Arpad Nagy's blog

Voting: What the Church Actually Teaches—Explaining the Faith (youtube.com)

By Fr. Chris Alar, MIC.

In this presentation, Fr. Chris Alar explains how church teaching informs Catholics when voting.

I believe that the principles presented in this video are also of great value for people of other denominations or faith background. But especially for Catholics, it is important to know that the Catholic Church has something to say about informing our conscience and in voting.

Fr. Chris Alar gave this presentation leading up to the 2020 American federal election. As we are in Quebec, Canada, our system of government is different than that of our neighbors to the south, and certain things in the presentation must be adapted for our Canadian reality. For example, in the USA, electors will vote directly for their president, whereas in Canada, we vote for the member of parliament who will represent us in federal parliament. We will not be voting for Trudeau or Poilievre or Singh—their names will not be seen on the ballot unless you live in their riding. Also, this presentation presents the material as if there were two main options. Here in the Canadian political realm, there are several major and minor political parties to consider when voting. Apart from differences as such, I find this talk very pertinent to our Canadian reality. 

Fr. Alar opens his talk by explaining that although the Church does not endorse political parties or candidates, “It is a part of the Church's mission "to pass moral judgments even in matters related to politics, whenever the fundamental rights of man or the salvation of souls requires it. The means, the only means, she may use are those which are in accord with the Gospel and the welfare of all men according to the diversity of times and circumstances.” — CCC2246. Priests have an obligation to promote the common good in society and also have a duty to the faithful in equipping them with tools to properly form their conscience in all aspects of life.

Forming one’s conscience is one of the important points of this presentation. Not only is it of importance for our own salvation, but it should also lay a path as a guide in public decision making. Catholics are to change the thinking of political leaders with the tools of our faith. It is the job of priests to give us those tools. A properly formed conscience should also guide our choice of affiliation and implication in a political party, as well as voting choice.

One important fact that is emphasized throughout the video is that Catholics are not to be single-issue voters. We do need to consider every policy of a candidate, since many things make up the common good, not only abortion. For example, the economy, healthcare and immigration all play a role in creating a stable society and promote the common good. Fr. Alar quotes Pope Francis in Evangelium Gaudium, that “personal moral character is not unimportant, but it is the stated commitment to public policy in keeping with the common good which is the most significant factor.”

What it is important to note here is that not all issues are equal in importance. Many things are good for some bad for others. These are open to debate. We can call these “negotiables.” A certain tax may be good for some but bad for others. A certain immigration policy may be good for some, but bad for others. Other things are always bad. Things that are intrinsic evils are always bad. Thus, when intrinsic evils influence public policy, these things are considered non-negotiable. It is important to note that while a candidate may commit mortal sins in his or her private life, it is the three non-negotiables according to the Catholic Church that are related to public policy that make that candidate worthy or unworthy of public office.

According to the Catholic Church, these are the three non-negotiables a Catholic must consider when voting for a candidate. They are:

1. Protection of life at all stages, from conception to natural death (abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning)
2. Sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman
3. Preservation of religious liberty

All other policies would be considered negotiable. And since we are not to be single-issue voters, we do need to consider all as important, but some as more important. Since non-negotiables are never acceptable, how a candidate stands on these three non-negotiables is the test of whether they are worthy to stand in public office. A perfect candidate must align with the three non-negotiables. The important thing to note here is that we cannot mix apples and oranges. We must make a deliberate analysis based on non-negotiables first, and only after consider the negotiables. Fr. Alar recommends that we should take these steps to vote for each office:

1-determine how each candidate stands on the non-negotiables.

2-rank candidates on non-negotiables

3-give preference to candidates that don’t oppose these principles

4-where every candidate endorses positions contrary to non-negotiables, choose the one that is the least harmful

5- if these issues are equal, then evaluate on negotiables.

If there is a viable option, we have an obligation to vote. Fr. Alar explains well in his talk of what we should do to compare candidates that agree with one of the non-negotiables, but not all three. He also expands on the obligation of voting and the rare circumstances where not voting may be an option.

Throughout this presentation, Fr. Alar often clarifies that he is not sharing his personal opinions, but the teaching of the Catholic Church. He draws from numerous resources, including (but not limited to):

Moral duties of voting, What is intrinsic Evil by George Jay, Catechism of the Catholic Church, Voters guide for serious Catholics, Vote pro-life by Tom Hoopes, Catholic and Civil Witness, Election year issues NCR, “Catholics in Political Life” (General Secretary, USCCB), Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: the US bishops’ reflection on Catholic teaching and political life 2015, 2019.

I encourage every Catholic to intently listen through this presentation found here on YouTube. In this blog entry, I have only skimmed through the major points of the presentation, and as people of faith, it is crucial to understand how our faith intertwines with our political implication. If we are to be faithful Catholics, it is an obligation to be a faithful Catholic in all departments of life. Fr. Alar has provided us with a clear guide based in the teachings of the Catholic Church in terms of voting.