Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship

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Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship

• Washington State Catholic Conference

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Mission of the WSCC

• The Washington State Catholic Conference is the
  common voice of the Catholic bishops of the
  Archdiocese of Seattle, the Diocese of Spokane
  and the Diocese of Yakima. Our mission is rooted
  in the Catholic communitys belief in the
  inviolate dignity of the human person, its
  tradition of service to the most vulnerable of
  society, and its firm commitment to a just and
  peaceful world.

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Faith and Public Policy

• The Churchs obligation to participate in shaping
  the moral character of society is a requirement
  of our faith.
• Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, US
  Conference of Catholic Bishops

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Faithful Citizenship

• For Catholics, public virtue is as important as
  private virtue in building up the common good.
  In the Catholic tradition, responsible
  citizenship is a virtue participation in the
  political process is a moral obligation. It is
  an essential part of our calling as disciples.
• Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, US
  Conference of Catholic Bishops

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• It is increasingly apparent that major public
  issues have clear moral dimensions and that
  religious values have significant public
  consequences.
• Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, US
  Conference of Catholic Bishops

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• This millennium requires a new kind of politics,
  focused more on moral principles than on the
  latest polls, more on the needs of the poor and
  vulnerable than the contributions of the rich and
  powerful.
• Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, US
  Conference of Catholic Bishops

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• The believers participation in the social
  discourse as such is not a matter of inducing
  others to accept our religious beliefs and our
  religious principles, but of persuading others
  that the implications of our religious beliefs
  are, in fact, beneficial to society on societys
  own terms, that they responsibly address the
  questions which are the subject of the social
  conversation.
• Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, US
  Conference of Catholic Bishops

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Separation of Church and State

• Our nation is enriched and our tradition of
  pluralism enhanced when religious groups
  contribute to the debate over the policies that
  guide the nation.
• Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, US
  Conference of Catholic Bishops

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Participation in the Public Square

• Public policy is reflective of a societys values
• We seek to promote the common good
• Our values and beliefs inform how we advocate

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How does the Church help the Catholic faithful
to speak about political and social Issues?

• Helping to develop a well-formed conscience
• Encouraging the development of the virtue of
  prudence

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Political Choices

• We recognize that the responsibility to make
  choices in political life rests with each
  individual in light of a properly formed
  conscience . . .
• Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, US
  Conference of Catholic Bishops

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Conscience Formation

• Gather Facts
• Reflect on Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching
• Determine the consistency with fundamental moral
  principles
• Examine your motives and emotions
• Discuss with others
• Pray
• Make a decision

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Critical role of prudence

• Prudence shapes and informs our ability
• to deliberate over available alternatives,
• to determine what is most fitting to a specific
  context, and
• to act decisively
• Exercising this virtue often requires the
  courage to act in defense of moral principles
  when making decisions about how to build a
  society of justice and peace.

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Doing Good and Avoiding Evil

• Aided by the virtue of prudence in the exercise
  of well-formed consciences, Catholics are called
  upon to make practical judgments regarding good
  and evil choices in the political arena.
• Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,
  US Conference of Catholic Bishops

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Two temptations in public life

• First
• A moral equivalence that makes no ethical
  distinctions between different kinds of issues
  involving human life and dignity.
• Intentional destruction of innocent human life is
  not just one issue among many.
• Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, US
  Conference of Catholic Bishops

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Two temptations in public life

• Second
• The misuse of these necessary moral
  distinctions as a way of dismissing or ignoring
  other serious threats to human life and dignity.
• Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, US
  Conference of Catholic Bishops

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Second Temptation (cont.)

• Racism and other unjust discrimination, the use
  of the death penalty, resorting to unjust war,
  the use of torture, war crimes, the failure to
  respond to those who are suffering from hunger or
  a lack of health care, or an unjust immigration
  policy are all serious moral issues that
  challenge our consciences and require us to act.
• These are not optional concerns which can be
  dismissed.
• Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, US
  Conference of Catholic Bishops

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What influences your voting?

• Your Catholic faith
• Societal beliefs/pressures
• Allegiance to a political party
• Your personal opinions
• Media
• Other people

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What are the values / principles that guide us
on issues?
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Key Elements of Catholic Social Teachings

• Life and dignity of the human person. The
  Catholic Church proclaims that human life is
  sacred and that the dignity of the human person
  is the foundation of a moral vision for society.
• Call to family, community, and participation. The
  person is not only sacred but also social. How
  we organize our society in economics and
  politics, in law and policy directly affects
  human dignity and the capacity of individuals to
  grow in community.
• Rights and responsibilities. The Catholic
  tradition teaches that human dignity can be
  protected and a healthy community can be achieved
  only if human rights are protected and
  responsibilities are met.

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Key Elements of Catholic Social Teaching

• Option for the poor and vulnerable. A basic
  moral test is how our most vulnerable members are
  faring.
• The dignity of work and the rights of workers.
  The economy must serve people, not the other way
  around.
• Solidarity. We are one human family whatever our
  national, racial, ethnic, economic, and
  ideological differences.
• Care for Gods Creation. We show our respect for
  the Creator by our stewardship of creation.

