INTRODUCTION Why vote?
Our actions matter, and so does our vote, because it can turn our country’s government towards greater justice.
Our vote can lead to greater economic security and opportunity, or marginalization and hopelessness – for the peoples of Canada and for our brothers and sisters in need around the world.
That is what’s at stake every time we vote – or fail to vote. Economic security and opportunity are not automatic in any democracy. We must take seriously our commitments as citizens. Voting is one of the most basic rights in a free and democratic society.
What role does our faith play in society?
The fundamental message of the Gospels and Catholic Social Teaching is this: We are responsible for one another, especially for the most vulnerable and the poor. As Canada’s Catholic Bishops noted in “A Church Seeking Justice,”
Pope Francis has put special emphasis on “human dignity and labour, war and peace, and the economics of exclusion and isolation and the need to act for justice.” He has reminded us of God’s undying concern “for those trapped in poverty, prisoners, refugees, the unemployed, and for many others on the margins and peripheries of society” (#1).
Catholic Social Teaching is an essential part of Catholic faith. This teaching is rooted in statements by Popes, ecumenical Church councils such as Vatican II, the world’s Catholic Bishops and the Tradition of the Church. Through Catholic Social Teaching, we find the strength to stay true to what the Gospel and the Church’s social mission call us to do. When we are preparing to vote, Catholic Social Teaching prompts us to be responsible citizens and ensure that the government we elect • works for social justice and human dignity • is committed to community and the common good • protects human rights • puts the needs of the poor and vulnerable first • recognizes its stewardship in the care of creation • assures everyone’s participation in civic life • respects the basic rights of workers • helps citizens carry out their societal responsibilities, and • promotes peace through mutual respect of peoples and nations.
How can voting help us build a more just society? Every election campaign involves issues that we need to address if we hope to build a more just society for everyone. For most of us, the issues that are top of mind are those that affect us personally. These are important, but they are not the only issues that matter. There are some issues we might overlook: they don’t affect us or the people we know directly. Instead, they affect the most vulnerable among us. But because we are one body, one community, these issues are ours as well.
When we vote, we can express our hope for a government that will play a positive moral role: • promoting human dignity • protecting human rights, and • building the common good. In this booklet, you will find reflections on seven key issues – issues that will have an impact on creating the type of just society we hope to build: 1. human dignity 2. poverty 3. homelessness 4. health care 5. Indigenous issues 6. newcomers 7. the environment
For each one, we introduce the issue and share brief excerpts from Scripture, Popes, Church councils, Canadian Bishops and Catholic Social Teaching. Our aim is to help guide you as you figure out what questions to ask candidates and ultimately decide how you will vote.
Our social teaching tells us… Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”— Matthew 25:34-36
[Solidarity] … is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all.—Pope John Paul II, Sollicitudo rei socialis (On Social Concerns)
I ask God to give us more politicians capable of sincere and effective dialogue aimed at healing the deepest roots – and not simply the appearances – of the evils in our world! Politics, though often denigrated, remains a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it seeks the common good.—Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), #205
[The common good is] the sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfillment…. —Gaudium et spes (The Church in the Modern World), #26
To read and download this 34 page educational voters guide prepared by the Catholic Charities of Toronto click here: https://www.catholiccharitiestor.org/CC/media/catholic-charities/news/For-Heaven-s-Sake-Vote-2019-FINAL.pdf