How to face challenging elections as Catholic

With all the noise and competing voices emerging during the election season, it can be easy to lose our peace. Our hopes can rise or shatter quite easily just from the news cycle. Elections can also bring out the worst in families, yielding misunderstanding, anger and bitterness.

Where does our hope come from? Our hope comes from the Lord Jesus, the Prince of Peace. He is our Savior, the hope that sustains. St. Paul tells us that we were saved in hope (Rom 8:24) and that “hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5) as God’s love is poured out into our hearts.

Being mindful of the Lord’s presence in our lives can help us as we consider voting. The act of voting is an act of charity, a way of participating in building a world as God sees it. Pope Francis reminds us that participation in politics is a Christian obligation: “We, Christians, cannot ‘play Pilate’ and wash our hands… We must participate in politics because politics is one of the highest forms of charitybecause it seeks the common good.”

The Church is an expert in man, and always calls us back to enduring principles. It is not the role of the Church to tell us who to vote for. Rather, the Church gives us the richness of Catholic Social Teaching, invites us to form our consciences with truth, and urges us to bring these principles with us into the voting booth. No party or candidate reflects the fullness of Catholic Social Teaching, so we must use prudential judgment guided by moral reasoning founded in these principles. We look for candidates who promote human dignity, solidarity, and subsidiarity, to build the common good, and to help people thrive in families.

How do I form my conscience for voting?

We form our consciences to vote by studying Catholic Social Teaching, especially the three key principles of human dignity, solidarity, and subsidiarity, and how they work together to uphold the common good. Here are some resources to get you started.

Catholic Social Teaching Self Study

1. What is Catholic Social Teaching
2.  Human Dignity
3.  Solidarity
4.  Subsidiarity
5. The Common Good
6. Catholic Social Teaching and Politics
7. The Family

Prayer is one of the first steps in acting for justice in our world. This novena, rooted in the biblical tradition and the Church's social teaching, is intended to promote justice and peace in our neighborhoods, our country, and our world.

May this novena help to give hope to the poor who suffer from injustices and hope in your life that you may know the peace of Jesus Christ.

“Education and upbringing, concern for others, a well-integrated view of life and spiritual growth: all these are essential for quality human relationships and enabling society to react against injustices, aberrations and abuses of economic, technological, political and media power.” 

(Fratelli Tutti, 167) 

The California Catholic Conference of Bishops offers guidance on political advocacy for Catholic clergy and parishioners, emphasizing the importance of engaging in politics with a foundation in Catholic social teaching and ethical principles.