Voting Catholic in 2024

“The people are called on to take an always larger part in the public life of the nation. This participation brings with it grave responsibilities. Hence the necessity for the faithful to have clear, solid, precise knowledge of their duties in the moral and religious domain with respect to their exercise of their civil rights, and in particular of the right to vote.”  

― Venerable Pope Pius XII, Discourse to Italian Catholic Action 

As we cast ballots for the 47^th president of the United States and elect people to fill various federal, state, and local positions, it is time once more to remind ourselves just how high the stakes of this election are and what our duties are as Catholic citizens.  

The results of Tuesday’s elections will impact every level of our society – from legislation, to judges, to the educational system, foreign policy, health care, and so much more. And though our vote is only one among millions, it nevertheless remains true that the accumulated weight of those millions of votes determines, in crucial ways, the future our country will take. This has never been truer than today, when there hangs in the balance grave moral and social issues: the status of marriage, the family, rights of parents, rights of conscience, religious freedom, and respect for human life itself. 

An Act of Grave Moral Responsibility

The Venerable Pope Pius XII, whom I quoted at the beginning of this column, spoke in a speech to the parish priests of Rome in 1946 of the exercise of the right to vote as “an act of grave moral responsibility,” at least in those cases where the vote pertains to electing politicians responsible for the country’s constitution and laws. Such politicians, the pope observed, will directly affect issues such as “the sanctification of holy days of obligation, marriage, the family, schools and the just and equitable regulation of many social questions.” 

As Catholics, we confront extraordinary moral confusion in our society, in which both major political parties espouse agendas which are blatantly contrary to the most fundamental tenets of the moral law. But we are to be remined that the moral law is binding for us. And we must respond to the question: How can we be obedient to the law of God in this present time of moral decay and the rejection of long-held Judeo-Christian values that have guided millennia?

First, we must be tirelessly steadfast in our opposition to the anti-life and anti-family agendas that are destroying individuals, families, and communities, and which are threatening the common good.

Secondly, guided by Catholic teaching and shaped by the moral convictions of a well-formed conscience, we approach the ballot box focused on: (1) the protection of life in all its stages, from the first moment of conception until natural death; (2) the protection of the weak and the vulnerable; (3) the recognition and promotion of the natural structure of the family as the union between one man and one woman based on marriage, defending its irreplaceable role in society; (4) the protection of the rights of parents to educate their children; and (5) the pursuit of the common good.

Considering the above and having carefully studied the agenda of each candidate, we seek to support the one who upholds and advances these goods. However, if faced with a candidate who will not defend and advance these goods, we should determine which candidate will limit the evil. And if a candidate will limit the evil (i.e., having reasonable hope he or she will advance the moral law and help to transform policies, programs, and laws) we ought to support the limitation – insisting on the need to eradicate the evil, while at the same, emphasizing to the candidate not to confuse a vote for him or her as support for these immoral agendas.

Related: USCCB Voting Guide: Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship

Principles of Catholic Voting

The Catholic Church challenges us to vote for what is morally good for individuals and for society, particularly for the vulnerable and weak, for those who cannot defend themselves. Venerable Pope Pius XII was insistent that if there is a duty to vote then it ought to be exercised in light of objective moral standards – to “give his vote to the candidates who offer truly sufficient guarantees for the protection of the rights of God and of souls, for the true good of individuals, families and of society, according to the love of God and Christian moral teaching.” 

Precisely for this reason, we need Catholics, believing Christians, and other people of good will to seek the conversion and transformation of our nation and its culture. Therefore, as Catholics and citizens, we have a voice in the direction of our country. And though, “Catholics may choose different ways to respond to compelling social problems,” say the US Bishops, “we cannot differ on our moral obligation to help build a more just and peaceful world through morally acceptable means, so that the weak and vulnerable are protected and human rights and dignity are defended” (Faithful Citizenship, n. 20).

And not all social issues are morally or ethically equivalent, add the bishops:  

The direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life from the moment of conception until natural death is always wrong and is not just one issue among many. It must always be opposed (no. 28).

Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find candidates who align with our principles and consciences on all the key moral issues. And because of inadequate situations and imperfect political platforms and candidates, we might be tempted not to exercise our right and duty to vote.  

