To the Editor:
I consider myself a very prolife person who feels that life is sacred from the moment of conception to death. I also feel like Pope Francis that Catholics cannot tolerate racism and “claim to defend the sacredness of every human life.”
Many people determine the candidate they will vote for based on one issue. I think we as Catholics should not have a closed mind and must weigh many issues before determining how to cast our vote.
The Catholic Church’s teaching does not prohibit a Catholic from voting for a pro-choice candidate, if the Catholic voter has weighed the entirety of the candidate’s positions and is not voting because of the candidate’s pro-choice views.
According to Pope Francis, faith does not fit neatly into the secular institution of political parties. The Holy Father and his predecessors said we have an obligation to participate in politics in the public square. This is no small feat. As Pope Francis says, “Following Jesus means swimming against the tide, renouncing evil and selfishness.” Our nation is in a spiritual crisis, and our faith and patriotism compel us to speak clearly and to act.
Catholics are called to defend, promote and protect the sacredness of human life. We cannot be single-issue voters. Instead, we must be voters who support life issues from womb to tomb. The sacred issues the pope asks us to bring into the voting booth include protecting people in poverty, the elderly and migrants and rejecting racism.
I will cast my vote accordingly.
Mary Maher
Davenport