Related Pages
Ending Abortion
Abortion Is the Overriding
Issue: What Bishops Have Said
Joint Statement from Bishop Kevin Farrell and Bishop Kevin Vann
To the Faithful of the Dioceses of Dallas and Fort Worth
October 8, 2008
Points Not to Miss
Entire Letter
Points Not to Miss
...We must approach the right and duty to vote with a properly formed
and informed conscience in accordance with the teachings of the Church.
...
1. Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship clearly teaches that
not all issues have the same moral equivalence. Some issues involve "intrinsic
evils"; that is, they can never under any circumstance or condition be morally
justified. Preeminent among these intrinsic evils are legalized abortion,
the promotion of same sex unions and "marriages," repression of religious
liberty, as well as public policies permitting euthanasia, racial discrimination,
or destructive human embryonic stem cell research.
Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship clearly states:
There are some things we must never do, as individuals or as a society, because
they are always incompatible with love of God and neighbor. Such actions
are so deeply flawed that they are always opposed to the authentic good of
persons. These are called "intrinsically evil" actions. They must always
be rejected and opposed and must never be supported or condoned. A prime
example is the intentional taking of innocent human life, as in abortion
and euthanasia. In our nation, "abortion and euthanasia have become preeminent
threats to human dignity because they directly attack life itself, the most
fundamental human good and the condition for all others" (Living the Gospel
of Life, no. 5). It is a mistake with grave moral consequences to treat the
destruction of innocent human life merely as a matter of individual choice.
A legal system that violates the basic right to life on the grounds of choice
is fundamentally flawed. (22)
2. The destruction of the most innocent of human life through abortion and
embryonic stem cell research not only undercuts the basic human right to
life, but it also subverts and distorts the common good. As Pope John Paul
II clearly states:
Disregard for the right to life, precisely because it leads to the killing
of the person whom society exists to serve, is what most directly conflicts
with the possibility of achieving the common good ... It is impossible
to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right
to life, upon which all the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded
and from which they develop ..." (The Gospel of Life, 72; 101)
3. Therefore, we cannot make more clear the seriousness of the overriding
issue of abortion -- while not the "only issue" -- it is the defining
moral issue, not only today, but of the last 35 years. Since the Roe
v. Wade decision in 1973, more than 48 million innocent lives have been lost.
Each year in our nation more than one million lives are lost through legalized
abortion. Countless other lives are also lost through embryonic stem cell
research. In the coming months our nation will once again elect our political
leaders. This electoral cycle affords us an opportunity to promote the culture
of life in our nation. As Catholics we are morally obligated to pray, to
act, and to vote to abolish the evil of abortion in America, limiting it
as much as we can until it is finally abolished.
4. As Catholics we are faced with a number of issues that are of concern
and should be addressed, such as immigration reform, healthcare, the economy
and its solvency, care and concern for the poor, and the war on terror. As
Catholics we must be concerned about these issues and work to see that just
solutions are brought about. There are many possible solutions to these issues
and there can be reasonable debate among Catholics on how to best approach
and solve them. These are matters of "prudential judgment." But let us
be clear: issues of prudential judgment are not morally equivalent to issues
involving intrinsic evils. No matter how right a given candidate is on any
of these issues, it does not outweigh a candidate's unacceptable position
in favor of an intrinsic evil such as abortion or the protection of "abortion
rights."
5. Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, in paragraphs 34-37,
addresses the question of whether it is morally permissible for a Catholic
to vote for a candidate who supports an intrinsic evil -- even when
the voter does not agree with the candidate's position on that evil. The
only moral possibilities for a Catholic to be able to vote in good
conscience for a candidate who supports this intrinsic evil are the following:
a. If both candidates running for office support abortion or "abortion rights,"
a Catholic would be forced to then look at the other important issues and
through their vote try to limit the evil done; or,
b. If another intrinsic evil outweighs the evil of abortion. While this is
sound moral reasoning, there are no "truly grave moral" or "proportionate"
reasons, singularly or combined, that could outweigh the millions of innocent
human lives that are directly killed by legal abortion each year.
To vote for a candidate who supports the intrinsic evil of abortion or "abortion
rights" when there is a morally acceptable alternative would be to cooperate
in the evil -- and, therefore, morally impermissible.
6. In conclusion, as stated in Forming Consciences for Faithful
Citizenship, the decisions we make on these political and moral issues
affect not only the general peace and prosperity of society at large, but
also may affect each individual's salvation. As Catholics, we must treat
our political choices with appropriate moral gravity and in doing so, realize
our continuing and unavoidable obligation to be a voice for the voiceless
unborn, whose destruction by legal abortion is the preeminent intrinsic evil
of our day. With knowledge of the Church's teaching on these grave matters,
it is incumbent upon each of us as Catholics to educate ourselves
on where the candidates running for office stand on these issues, particularly
those involving intrinsic evils.
Entire Letter
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
The month of October is Respect Life Month in our churches. It is a time
in which we as Catholics are called to reflect upon the gift of life that
has been entrusted to us by our Creator and to focus our attention on the
many attacks against human life that exist in our culture today. This year,
Respect Life Month takes on a more profound meaning as we face an election
in our country where the protection of human life itself, particularly that
of the unborn, is very much at stake. Therefore, as your Bishops, we wish
to take this opportunity to provide clear guidance on the proper formation
of conscience concerning voting as faithful Catholics and to articulate the
Church's clear and unambiguous teaching on life issues as they relate to
other issues of concern.
