(LifeSiteNews) — Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke has offered advice to Catholic voters while stating that the “present situation of national politics is morally disgusting.” (Full statement below.)
Cardinal Burke published his thoughts, entitled “Moral Questions about Voting,” Tuesday morning on X (formerly Twitter). His short essay begins by reflecting that both American political parties promote agenda opposed to the moral law and the dignity of “innocent and defenseless human life,” against “the integrity of marriage” and the family, and against the “free exercise of … religion.” This leaves Catholic voters with a problem Burke expresses thusly:
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[?]
The cardinal recommends that voters read his 2004 Pastoral Letter, “On Our Civic Responsibility for the Common Good,” but adds other suggestions including prayer and fasting, ensuring that those Americans vote for understand that these are not votes for their “iniquitous” agenda, examining the positions of those candidates for some sign “they will, at least, limit the evil” and for a ray of hope.
Cardinal Burke advises against abstaining from the vote if there is the slightest chance a candidate will improve life for Americans.
“[I]f 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,” the cardinal writes.
“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,” he continues.
“Yes, the present situation of national politics is morally disgusting, but we are a people of hope and can never excuse ourselves from continuing the daily work of seeking the conversion of our personal lives and the transformation of our national culture.”
In closing, the cardinal reminds his American readers that they have a “duty as a citizen to vote.”
Cardinal Burke’s even-handed distribution of dismay for the anti-life policies of both the Republican and Democratic parties is a contrast to Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganó’s vigorous declaration of support for Donald Trump, also published today.
RELATED: Archbishop Viganò endorses Trump, tells Catholics abstaining ‘means allying oneself with the enemy’
— Cardinal Burke (@cardinalrlburke) October 22, 2024
Moral Questions regarding Voting
by Cardinal Raymond Burke
As Election Day approaches, many have raised serious moral questions regarding how to vote. 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, agenda against the inviolable dignity of innocent and defenseless human life, agenda against the integrity of marriage and its fruit, the family, and agenda against the free exercise of the virtue of religion. As Catholics, we should be clear that the moral law is certainly binding for us, but it is, likewise, binding for all men and women because it is written upon the human heart by God. For Catholics, as for all men and women of good will, 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.
In attempting to answer the question of how to vote in good conscience, I refer to the Pastoral Letter, “On Our Civic Responsibility for the Common Good,” which, as Archbishop of Saint Louis, I published on October 1, 2004. A PDF version of the Pastoral Letter is accessible at the following link:
On Our Civic Responsibility for the Common Good
While I recommend the study of the Pastoral Letter, I offer the following indications for the question of how to vote with moral integrity.
- First and foremost, let us pray and fast for our nation that it will once again serve the good of all its citizens, especially of those who are threatened by the present prevalent anti-life, anti-family, and anti-religion agenda, by obedience to the moral law. Let us pray for the conversion of our national culture from violence and death to peace and life. If you are not already participating in the Nine-Month Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe – Mary Immaculate, Mother of God and Mother of America , “Return to Our Lady,” invoking her intercession for the conversion of countless souls in our homes and in our nation to faith in God and obedience to His law, I invite you to join now, especially as we approach Election Day. The prayer of the Nine-Month Novena and spiritual reflections regarding our response to the current moral crisis in our nation can be found at the following site: Nine-Month Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
- Secondly, 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. No candidate for public office should confuse a vote for him or her as support of the policies and programs of these iniquitous agenda. Today, there is an urgent need for individuals and associations of individuals to raise the consciousness of the citizens of our nation to the manner in which these agenda threaten the common good, the good of individuals, of families, of local communities, of the nation. We must use all the means of communication at hand to speak to the hearts of our fellow citizens, for God has written on every human heart his law which serves human life, marriage and the family, and the practice of religion.
- We 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.
- We must further consider whether it is reasonable to hope that a candidate in question will, at least, hear the voice of a rightly formed conscience on questions like procured abortion, sexual reassignment, and religious persecution, that is, whether there is hope that our opposition, as indicated in no. 2, will receive any hearing at all. While the agenda of both major political parties is so fundamentally objectionable, we must ask ourselves whether there may be some ray of hope to advance the transformation of our national politics in accord with the moral law by voting for a particular candidate.
- Before the desperate situation of our national politics today, some have concluded that they cannot vote for any candidate, but, 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. Yes, the present situation of national politics is morally disgusting, but we are a people of hope and can never excuse ourselves from continuing the daily work of seeking the conversion of our personal lives and the transformation of our national culture.
It is my hope that the above indications will help you in fulfilling your duty as a citizen to vote for the candidates who will most support the common good. Be assured of my prayers for you and your homes.
Raymond Leo Cardinal BURKE