www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Catholic Vote 2008

Mrs MW and Paul B:

Thanks for making me aware of the above situations and positions.

In Christ,
Alice

If one closely examines the statements of Pope John Paul the Great prior to and during the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq one will see that he was not stating that they do not meet the criteria for a just war, but rather he was really emphasizing that even just wars must be avoided. In Pope Benedict XVI’s address to the United Nations last spring he noted a connection between a nation being sovereign and its duty as such to protect its citizens, and the obligation of other nations to intervene when a nation defaults on this duty. While he didn’t go into specifics it was seen mostly as a rebuke to the United Nations for not resolving the issues in Iraq before the United States was forced to intervene. One may – as a Catholic – legitimately hold that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq meet the Church’s Just War Doctrine.

If one were using the Catholic doctrine of moral proportionality, one would add up all the other issues of the day and ask: “Does the need for [whatever] outweigh the murder of 4,000+ innocents each day in America through abortion?” Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, in his new book “Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life” teaches that the reason would have to be one in which we “could, with an honest heart, expect the unborn victims of abortion to accept when we meet them and need to explain our actions—as we someday will.”

As I have stated numerous times before, if Catholics and other pro-lifers actually voted their values and refused to support any candidate who supports abortion rights the Democrat Party would soon drop its support for legalized abortion. Even if it went neutral it would be a huge step forward.

I know the Church's unbroken position on abortion and the definition of marriage; what is the Church's infallible patristic position on health insurance or energy policy?

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westernorthodox.blogspot.com

My initial thoughts to "Western Orthodox" questions are scriptural:

Regarding health insurance: The parable of the Good Samaritan sums up the teaching that we are to give care when needed, not expecting payment.

Regarding energy policy -- the impoverished Holy Family didn't apply for energy assistance when they gave Birth to the Son of God.

1. The Parable of the Good Samaritan places an obligation upon individuals (not governments) to help those in need. Jesus was willing himself to touch the unclean, to go to the lost, to the outcast, and to the needy. He did not command a big government bureaucracy to attend to those in need. Individuals may freely choose for their governments to provide universal health coverage but there is nothing in the Gospels which requires or even suggests that governments should manage health care. Given the fraud and waste inherent in big government bureaucracies one could very easily consider a possible application of the commands to steward one’s resources wisely as recommending against all big government bureaucracies.

More specifically (and speaking for myself), as it relates to the presidential candidates I do not support socializing health care (Sen. Obama’s position) since socialism never works and only succeeds in dragging everyone down. I have not yet really studied Sen. McCain’s idea for providing a tax credit for individuals to privately purchase health insurance, but it sounds interesting. It means that individuals can choose to purchase health care from private companies that compete for their business (and this means the companies that offer the best care for the lowest cost win the business). [A parallel here would be school choice, where parents are allowed to choose which schools educate their children, with completion forcing bad schools to get better or go out of business.]

2. Not sure what Father Deacon Paul was speaking to in his words on energy policy, but it would seem that an energy policy would flow from the scriptural commands to use God’s gifts wisely.

The Holy Family didn't complain about the cold cave, insisting there there should be an energy subsidy for making the cave more hospitable.

Regarding John's health statement against government sponsored health care, I agree with him. Pres Bush's "faith based" policy is what is proper; calling on Christian, Jewish, Moslem charity to care for those in need. The religious churches in the world have been too dependent on the government. A model like early Greek Catholic, Lutheran, and ethnic lodges could replace "big brother" dictates once taxes, tax laws and judicial "anti-religion" policies change.

Your responses are what I was driving at. The Church does not have a specific directive for the government on health care policy nor energy policy, beyond not banning modern unmercenaries and generally respecting the earth. (BTW, very funny Fr. Dn. Paul about energy!)

From a Catholic point of view, it is impermissible to support socialized medicine. As Pope Pius XI wrote in Quadragesimo Anno [vatican.va], "Religious socialism, Christian socialism, are contradictory terms; no one can be at the same time a good Catholic and a true socialist."

At best, on these issues the Church gives a general goal and leaves specific implementation to human wisdom -- and reasonable people can differ as to how best to pursue them.

The Church's teaching on abortion and marriage are neither vague nor negotiable, and thus must exercise a greater influence over our voting than these more nebulous issues. Ultimately, it boils down to this: God's views must be a weightier force in our voting than our private beliefs.

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Western Orthodoxy Blog [westernorthodox.blogspot.com]