Defense of innocent human life should be “uppermost” in the mind of Catholic voters at election time, the bishop of Allentown, Pennsylvania, has told Catholics in his diocese.
In a letter issued Sept. 9 on voting in the upcoming presidential elections, Bishop Alfred Schlert of Allentown said that “abortion and euthanasia are the ‘preeminent’ issues in forming an opinion about how to vote,” citing Catholic teaching as outlined by the U.S. bishops and Pope Francis.
Schlert cited Pope John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation Christifideles Laici to underline this point; that document stated that “the right to health, to home, to work, to culture is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination.”
Catholics, Schlert said, should be voting with the intent of protecting innocent human life “uppermost” in their minds.
“While there is no initiative on the part of the Church to support one candidate over another,” said Schlert, “it is an indispensable obligation of bishops, priests, and deacons to inform the faithful about the hierarchy of issues that must be considered in conscience by every voting Catholic.”
Bishop Schlert exhorted Catholics to vote, but to do so in a serious manner and with a “well-formed conscience.”
Voters could be faced with “many challenges and much soul-searching” in this election cycle, he noted, as “[t]here never are, and are not now, perfect candidates for office.”
Nevertheless Catholics should form their consciences according to the teaching of the Church, “especially on the overriding, foundational issues of abortion and euthanasia,” he said.
Abortion has been addressed extensively by both presidential candidates, President Donald Trump and former vice president Joe Biden.
Trump has promised to “fully defund the big abortion industry of our taxpayer dollars” and “overcome Democratic filibusters in Congress” to sign a 20-week abortion ban and legislation protecting babies who survive abortion attempts.
Biden supports taxpayer-funded abortion, and has said that his health care “public option” would fund abortion and contraception, and has promised to review state laws regulating abortions, such as ultrasound or parental consent requirements.
The issues of euthanasia or of doctor-prescribed suicide do not appear in the 2020 Democratic Party platform; the 2020 Republican Party platform, recycled from 2016, states its opposition to euthanasia and assisted suicide.
Full story at Catholic News Agency.
May God bless this good, clear bishop. Not only is he clear about life, when statues and monuments were being lawlessly destroyed, he wrote, “The almost ruthless push to erase history flows contrary to what we need as human beings and as a society. To eradicate our history — the good, the bad, and the shameful aspects of it — is to make us orphans. Nothing in Sacred Scripture would ever support the forgetting or destruction of history.” He preaches about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, leads people in the Rosary and even offered an indulgence to those who attended the March for Life.
And, for those of you who love the TLM, there is an FSSP parish in Allentown. Of course, another always reverent Liturgy is our Greek Catholic Divine Liturgy at the Byzantine Catholic parish in town. :)
Let us continue to pray for all of our bishops. May God grant them wisdom, courage, grace and strength.
Amen, Deacon Anderson.
God bless him!
The good Bishop should also remind his Catholic members that by Canon Law Mr. Biden self excommunicated himself from the Catholic Church when he took the public position that he supported abortion. This is automatic and needs no hearing. Robert Lockwood
I didn’t know that. Good info, thank you.
All faithful Catholics should thank Bishop Schlert for his clarity in tearing the disgraceful and discredited “seamless garment” theory to shreds. Great to hear from a bishop who understands and teaches the importance of prioritizing of issues, with life at the top. May his brother bishops join him!
I am voting with life “uppermost in mind” and that is why I am voting for Joe Biden, a practicing Roman Catholic, for president. At a town hall meeting this week President Trump said he is in favor of “herd mentality” – he meant to say herd immunity. According to scientific experts, 2.5 to 4 million people would have to die for the United States to achieve partial herd immunity. While Trump may be anti abortion, he is not pro-life. Promoting herd immunity is a form of euthanasia for older Americans.
Older adults (most) have the opportunity to protect themselves. Their families can take actions to protect them. Our local, state and federal governments have taken actions to protect them.
Unborn babies are helpless against their murderers. Their mother, and possibly other family members, seek to destroy them. The government refuses to protect them.
Harold just admit you are a never Trumper and you would vote for anybody else. Everyone knows Biden is fake Catholic, euthanasia will be done on him by Kamala and fake Catholic Nancy, that’s not pro life.
Hey Carlos: I voted for Trump in 2016. He has been an abject failure as president.
Yo Harold, 1st: don’t believe you voted for Trump and 2nd: you don’t understand winning. Maybe go to mass before going back to work for Soros.
Thank you, bishop, as I will vote a straight Democratic ticket because of my concern to defend the innocent lives of Blacks and other minorities against police brutality and to dismantle the systemic racist institutions in America that endanger and oppress innocent minority lives, all of which Biden/Harris promise to do.
What about all the minority lives that never get to see the light of day because of abortion and the funding of an organization that started as a way to get rid of blacks before they were even conceived?
Abortion is the #1 killer of blacks in America. Over 1000 black lives are ended by abortion every day.
Anonymous: the majority of COVID19 deaths are among older adults and elderly – particularly those residing in congregant care facilities.
Abortion is one if five non-negotiables…
Dignity of life ought be upperminds in the Catholic voter.
Children ripped from wombs. Children ripped from their parents. Children who bring home viruses to their grandparents.
it’s not as simple as we think.
Actually, it is simple, you just prefer to mix issues and call them equally important, they are not.
If you care about children “YFC”, remember the ones who will be victimized by statuary rapists because of a bill you defended. Your prioritization of homosexual practices has put thousands of kids at risk yet you find “dignity of life” in it. Anyone can claim the Catholic name, as do you and Biden, but the rotten fruit is seen by all.
Kristin, it’s only simple if you ignore most of what is going on. Even I can make a simple souffle if I leave out the butter and the cream.
“YFC”, being fully engaged and informed brings clarity and simplicity which perhaps could bring you peace. Ignored are the children at risk of homosexual statutory rape thanks to a terrible law you supported.
A bishop reminding the flock to vote Pro-Life is a good simple message. Embrace and take heed!
You are putting your soul in mortal danger too.
If I end up I hell for voting for Biden, I’ll be in good company with all the priests who molested and soul murdered innocent children and the Bishops who protected said priests.
They repented.
Only a liberal thinks those priests are part of good company
There is no good company in hell and yet you are so flippant. Big mistake, Harold.
Slowly but surely we are hearing Truth fo a few bishops.
Harold and Debbie, I recommend that you watch this YouTube.
https://youtu.be/3-7eoTN2vNM
As Bishop Joseph Strickland tweeted yesterday: “GET OVER IT….this election is about the Sanctity of Life,true marriage between a man & a woman, supporting the nuclear family and sexual morality based on biblical truth….all other issues depend on this moral foundation…choose the party that supports these MORAL TRUTHS.”
The Democrat Party cannot tolerate even one prolife representative. A black pro-life Tennessee state representative is running as an independent after he was ousted from the Democratic Party for his views on life and marriage. As a former Democrat, what happened to John DeBerry is despicable.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pro-life-democrat-john-deberry-delisted-by-party-runs-for-tn-house-as-independent-44986
Oh yes. The Republican Party is the party of traditional morals! Ahhhh….what about the pro-gay log cabin group that was ecstatic that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage? So much for the Republican Party being the Christian party!
I hate election years.
Does the bishop have any opinion of children in cages or children being ripped from their parents? Will he comment on the need for health care for all people regardless of their preexistent conditions? Will he opine on the obligation of society to help support the fetus when it is born if the parents are unable to provide adequate care?