One Priest All
October 22, 2020
Hello Fr.
Good to hear from you.
Thank you for the reply and for your genuine sentiments. It is much appreciated.
The preeminence of abortion by virtue of its nature as an intrinsic evil is a universal teaching of the Church. It can be found wherever the Church can be found.
Does this necessarily follow that one MUST vote Republican, no. The latter is not universal, it is American, so today, you cheer for Trump. This pisses off a lot of good people since his words and deeds are so corrupt and insidious.
It cannot be denied, priests do point to Trump in their homilies and other forums. They don’t have to say it, any suggestion, advice, notion, hint, reference, whisper, reminder, that conscience only has one choice in this election is not something the Universal Church would support, nor is it something most Catholics would support.
So while what you do present is clear, it is ultimately selective and not representative of the greater body of the Church’s moral teaching.
This includes the teaching that one may be justified in certain circumstances in cooperating materially with a remote evil if there are proportionate reasons for doing so, per Cardinal Ratzinger, who wrote in 2004:
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 favor 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.
Consider this example from Catholic Answers.
Suppose that in a given election either Candidate A or Candidate B is morally certain to win, but it is not clear which will win. Candidate A’s only policy is that he supports abortion, while Candidate B has two policies: He supports both abortion and euthanasia. In this case, more harm will be done to society by the election of Candidate B, and so based on principles touched on by John Paul II in Evangelium Vitae 73, one may cast one’s vote in such a way as to limit the harm done to society. In such a situation, casting one’s vote for Candidate A does not amount to an endorsement of his policies. It represents an attempt to reign in the greater harm that otherwise will result.
https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/explaining-ratzingers-proportionate-reasons
I am anti-abortion, always have been, always will, as a matter of natural and divine law.
I will vote Biden, not because of his views on abortion, since I oppose that, but to “reign in the greater harm that otherwise will result” from Trump having four more years.
The depth of his gravity must not be allowed to go on. Sufficient proportionate reason exists that would justify a vote for a pro-abort candidate.
Trump is unhinged, and preventing him from having any continued access to the nuclear codes is the preeminent pro-life issue of our time. In my view, greater than abortion. This is not hyperbole. Trump seems to have an endless thirst for chaos.
So while some may not be telling people how to vote, in effect, you are, with your suggestions and implications. And you fail to present the full spectrum of the Church’s moral tradition, since it goes against the narrow American school of thought that says, hey, there is only one choice here for those who do not consider themselves lukewarm Catholics.
The care of souls entrusted to your care are not served well by infusing a partisan spirit in their conscience, one the Universal Church teaches is the place where they are alone with God.
Some of you are trying to control what happens in that room. They have a right to be “alone with God,” so leave them alone.
What they decide together with God is their business. Whether it is you, me, or the elderly lady in the pew.
What part of this do you not get?
Peace to you father.
Feel free to reply.
To engage a brother in a spirit of charity is always welcomed.
Cecilio
PS: (added only here) All of us are capable of error in thought and teaching. Since it is true of the Church, and priests, it most certainly is true of me. I concede I may be wrong, and that my picture is not the full picture and certainly not the only picture. Its only accuracy is that it represents the best my conscience can offer today and in light of the Trump era. Where it will be tomorrow, only God knows. Having said that, I do believe that I am on the right side of history.