Democratic Party. It is fairly obvious that the platform (the official values and objectives of the party), aggressively embrace a large portion of moral issues which are blatantly opposite of Church teaching. Abortion is the most obvious, but in general, there appears to be a calculated and intentional rejection of God and Christian morality in the platform and an unmistakable attempt to embrace secularism. While there are most certainly a number of Christians, many pro-life advocates, and a great number of very well-meaning members of the Democratic Party, one can reasonably question how a Christian could remain a member of an organization which states, “every woman should be able to access safe and legal abortion... [and] restore federal funding for Planned Parenthood”? The platform also promises to, “repeal the Hyde Amendment, and protect and codify Roe v. Wade” and celebrates the fact that contraceptives are included as covered prescriptions under Obamacare. Additionally, it promises to make sure that health insurance policies cover gender confirmation surgery, and hormone therapy.
On one hand, a Christian could look at the message of the party and decide to change political parties, but what other options might a Christian member of the Democratic party have in this situation? Can a Christian remain an active and supportive member of a party in spite of the fact that the party is aggressively seeking to champion the unchristian objectives I mention above?
Deacon Gutiérrez: This all depends on how one is a member of the party and so what you mean by “active and supportive.” The straight answer is, yes, a Catholic may be a member of the Democratic Party. And they may, so long as they do all they can to fight against the parts of the platform which are diametrically opposed to the Church’s teaching on life, human sexuality, human dignity, and the role of God in society. And a Catholic may do so because there are parts of the Democratic Party’s platform which are not opposed the Church’s teaching, and which actually support the Church’s teaching.
That said, I might add that they be a member without sending money to the party’s general fund so as not to cooperate materially with Democratic candidates supported by that fund for promoting policies which advance those intrinsic evils. And one can imagine that a Catholic belong to the party so that when pro-life Democratic candidates do arise, and sometimes they do, the Catholic can vote in the primaries for that candidate and participate in party functions in which those debates occur. Keep in mind that it is possible to be a member of that party, fighting for reform from within, without ever actually voting for problematic candidates or monetarily supporting their deeply flawed platform. I happen to know good, faithful, orthodox Catholics who do just that.
ILT Conclusion: As a layman, I have learned a lot from my discussions with Deacon Gutiérrez, and I appreciate his approach. My personal approach has been less pastoral on many occasions as I wrangle with the complexities of our culture and the intricacies of our Catholic faith. It is vexing to see politicians who identify as Catholic, yet they demonstrate behavior and use their office to take actions which indicate that they are unfaithful. Yet with a large percentage of the voting population, faithful Catholics can and should vote for candidates who live and work to build a culture of life in the U.S.
I go back to the part of our discussion in which Deacon Gutiérrez pointed out that the USCCB has recognized abortion as the preeminent issue for Catholic voters. While there are numerous moral issues at play in American politics and culture today, the document says:
“The threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority because it directly attacks life itself, because it takes place within the sanctuary of the family, and because of the number of lives destroyed.”
While a faithful Catholic can, in limited circumstances, vote for a “pro-choice” candidate, a Catholic can morally vote for pro-life candidate in a much broader set of circumstances, regardless of the voter’s party and regardless of the candidate’s party. A Catholic should never simply vote according to the party of the candidate or for any other partisan preference.
A Catholic can also be an Independent, Democrat, Republican, or various other parties, as long as they are not a member who is active and supportive in furthering any goals of the party which conflict with the teachings of the Catholic Church, especially its teachings on the intrinsic evil of abortion and contraception. In fact, it is often more productive to attempt change from within an organization or institution, than it is to try and bring change while on the outside.
Since abortion is currently the preeminent issue for America’s Catholic voters, and since Roe v. Wade is truly on thin ice, this is one election where every vote counts at every level of government, from federal, to state, to local. On top of this, the dividing line between the culture of life and the culture of death has not been this clearly defined in well over two generations.
I am hopeful that this discussion has helped you discern how to vote this November, and that you must vote. May that vote be cast for the culture of life, in light of the Gospel of life.