The Church teaches that all Catholics should participate as "faithful citizens"
in the public square, especially through our voice in the voting booth, and
that we have the responsibility to treat the decision for whom we will vote
for with profound moral seriousness. We must approach the right and duty
to vote with a properly formed and informed conscience in accordance
with the teachings of the Church. Last November, the Bishops of the United
States issued a document entitled Forming Consciences for Faithful
Citizenship, in which we and our brother Bishops issued clear moral
guidelines to aid the faithful in proper formation of conscience with regard
to the many issues we face in our nation today. Through this joint statement
to the faithful of Dallas and Fort Worth, we seek to briefly summarize the
key points and dispel any confusion or misunderstanding that may be present
among you concerning the teaching contained in the document, especially that
which may have arisen from recent public misinterpretation concerning this
teaching.
1. Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship clearly teaches that
not all issues have the same moral equivalence. Some issues involve "intrinsic
evils"; that is, they can never under any circumstance or condition be morally
justified. Preeminent among these intrinsic evils are legalized abortion,
the promotion of same sex unions and "marriages," repression of religious
liberty, as well as public policies permitting euthanasia, racial discrimination,
or destructive human embryonic stem cell research.
Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship clearly states:
There are some things we must never do, as individuals or as a society, because
they are always incompatible with love of God and neighbor. Such actions
are so deeply flawed that they are always opposed to the authentic good of
persons. These are called "intrinsically evil" actions. They must always
be rejected and opposed and must never be supported or condoned. A prime
example is the intentional taking of innocent human life, as in abortion
and euthanasia. In our nation, "abortion and euthanasia have become preeminent
threats to human dignity because they directly attack life itself, the most
fundamental human good and the condition for all others" (Living the Gospel
of Life, no. 5). It is a mistake with grave moral consequences to treat the
destruction of innocent human life merely as a matter of individual choice.
A legal system that violates the basic right to life on the grounds of choice
is fundamentally flawed. (22)
2. The destruction of the most innocent of human life through abortion and
embryonic stem cell research not only undercuts the basic human right to
life, but it also subverts and distorts the common good. As Pope John Paul
II clearly states:
Disregard for the right to life, precisely because it leads to the killing
of the person whom society exists to serve, is what most directly conflicts
with the possibility of achieving the common good ... It is impossible
to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right
to life, upon which all the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded
and from which they develop ..." (The Gospel of Life, 72; 101)
3. Therefore, we cannot make more clear the seriousness of the overriding
issue of abortion -- while not the "only issue" -- it is the defining
moral issue, not only today, but of the last 35 years. Since the Roe
v. Wade decision in 1973, more than 48 million innocent lives have been lost.
Each year in our nation more than one million lives are lost through legalized
abortion. Countless other lives are also lost through embryonic stem cell
research. In the coming months our nation will once again elect our political
leaders. This electoral cycle affords us an opportunity to promote the culture
of life in our nation. As Catholics we are morally obligated to pray, to
act, and to vote to abolish the evil of abortion in America, limiting it
as much as we can until it is finally abolished.
4. As Catholics we are faced with a number of issues that are of concern
and should be addressed, such as immigration reform, healthcare, the economy
and its solvency, care and concern for the poor, and the war on terror. As
Catholics we must be concerned about these issues and work to see that just
solutions are brought about. There are many possible solutions to these issues
and there can be reasonable debate among Catholics on how to best approach
and solve them. These are matters of "prudential judgment." But let us
be clear: issues of prudential judgment are not morally equivalent to issues
involving intrinsic evils. No matter how right a given candidate is on any
of these issues, it does not outweigh a candidate's unacceptable position
in favor of an intrinsic evil such as abortion or the protection of "abortion
rights."
As Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship states:
The direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life from the moment
of conception until natural death is always wrong and is not just one issue
among many. It must always be opposed. (28)
5. Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, in paragraphs 34-37,
addresses the question of whether it is morally permissible for a Catholic
to vote for a candidate who supports an intrinsic evil -- even when
the voter does not agree with the candidate's position on that evil. The
only moral possibilities for a Catholic to be able to vote in good
conscience for a candidate who supports this intrinsic evil are the following:
a. If both candidates running for office support abortion or "abortion rights,"
a Catholic would be forced to then look at the other important issues and
through their vote try to limit the evil done; or,
b. If another intrinsic evil outweighs the evil of abortion. While this is
sound moral reasoning, there are no "truly grave moral" or "proportionate"
reasons, singularly or combined, that could outweigh the millions of innocent
human lives that are directly killed by legal abortion each year.
To vote for a candidate who supports the intrinsic evil of abortion or "abortion
rights" when there is a morally acceptable alternative would be to cooperate
in the evil -- and, therefore, morally impermissible.
6. In conclusion, as stated in Forming Consciences for Faithful
Citizenship, the decisions we make on these political and moral issues
affect not only the general peace and prosperity of society at large, but
also may affect each individual's salvation. As Catholics, we must treat
our political choices with appropriate moral gravity and in doing so, realize
our continuing and unavoidable obligation to be a voice for the voiceless
unborn, whose destruction by legal abortion is the preeminent intrinsic evil
of our day. With knowledge of the Church's teaching on these grave matters,
it is incumbent upon each of us as Catholics to educate ourselves
on where the candidates running for office stand on these issues, particularly
those involving intrinsic evils. May God bless you.
Faithfully in Christ,
Most Reverend Kevin J. Farrell
Bishop of Dallas
Most Reverend Kevin W. Vann
Bishop of Fort Worth
Source:
http://www.prolifedallas.org/pages/Joint_Statement
Related Pages
Ending Abortion
Abortion Is the Overriding
Issue: What Bishops Have Said
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