Cardinal Raymond Burke released an election guide on October 22, encouraging Catholics to respond to “even the smallest ray of hope” that their votes can effect “ever greater change for the common good.”
In the guide, Cardinal Burke emphasized human life, marriage, family and religious freedom as preeminent aspects of the common good for Catholics to consider as they head to the polls.
The guide seeks to answer “moral questions regarding voting” and was released less than two weeks before the general elections.
On his personal website, Cardinal Burke explained that “as Election Day approaches, many have raised serious moral questions regarding how to vote.”
He added, “Sadly, in our great nation, we confront a situation in which both major political parties espouse certain agenda which are flagrantly contrary to the most fundamental tenets of the moral law.”
Cardinal Burke acknowledges that for Catholics, “as for all men and women of goodwill, the question is: In fulfilling our civic duty to vote, how can we be obedient to the law of God written upon our hearts in the present situation of deplorable moral and therefore cultural decline and decay?”
For more detailed guidance on voting in good conscience, Cardinal Burke refers to his pastoral letter, “On Our Civic Responsibility for the Common Good,” published as Archbishop of St. Louis in 2004. In his current message, he offers five proposals:
1. Pray and Fast
“Let us pray and fast for our nation,” especially for the conversion of our national culture from violence and death to peace and life. He strongly recommends Catholics participate in the Nine-Month Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
2. Oppose Harmful Agendas
“We must be abundantly clear and tirelessly steadfast in our opposition to the anti-life, anti-family, and anti-religion agenda which are destroying families, communities, and our nation.”
3. Study Candidates’ Agendas
Catholics “must study carefully the agenda of each candidate to see whether a candidate, even though he or she espouses morally objectionable programs and policies, will, in some way, limit the evil. If a candidate will, at least, limit the evil, we must support the limitation while insisting on the need to eradicate the evil altogether.”
4. Seek Hope in Candidates
While acknowledging that “the agenda of both major political parties is so fundamentally objectionable,” Catholics must consider whether there is a “ray of hope” to advance national politics in accordance with moral law by voting for a particular candidate.
5. Respond to Hope by Voting
He finally warns that “if there is even the smallest ray of hope to effect some change in view of effecting ever greater change for the common good, it is not right for us to fail in responding to the ray of hope. Only if no candidate provides any ray of hope of serving, at least in some part, the common good, especially in what pertains to human life, marriage and the family, and the practice of religion, are we justified in not voting at all.”
