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Voter ID offers chance to clarify church role in public arena

Faith in the Public ArenaJason Adkins

In any given legislative session in Minnesota, thousands of bills are introduced on every subject imaginable. The Church does not pronounce its view or take a position on the vast majority of bills because it is not within its proper role or competency to offer technical solutions to every social and political challenge.

Instead, the role of the Church in the public arena, as Pope Benedict XVI described it in his speech at Westminster Hall, is to “help purify and shed light upon the application of reason to the discovery of objective moral principles” that are accessible to all people.

Applying those truths to concrete problems is another matter, however, and lies outside the competence of pastors and clergy who are not technicians or politicians.

According to Pope Benedict: “If the Church were to start transforming herself into a directly political subject, she would do less, not more, for the poor and for justice, because she would lose her independence and her moral authority, identifying herself with a single political path and with debatable partisan positions.” (Address to Aparecida Conference, May 13, 2007.)

When the Church speaks

The Church’s need to transcend the partisan fray to maintain the integrity and credibility of her evangelical witness does not mean that the Church never takes a position on particular issues or pieces of legislation.

Sometimes, pastoral experience will guide the bishops to recommend various policies or reforms that they believe are needed to promote human dignity and the common good. They will also offer some general principles and suggest some features of a good piece of legislation. But they will usually stop short of endorsing a particular bill.

An excellent example is the Minnesota Catholic Conference’s recent statement on the need for comprehensive immigration reform. Similar examples include the bishops’ recommendations with regard to budgeting priorities and health care reform.

On other occasions, legislation will plainly contravene objective moral norms, imperil human dignity, or weaken the common good. Conversely, legislation may actually promote justice in a very direct way. In those instances, the Church may support or oppose a particular piece of legislation. The marriage amendment and legislation limiting abortion are perfect examples. But those instances are comparatively few.

Lay Catholic responsibility

On the vast majority of issues, the Church does not take a position because it is the laity, and not the clergy, who are directly responsible for the just ordering of society (“Deus Caritas Est,” No. 29).

To assist the laity in this task, “priests and deacons, assisted by religious and lay leaders of the Church . . . are to teach fundamental moral principles that help Catholics form their consciences correctly, to provide guidance on the moral dimensions of public decisions, and to encourage the faithful to carry out their responsibilities in political life” (USCCB, “Faithful Citizenship,” No. 15).

Equipped with this formation, lay Catholics are called to enter the public arena and work for the common good.

Voter ID amendment

Because many issues involve prudential judgment and technical expertise, it will be the case that lay Catholics disagree about a good many things. The proposed voter ID amendment to the State Constitution on the November ballot is one example. It asks Minnesota voters:

“Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to require all voters to present valid photo identification to vote and to require the state to provide free identification to eligible voters, effective July 1, 2013?”

Some believe the photo ID requirement is necessary to ensure fair elections that are free of corruption.

Others believe that requiring photo ID cards is a solution in search of a non-existent problem, and that the law will disenfranchise vulnerable citizens for whom it will be difficult to obtain identification. The provision in the amendment, however, requiring the issuance of free ID cards to anyone who needs them would seem to address this concern.

The Church does not take a position in support of or opposition to the amendment, but it is not the case that the Church is just ignoring the issue. When elections are held, they should be fair, free from corruption, and everyone who is eligible to vote should be given that opportunity free from unnecessary barriers or intimidation.

Just as it would be outside the Church’s competence, however, to say whether a unicameral or bicameral legislature is better, it would be inappropriate to opine on the proper technical solutions for creating a fair electoral process.

If the law is passed and it turns out that voters are being disenfranchised, then the Church would be compelled to raise its voice. Until then, however, it is up to those entrusted with the common good to implement legislation and create rules that will foster a fair political process.

Jason Adkins is executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference.

Of popes, presidents and peace

Faith in the Public ArenaJason Adkins

Too often today, we hear complaints about the church meddling in politics. We are accused of trying to take the reins of political power and imposing our religion on others. The church, however, does not seek to control the state nor does it wish to impose sectarian beliefs on the public.

