Catholic Social Teaching calls people to “informed participation in the political process on moral public issues like healthcare, environment, fair wages, prolife, immigration, etc. People of faith must bring their values into political discussions since politics is how important decisions are made that will affect the common good. This is legislative advocacy.
Advocacy on key issues through phone calls, emails, in-person visits, public demonstrations is what this area of P&J Ministry is really about. Advocacy addresses pressing issues to promote laws with preference to the poor. Jesus spent his ministry helping the outcasts and marginalized.
With regard to voting the church teaches “that a conscience well-formed by Catholic moral and social teaching should be [our] guide in the voting booth, and that “we should be guided more by our moral convictions than by our attachments to a political party or interest group.”
Voting and advocacy are part of Catholic Social Teaching. We must educate ourselves on issues by reading articles and books with differing opinions and from different sources. The USCCB lays out the path on how to arrive at a well-formed conscience. Getting the news solely from TV or radio is often inadequate information, sound bites, and easy entertainment. The written word from quality sources is more often done with careful thought, must be verified, and the source made accountable for what is written.
The Ministry of Peace & Justice by M.J. Laskey
Submitted by Mary Factor
Mary, Mother Peace & Justice Ministry