While the Church has not formally taught that the failure to vote is objectively a mortal sin, I am reminded, however, of another speech by Venerable Pope Pius XII in 1948, who argued that “in the present circumstances” any Catholic who failed to vote committed “a sin grave in itself, a mortal fault.” Clearly Pius XII did not view failing to vote as a small, forgivable fault, at least in those elections pertaining to the country on a whole, or in which serious moral issues are at stake. I would contend that these words apply as much today in 2024 as they did to Italy in 1948. 

The spirit of death (the culture of death) is a cancer that, if left to its own, will consume not only itself, but us with it. I am very much concerned by what I am seeing and how our families and human life will suffer even more so if we do not defeat the spirit of death. It will not only be marriage and the family, the child in the womb, the sick and elderly, the poor, and the disabled that are endangered, but every person’s life will be threatened by this insidious disease.  

The spirit of death is “rewriting” the human story. It promotes a false understanding of the human person and the idea of freedom as the capacity to do whatever one wants, rather than to do what is moral. This understanding is being cemented into the public mind and is being imposed by coercive forces and ideologues. If unchallenged, this mindset, this new worldview will inevitably undermine all structures of society.  

If Catholics fail to enter the public debate, leaving these realities unchallenged, what happens?

Related: USCCB Voting Starting Point Flyer

Act and Pray

Tomorrow’s national elections are a vital component in this story. Will this society vote for candidates and platforms that seek to further advance nefarious anti-life and anti-family ideologies, or will it have the courage to stand against the extremely progressive political tide, defending truth about the inviolable dignity of human life, natural marriage and family life, human sexuality, right of conscience, and religious freedom? 

Let us remember that a Catholic is a Catholic all the time, and is primarily a Catholic, rather than a member of a certain party, or even a citizen. As such, all Catholics must conscientiously educate themselves not only on the issues at stake in this election and the stances of individual politicians on moral issues, but also on the moral teaching of the Church and how to apply those teachings in the voting booth.  

We are a deeply divided nation. And our wounds are rooted in sin – the rejection of God and His design for us. The only way for us to move forward and transform secular culture and its values is for Catholics, Judeo-Christians, and all people of religious belief to live in word and deed authentic faith as taught by the Word of God. By being salt and light, we can rewrite the story, continuing to seek the conversion of souls and transformation of our society.  

We can restore the sanctity of human life, the sacredness of human sexuality within the covenant of marriage, family life, the rights of parents, the right of conscience, and religious freedom. After all, God has placed in each of our hearts the desire and longing for true happiness, to live in Truth. Here, the virtue of hope responds to this innermost desire, provides strength to our actions, and helps us to place our trust in God.  

The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hopes that inspire men’s activities and purifies them so as to order them to the Kingdom of heaven; it keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude. Buoyed up by hope, he is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1818). 

To help us realize the moral vision we seek, there are numerous resources where Catholics can go to begin to educate themselves on how to vote as a Catholic. Human Life International, for instance, has prepared a guide you can use as you approach the voting booth tomorrow (and in future elections), doing your part to limit evil and maximize good in our country.

FREE E-BOOK VOTER GUIDE: Cast Your Ballot with Confidence | Human Life International 

Tomorrow, let us lend our voice to the proclamation of objective truth; after all, “to participate in shaping the moral character of society is a requirement of our faith. It is a basic part of the mission we have received from Jesus Christ, who offers a vision of life revealed to us in Sacred Scripture and Tradition (Faithful Citizenship, no. 9).

Related: USCCB Voting Guide: Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship

And above all, let us pray for our country, its healing, and its return to God.

Prayer Before an Election

Lord God, as the election approaches, we seek to better understand the issues and concerns that confront our country, and how the Gospel compels us to respond as faithful citizens in our community.

We ask for eyes that are free from blindness so that we might see each other as brothers and sisters, one and equal in dignity, especially those who are victims of abuse and violence, deceit and poverty. 

We ask for ears that will hear the cries of children unborn and those abandoned, 
men and women oppressed because of race or creed, religion or gender. We ask for minds and hearts that are open to hearing the voice of leaders who will bring us closer to your Kingdom. 

We pray for discernment so that we may choose leaders who hear your Word, 
live your love, and keep in the ways of your truth as they follow in the steps of Jesus and his Apostles and guide us to your Kingdom of justice and peace. 

We ask this in the name of your Son Jesus Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

(United States Catholic Conference of Bishops)