The United States isn’t the only country with elections coming up. Earlier today, Pope Benedict XVI met with Bishops in Brazil as the country prepares to vote in a presidential election this weekend.
Even though our Pope was speaking to the bishops in Brazil, what he said can certainly be applied to Catholics in US as we head to the polls this crucial election cycle:
”Dear brother bishops, to defend life we must not fear hostility or unpopularity, and we must refuse any compromise or ambiguity which might conform us to the world’s way of thinking.”
…
Pope Benedict told the Brazilian bishops that while direct involvement in politics is the responsibility of the laity, “when the fundamental rights of the person or the salvation of souls requires it, pastors have a serious duty to make moral judgments even in political matters.”
Certain actions and political policies, such as abortion and euthanasia, are “intrinsically evil and incompatible with human dignity” and cannot be justified for any reason, the pope said.
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Bishops and priests have an obligation to help Catholic laity live in a way that that is faithful to the Gospel in every aspect of their lives, including their political choices, he said. “This also means that in certain cases, pastors should remind all citizens of their right and duty to use their vote to promote the common good,” the pope said. (Catholic News Service)
Pope Benedict is right on target. As St. Michael Society has written before, Catholics have a moral duty to vote, and to vote to protect the dignity of the person in all its stages. Like Benedict says, we shouldn’t fear “hostility of unpopularity.” The truth is the truth and it doesn’t matter if it’s unpopular or not.
Vote Catholic next Tuesday.
St. Michael Society friend, Matt Warner, has a terrific post on his blog, 