Instead, the church seeks to be the conscience of the state, reminding society of the objective norms that are accessible to all and which govern right action. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, the church seeks to “help purify and shed light upon the application of reason to the discovery of objective moral principles.”

This year, we should commemorate one occasion for which everyone should be grateful that the church intervened in the public arena to remind all people of their common humanity.

Averting war

2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which took place in October 1962. The placement of Soviet missiles in Cuba put the world on the brink of nuclear war, with neither the Americans nor the Russians wanting to back down for fear of looking weak.

Both President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev, facing “assured mutual destruction,” sought to avert war, but both were being pressured by agents of war in their respective governments to stand firm and launch a first strike if necessary.

To break the stalemate, it was suggested to President Kennedy that he seek the help of Pope John XXIII. The president agreed, which was ironic given his promise not to let the Holy See dictate his policies as the first Catholic president.

Over the ensuing two days, a flurry of messages was sent between the White House and the Kremlin, with the Vatican serving as the intermediary. Blessed Pope John proposed a public message addressed to all people of good will and, after both leaders agreed, it was read publicly. The pope’s statement, which appeared in newspapers around the world and in the Soviet Union, read as follows:

“We beg all governments not to remain deaf to this cry of humanity. That they do all that is in their power to save peace. They will thus spare the world from the horrors of a war whose terrifying consequences no one can predict. That they continue discussions, as this loyal and open behavior has great value as a witness of everyone’s conscience and before history. Promoting, favoring, accepting conversations, at all levels and in any time, is a rule of wisdom and prudence which attracts the blessings of heaven and earth.”

The pope’s “decisive intervention,” as the Associated Press later described it, helped avert nuclear war. It allowed Krushchev to save face and not look weak by being the reasonable leader who kept the peace by removing the missiles from Cuba.

Papal diplomacy — as well as the efforts of local churches — to secure and maintain peace, or what St. Augustine called “the tranquility of order” (CCC 2304), has long been a feature of international affairs. The Holy See is a permanent observer at the United Nations because of this tradition.

Sadly, the church’s role as a neutral, diplomatic intermediary, which seeks to remind nations of the horrors of war and their obligations to respect international law and justice, often goes unheeded.

In our country, Pope John Paul II’s pleas to the Bush administration not to invade Iraq in 2003 were politely, but arrogantly, dismissed. The result was a war that brought devastation and hundreds of thousands of deaths, has facilitated the near extinction of the ancient Christian community in Iraq, and has unleashed unforeseen political turmoil that has destabilized the entire region.

Few wars satisfy the very strict criteria of a “just war” (CCC 2309). The use of nuclear weapons, in particular, cannot be justified because their use aims to bring an enemy into submission by killing innocent, non-combatant civilians (CCC 2314).

Blessed John Paul II stated clearly the church’s view that war is not a useful tool for solving political disagreements: “No, never again war, which destroys the lives of innocent people, teaches how to kill, throws into upheaval even the lives of those who do the killing and leaves behind a trail of resentment and hatred, thus making it all the more difficult to find a just solution of the very problem which provoked the war” (“Centesimus Annus,” No. 52).

Threat still lurks

Today, sadly, the drumbeat of war continues. Besides the recent American incursion into Libya, and the decade-long war in Afghanistan (not to mention our continued presence in Iraq), the threat of war lurks in relations with Iran, North Korea and Syria. The current administration is even rattling sabers in Southeast Asia, where we are expanding our military presence in places such as Australia to thwart Chinese expansion in the region.

The best efforts of popes, bishops, and church diplomats to avert war will be ignored unless all Catholics and people of good will stand against it. “All citizens and all governments are obliged to work for the avoidance of war” (CCC 2308).

Let us join our voices and prayers to those working for just solutions to the political conflicts of today.

Blessed are the peacemakers.

Jason Adkins is executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference.

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