More on the Statement of Principles

The Fifty-five members of the House of Representatives in the February 28, 2006 Statement of Principles begin on a high note asserting their pride in “living the Catholic tradition” in order to promote the common good and to “work every day to advance respect for life and the dignity of every human being.” They also endorse the basic principles that “are at the heart of Catholic social teaching” and assert their commitment to make them “real.”

But then, one might ask how do they understand the teachings of the Church on all important issues of the day that come before them as legislators and as Catholics who are disciples in this world? While there is some reference to other issues, the one substantive issue that they address is abortion. How well do they understand what the Church teaches on this issue is crucial to assessing this Statement of Principles? How well they understand the “people of God” to whom they refer and the exercise of conscience on which they rely and John Paul II’s Christifideles Laici which they use for support require careful study.

Thirteen women and forty-two men signed the Statement of Principles. How does one of the principal advocates for abortion rights, NARAL Pro-Choice, rate these members of Congress? All of the women received a 100% (the best) rating from NARAL Pro-Choice. Fifty-seven percent of the men also received the “best” rating. However, five of the men received the “worst” rating or 0%. The range for the remainder of the men varied between the two ends of the scale.

Now, let us move on to more substantive matters and the questions I posed. No reference is made to John Paul II’s exhortation to public policy makers concerning the question of abortion. In his encyclical letter Evangelium Vitae he addresses the role of the legislator. In doing so he reminds them in N. 73, “A particular problem of conscience can arise in cases where a legislative vote would be decisive for the passage of a more restrictive law, aimed at limiting the number of authorized abortions, in place of a more permissive law already passed or ready to be voted on. Such cases are not infrequent… [W]hen it is not possible to overturn or completely abrogate a pro-abortion law, an elected official, whose absolute personal opposition to procured abortion was well known, could licitly support proposals aimed at limiting the harm done by such a law and at lessening its negative consequences at the level of general opinion and public morality. This does not in fact represent an illicit cooperation with an unjust law, but rather a legitimate and proper attempt to limit its evil aspects.” In N. 38 of Christifideles Laici (to which the Members of Congress refer) the Pope states: “The Church has never yielded in the face of all the violations that the right to life of every human being has received, and continues to receive, both from individuals and from those in authority. The human being is entitled to such rights, in every phase of development, from conception until natural death; and in every condition, whether healthy or sick, whole or handicapped, rich or poor…If, indeed, everyone has the mission and responsibility of acknowledging the personal dignity of every human being and of defending the right to life, some lay faithful are given a particular title to this task: such as parents, teachers, healthworkers and the many who hold economic and political power.”

These Members of Congress also fail to address the significance of Lumen Gentium when talking about their membership in the “people of God.” It is vital for us all to understand the proper role of each person and the incumbent duties one holds in the Church. We all need to understand clearly who holds the authority to teach and instruct. In Lumen Gentium, NN. 20, 21, 24, 25, the Council explained the duties of bishops as teachers of doctrine, in communion with the Roman Pontiff, endowed with the authority of Christ and rulers who ward off errors that threaten their flocks. As the Second Vatican Council further stated: “The distinction which the Lord has made between the sacred ministers and the rest of the People of God involves union, for the pastors and the other faithful are joined together by a close relationship: the pastors of the Church—following the example of the Lord—should minister to each other and to the rest of the faithful; the latter should eagerly collaborate with the pastors and teachers.” These Members of Congress and the rest of us must be reminded that there are those who have the authority to teach (and not only on one issue). Reiterating instruction on the pressing moral and social issues of the day is the proper role of a teacher, and exercising this responsibility is not mounting scorn on those who are the pupils of this teaching. It is the exercise of a solemn obligation and fundamental moral duty of the bishops to inform the consciences of those entrusted to their pastoral and teaching duties (Lumen Gentium, NN. 21, 27). The claim which these Members of Congress assert is based on this relationship with the Church’s teachers; it is not separate from it.

A word about the exercise of conscience is due here. As John Paul II once said, “the value of democracy stands or falls with the values which it embodies and promotes.” Evangelium Vitae, N. 70. The properly formed conscience is geared to the moral objective order that protects the inherent dignity of all. Notwithstanding the claims made by these Members of Congress, one must ask and address the question about the role of the Catholic legislator regarding the matter of abortion and how the Catholic legislator has been asked to tackle it—in the exercise of good conscience well formed and reflecting the objective moral order. It would seem that the voting records of many of these legislators who signed the Statement of Principles do not reflect the proper exercise of conscience as the Church teaches about it. If this is the case, the principal teachers, i.e., bishops and pastors, have a lot to do to ensure that the members of their flock who sit in the Congress are well informed about their duties and the exercise of conscience so that their words and deeds will be in accord with Catholic teachings—teachings on which these legislators claim they rely. In the meantime, the rest of us also have our own duties as disciples, and one of them is to pray for our sisters and brothers who are elected to Congress and the teachers whom God has appointed to guide them.   RJA sj