Catholics: Voting easier said than done

By Nancy Kelsey
Reporter

With election polls fluctuating like the weight of someone on a bad diet, many Catholics are still looking for a candidate to feed their religious and political appetites, a task some say is not completely possible in this election.
Catholic voters, as polarized as the rest of the nation, may face an unexpectedly tough decision on Election Day.
They will likely be torn between a candidate who is pro-life and one who is not. They might encounter further dilemmas when they consider issues like the war in Iraq, gay marriage and social justice concerns.

There is a liberal facet of the Catholic Church in addition to the conservative side, said Dr. Terry Clark, professor of Political Science. The two are at odds with each other on different issues in the election.

The liberal side, which usually votes Democratic, dislikes the idea of single-issue voting. Abortion has become the issue of choice for single-issue voters, and the leftist side of the church wants to change that, the self-described non-Catholic, conservative-leaning Clark said. Liberal Catholics are generally viewed as elitists who see conservatives as uneducated, uniformed or unsympathetic.

“ When it comes to the pro-life issue, they think only of abortion,” said the Rev. Bert Thelen, S.J., of the single-issue voter. “A lot of Catholics use the issue of abortion to vote their party lines.”

That becomes a sticky situation though, Thelen said.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops developed a list of important factors for Catholic voters to consider. The document, titled “Faithful Citizenship,” does not endorse any candidate or party.

On the list are seven key issues including abortion, peace, gay marriage and social justice. These will likely top the list for the Catholic voter, Thelen said.

The document clearly provides a conflict for its American readers. In one part it denounces abortion, in another it condemns the pre-emptive strike.
So which candidate will grab the Catholic vote? The answer is not simple.

“ This is the first election I remember where there’s such division in the Catholic Church,” Thelen said. “I think what the Catholic Church needs to do is seek common ground. Christ came to unite people in love.”

Finding a presidential candidate with a clear plan for peace will not happen in this election, Thelen said. However, because the president has undertaken the war in Iraq, Thelen will not support Bush in the upcoming election.

According to Thelen, Catholics are never told to vote for a certain candidate. They are told to vote their consciences by weighing the information.

Dr. Russell Reno, professor of Theology, said he does not see a conflict with Catholics voting Republican.

“ I personally think Iraq will serve to promote peace,” Reno said. “I should vote to empower the least advantaged in our society. The welfare state is disempowering rather than empowering.”

His vote for Bush would be in conjunction with the beliefs of the Catholic church, Reno said.

“ Republican policies are deeply flawed but are slightly better than Democratic policies, which are also deeply flawed,” Reno said. “I see the Republican Party as good for the poor and unborn. I feel no dilemma.”

Dr. Bette Evans, professor of Political Science, said she sees a dilemma.

“ Up till now it wasn’t a war issue. It was social issues pulling them to the right and economic issues pulling to the left,” Evans said. “Typically Catholic voters were part of the Democratic coalition.”

But over the last 20 years, Catholics have become the swing voters. In this election, the conflict will generally be on war and terror versus abortion, Evans said.

Parties generally have “picked one issue and associated it with Catholicism,” Evans said. “Policy is so much more complex than that. They need to balance the totality of Catholic doctrine.”

In selling the list of parishioners to candidates on both sides and circulating partisan material in church, Catholic leaders are threatening the separation of church and state, Evans said.

Some bishops have overstepped their boundaries in influencing other members of the church, said Roger Bergman, chair of Justice and Peace Studies.

A bishop in Colorado drew national praise and reprimand for advising his parishioners not to seek communion if they planned to vote for a pro-choice candidate.

This is just one demonstration of how politically polarized the church is. Most of the interviewed were in agreement that this election has presented a challenge to Catholic voters in voting their consciences.

“ If you don’t vote with an informed conscience, you’re neglecting your responsibility,” Bergman said.