Being involved in politics is answering the call to God and neighbor, Jeff Caruso, executive director of the Virginia Catholic Conference (VCC), stressed in his presentation “Called to Faithful Citizenship” Sept. 22 at St. Joseph in Hampton.
Being politically active can simply be advocating for or against legislation that upholds or threatens the dignity of life.
The VCC, created in 2004, can help a faithful citizen do just that.
The organization – the public policy agency of Virginia’s Catholic bishops and their two dioceses – tracks, researches and analyzes legislation which affects the dignity of life, protects religious liberty, ensures social justice and upholds family life and education, Caruso said.
Although the VCC works with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), about 90% of VCC’s efforts address bills and issues on the state level. The VCC advocates before Virginia’s General Assembly, U.S. Congress, state and federal administrations and their agencies.
The organization also relies on the 13,000 to 14,000 individuals in its advocacy network, which is made up of individuals who subscribe to VCC. The agency encourages the individuals in the network to react to issues by praying, writing letters to legislators and meeting with them.
Other ways one can be a faithful citizen is by voting, staying informed of issues and engaging in dialogue about the issues, Caruso said.
When a bill related to Catholic social teaching comes before the General Assembly, the VCC writes and sends an email that alerts the advocacy network and shares the Catholic stance on it. The email also includes a sample letter about the issue which recipients can electronically sign and submit. The VCC emails the advocacy network similar alerts written by the USCCB on national issues.
To be a faithful citizen, one must address the interconnected four principles of Catholic social teaching: dignity of the human person, the common good, solidarity and subsidiarity, Caruso said.
Dignity of the human person is the “bedrock of social teaching” as it is the foundation for a moral vision of society, Caruso said.
Since each person is created in the image and likeness of God, each person has intrinsic worth, and faithful citizenship requires one to address policies that affect that worth, Caruso said.
Presently, “the threat of abortion remains our pre-eminent priority because it directly attacks our most vulnerable and voiceless brothers and sisters and destroys more than a million lives per year in our country alone,” Caruso read from a USCCB bulletin insert for “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.”
Other grave threats to life and dignity include euthanasia, gun violence, terrorism, the death penalty and human trafficking. The bulletin insert said there is also “the redefinition of marriage and gender, threats to religious freedom at home and abroad, lack of justice for the poor, the suffering of migrants and refugees, wars and famines around the world, racism, the need for greater access to healthcare and education, care for our common home, and more.”
Only when individuals’ rights are respected and basic responsibilities are met can the common good be fostered, Caruso said. As faithful citizens strive to be a neighbor to all, they must “pursue the common good in order that every individual and people can flourish.”
Solidarity recognizes that everyone is part of one human family, and one must commit to the good of all and to each individual regardless of one’s nationality, race, ethnicity, economic status or ideological differences, Caruso said.
He added that we are in solidarity with people we know as well as with people “on the opposite side of the globe.” According to the USCCB bulletin, faithful citizens must work to eradicate poverty, disease and racism, and must welcome immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. They should lobby for laws and policies that prioritize the vulnerable – unborn children, persons with disabilities, the elderly, the terminally ill, victims of injustice and oppression, and immigrants.
Caruso cited the bulletin insert on the principle of subsidiarity which “reminds us that larger institutions in society (such as the state or federal government) should not overwhelm or interfere with smaller or local institutions (such as the family, local schools or the Church community). Yet larger institutions have essential responsibilities when local institutions cannot adequately protect human dignity, meet human needs or advance the common good.”
Although VCC and its advocacy network adhere to Catholic teachings, they are not imposing Catholic faith in making recommendations. Rather they address wide issues that affect everyone, and sometimes they work with other churches and organizations to gain support on an issue. The issues are “truths that society needs to function and flourish,” Caruso said.
“To participate in political life is loving our neighbor,” Caruso said.
Read more about VCC election resources.
Editor’s Note: Jeff Caruso will present “Called to Faithful Citizenship” at 7 p.m. October 9 at St. Therese Church in Chesapeake.