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KENTUCKY-PASTORAL Feb-13-2008 (660 words) xxxn
Kentucky bishops urge Catholic voters to look closely at life issues
By Catholic News Service
FRANKFORT, Ky. (CNS) -- The bishops who head Kentucky's four Catholic dioceses urged the state's Catholics to take a close look at life issues when voting this year.
"All human laws must be measured against the natural law engraved in our hearts by the Creator," said the bishops in a pastoral letter, "Reverence for Life: Conscience and Faithful Citizenship."
"Our religious beliefs affirm basic human rights and obligations that are essential to the fabric of our social life. In particular, respect for human life is numbered among those basic values that underpin the very foundation of civilization," they said.
"What we profess in defense of the sacredness of unborn human life harmonizes with our historic legal tradition founded on the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," they said. "Abortion on demand does not."
"Reverence for Life" was issued Jan. 22, the 35th anniversary of the Supreme Court decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton that legalized abortion virtually on demand.
Signing the pastoral were Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville and Bishops Roger J. Foys of Covington, Ronald W. Gainer of Lexington, and John J. McRaith of Owensboro.
"Unless political life is anchored in common public goods and moral values, society risks succumbing to a moral blindness 'caused by the dazzling effect of power and special interests,'" the bishops said, quoting Pope Benedict XVI's 2006 encyclical, "Deus Caritas Est" ("God Is Love").
Quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the bishops said that "while personal conscience is 'the most secret core and sanctuary of the human person,' it is not a teacher of doctrine."
They added, "The recognition of abortion on demand as (a) legal situation that sanctions an intolerable moral evil calls for a response. A moral evil that negates a public good demands the exercise of a moral responsibility to limit and eliminate that evil."
The claim political candidates have made that they are personally opposed to abortion but unwilling to impose their beliefs on others was condemned by the bishops as "an evasion," "a moral contraction" and "self-deception."
"No one can be excepted from the logical step to translate moral opposition into effective strategies," they added. "If there is a lack of public consensus to effect full legal protection (for the unborn), no one can be excused from working toward creating consensus as a first step."
The bishops said, "We do not seek the formation of a religious voting bloc, nor do we desire to instruct Catholics on how to vote either by endorsing or opposing candidates," but "we do uphold our right and duty to provide moral analysis of the major issues confronting society."
The bishops pledged their own efforts to defend human dignity and promote life:
-- "We need to continue to teach clearly and help other Catholic leaders to teach clearly on our unequivocal commitment to the legal protection of human life from the moment of conception until natural death."
-- "We need to do more to persuade all people that human life is precious and human dignity must be defended. This requires more effective dialogue and engagement with all public officials, especially Catholic officials. We welcome conversation initiated by political leaders themselves."
-- "Catholics need to act in support of these principles and policies in public life. It is the particular vocation of the laity to transform the world. ... As bishops, we do not endorse or oppose candidates. Rather, we seek to form the consciences of our people."
-- "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles."
-- "We commit ourselves to maintain communication with public officials who make decisions every day that touch issues of human life and dignity."
The Kentucky bishops' pastoral is a follow-up to "Reverence for Life: A Need for 'A Heart That Sees,'" which they issued in September.
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