Time and again, Catholic bishops say there is no such thing as a “Catholic Vote.” In fact, they do not even endorse candidates or support politicians during elections. But they continue to shepherd the flock and enlighten Catholic voters on the prudent use of their freedom to select the next leaders of this country.
Bishops are often quoted as saying that the faithful should vote according to their conscience. Catholics with their informed conscience, they say, are free to discharge their grave and moral responsibility to vote their own candidates according to the principles and teachings of the Church, on the belief that an informed conscience leads to an informed vote.
It’s about time the Church should catalog the performance of Catholic politicians, especially on how they stand on issues of the day. We Catholic faithful may rather support a non-Catholic politician who lives a public life reflecting the Gospel values than a Catholic politician who openly opposes the teachings of the Church.
We therefore challenge Catholic politicians to become proxies of the living Church and be moral exemplars and leaders of our times. We ask them to stand by the commitment of the Church regarding the political, social, moral, and economic issues besetting our society. Their political actions and decisions should be reflective of their enlightened faith and the teachings of the Church.
REGINALD B. TAMAYO
reginaldtamayo@yahoo.com