With Election Day Around the Corner, Pray for Religious Liberty

We’ve written about the importance of religious liberty here on Open Wide the Doors before. As people inspired by the life and legacy of Blessed John Paul II and as faithful members of the Church, it is important that we continue to pray for religious liberty in America and around the world.

Election Day is tomorrow, and it is crucial that we cast our votes for religious freedom and for the dignity of every human life. Bishop David Ricken from the diocese of Green Bay reminded Catholics of the “non-negotiables” on the ballot, which “are areas that are ‘intrinsically evil’ and cannot be supported by anyone who is a believer in God or the common good or the dignity of the human person.”

The U.S. Bishops designate six issues as “intrinsically evil” and that “must always be rejected and opposed”:

·       Abortion
·       Embryonic stem-cell research
·       Same-sex marriage
·       Violation of religious liberty
·       Cloning
·       Euthanasia 

They designate six additional issues that do not carry the same weight, but are serious and should be taken into consideration as well:

·       Racism
·       Unjust discrimination
·       Death penalty
·       Unjust war
·       Lack of health care
·       Unjust immigration policy

In his encyclical Evangelium Vitae, Blessed John Paul II wrote:  

…certain that moral truth cannot fail to make its presence deeply felt in every conscience, the Church encourages political leaders, starting with those who are Christians, not to give in, but to make those choices which, taking into account what is realistically attainable, will lead to the re-establishment of a just order in the defense and promotion of the value of life. 

With our prayers and with our votes tomorrow, let us encourage political leaders to recognize the freedom and dignity of every human life.