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Application of Catholic Teaching to Public Policy

• End of Life Issues
• Assisted Suicide
• I-1000

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FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES forCATHOLIC
TEACHING ON LIFE
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First Principle

GODS DOMINION AND HUMAN STEWARDSHIP

• God is the Creator and human persons owe their
  creation to God.
• Human life is a gift, a sacred trust.
• Human persons have a right to the use of the gift
  of life, not a right to dominion over life.
• Human responsibility for life is one of
  stewardship, not ownership.

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Second Principle THE SANCTITY OF LIFE

• Each person has worth and dignity because she or
  he is made in the image of God.
• The value and dignity of human life result solely
  from Gods creating and sustaining love.

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Two obligations flow from the Sanctity of Life
principle

• The obligation to nurture and support life
• The obligation not to harm or destroy life

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Third Principle THE PROHIBITION AGAINST
KILLING

• Human persons have an obligation to protect life
  and an obligation not to destroy it.
• The Commandment You shall not kill does not
  prohibit all killing but only allows it for the
  protection of the person and the community.
• The Commandment protects the bonds of a community
  by prohibiting the arbitrary taking of life by an
  individual.

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To clarify this principle it is necessary to
distinguish between killing and allowing to die

• Killing is any intentional action or omission
  bringing about the death of another.
• Allowing to die is withholding or withdrawing
  futile or over-burdensome treatment.

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Principle of Ordinary and Extraordinary Means.

• Ordinary means are all medicines, treatments,
  procedures, and technology that offer a
  reasonable hope of benefit and which can be
  obtained without excessive pain, expense or
  burden.
• Extraordinary means refers to all medicines,
  treatments, procedures and technology that do not
  offer a reasonable hope of benefit or cannot be
  obtained or used without excessive pain, expense
  or burden.

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• Catholics have a moral obligation to use
  ordinary means to preserve their lives. They
  also may choose to use extraordinary means, but
  they have no obligation to do so.
• But normally one is held to use only
  ordinary meansaccording to the circumstances of
  persons, places, times, and culture that is to
  say, means that do not involve any grave burden
  for oneself or another. (Pope Pius XII)

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• Each of us decides the benefits and burdens of
  treatment according to our own physical, mental,
  emotional and spiritual health at the time of the
  decision. A particular treatment for one person
  may be a benefit while the same treatment for
  another person may be a burden.

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Difference between withholding treatment and
assisted suicide.

• Assisted suicide is participating in the
  taking of the life of another.
• The intention is to cause death.

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The answer lies in the intention.

• --If the intent is to cause the person to die,
  this is assisted suicide and not morally
  permissible.
• --But if the intention is to allow nature to take
  its course, that is, to allow the person to die
  of his/her underlying disease process without
  unnecessarily prolonging the inevitable process
  of dying, then it is allowable to withhold or
  withdraw a treatment or procedure.

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• Each decision must apply the principles, but
  must be made on an individual basis after
  evaluating all of the circumstances.

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Fourth Principle INTERDEPENDENCE

• Human persons are created as social beings, a
  community of loving persons.
• Because we live in a community of interdependent
  persons, no one persons freedom is absolute.
• Other persons welfare must be taken into
  consideration.
• Individual freedom must be balanced with the
  common good.
• Scandal.

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Principles can guide us when we talk about end of
life

• The topic touches all of us
• We all have stories that influence us
• Emotions and experiences influence our
  perspective
• But do stories and individual cases make good
  law?

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What is the function of law?

• It enables us to live together as a society, a
  people
• It upholds our common values
• It protects vulnerable and defenseless people

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Reasons for NOT CHANGING THE LAW on assisted
suicide?

• Potential Harm
• 1. Does the potential harm outweigh the potential
  good?
• 2. Can we create enough or adequate safeguards?

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Initiative 1000

• Initiative 1000, as proposed, would legalize
  physician assisted suicide in Washington State.

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To qualify for physician assisted suicide, a
patient must

• Be at least 18 years old
• Prove WA. State residency
• Be diagnosed with a terminal illness that will
  lead to death within six months
• Be mentally competent to make health care
  decisions
• Make decision voluntarily

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I-1000 Would Legalize Assisted Suicide

• I-1000 changes the moral stance against the
  taking of innocent human life
• I-1000 promotes the belief that if a person feels
  as if they are a burden, killing oneself should
  be considered.
• I-1000 suggests that the answer to pain,
  loneliness, or poor quality of life, is to kill
  oneself.

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I-1000 is a dangerous initiative

• I-1000 places vulnerable people, such as the
  disabled, the poor and elderly, at risk for
  abuse.
• I-1000 does not require notification of spouses
  or family members in cases where someone requests
  suicide. Loved ones could be assisted in their
  suicide and you might never know it until after
  their death.
• I-1000 actually makes it easy for a depressed
  loved one to commit suicide. The initiative does
  not require a psychological evaluation of those
  requesting assisted suicide, even though
  depression is a normal reaction to receiving a
  terminal diagnosis.

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For Parish LeadershipWSCC has published
Guidelines for Parishes and Agencies on Political
Activity
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You Can Make a Difference

• Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
  committed citizens can change the world.
• It is the only thing that ever has.
• - Margaret Mead