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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
When is it a sin to vote?	johnny	Monday, August 25, 2008
Question: Hi brother, Can it be a sin for a catholic to vote for certain people? Mortal or venial? I was talking to some catholics recently who plan to vote obama, and asked them if they understood that he has a strict pro-abortion voting record, very much going against the catholic church's stance. They fully understand it, but countered that Mccain is a warmongerer like Bush, and can't in good conscience vote for him. While I don't fully agree with them, this poses an interesting question - if faced with two candidates that you know or believe support something extremely wrong, would it be a sin to vote for either? Also i hear quite often "I am against abortion but I believe a woman shlould make that decision" as a justification. Can this rationalization absolve someone?
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Johnny: Yes, it can be sin for a Catholic to vote for certain people. Then Cardinal Ratzinger, prefect of the the Sacred Congregation on the Doctrine of the Faith, now Pope Benedict XVI, sent a memorandum, entitled Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion: General Principles, to Cardinal McCarrick, which was made public in July 2004. In this letter Cardinal Ratzinger said: The Church teaches that abortion or euthanasia is a grave sin. The Encyclical Letter Evangelium vitae, with reference to judicial decisions or civil laws that authorize or promote abortion or euthanasia, states that there is a "grave and clear obligation to oppose them by conscientious objection. [...] In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to 'take part in a propaganda campaign in favour of such a law or vote for it’" (no. 73). Christians have a "grave obligation of conscience not to cooperate formally in practices which, even if permitted by civil legislation, are contrary to God’s law. Indeed, from the moral standpoint, it is never licit to cooperate formally in evil. [...] This cooperation can never be justified either by invoking respect for the freedom of others or by appealing to the fact that civil law permits it or requires it" (no. 74). "A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate's permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. When a Catholic does not share a candidate’s stand in favour of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons." There is a voting guide put out by Catholic Answers that is helpful: Voters Guide for Serious Catholics (pdf). God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

When is it a sin to vote?

johnny

Monday, August 25, 2008

Question:

Hi brother,

Can it be a sin for a catholic to vote for certain people? Mortal or venial? I was talking to some catholics recently who plan to vote obama, and asked them if they understood that he has a strict pro-abortion voting record, very much going against the catholic church's stance. They fully understand it, but countered that Mccain is a warmongerer like Bush, and can't in good conscience vote for him. While I don't fully agree with them, this poses an interesting question - if faced with two candidates that you know or believe support something extremely wrong, would it be a sin to vote for either?

Also i hear quite often "I am against abortion but I believe a woman shlould make that decision" as a justification. Can this rationalization absolve someone?

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Johnny:

Yes, it can be sin for a Catholic to vote for certain people.

Then Cardinal Ratzinger, prefect of the the Sacred Congregation on the Doctrine of the Faith, now Pope Benedict XVI, sent a memorandum, entitled Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion: General Principles, to Cardinal McCarrick, which was made public in July 2004. In this letter Cardinal Ratzinger said:

The Church teaches that abortion or euthanasia is a grave sin. The Encyclical Letter Evangelium vitae, with reference to judicial decisions or civil laws that authorize or promote abortion or euthanasia, states that there is a "grave and clear obligation to oppose them by conscientious objection. [...] In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to 'take part in a propaganda campaign in favour of such a law or vote for it’" (no. 73). Christians have a "grave obligation of conscience not to cooperate formally in practices which, even if permitted by civil legislation, are contrary to God’s law. Indeed, from the moral standpoint, it is never licit to cooperate formally in evil. [...] This cooperation can never be justified either by invoking respect for the freedom of others or by appealing to the fact that civil law permits it or requires it" (no. 74).
"A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate's permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. When a Catholic does not share a candidate’s stand in favour of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons."

There is a voting guide put out by Catholic Answers that is helpful: Voters Guide for Serious Catholics (pdf).

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum