Every four years, Catholics face an intense dilemma in regard to the vote. There are ardently Catholic Democrats who wonder how their co-religionists could possibly choose a Republican candidate, and there are ardently Catholic Republicans who express precisely the opposite opinion. And both sides, typically, look with eagerness to their bishops and priests to resolve the tension. Each presidential election cycle, the Church endeavors to clarify the issue, usually to the satisfaction of very few. However, under the rubric of “once more unto the breach, dear friends,” let me try to provide some direction by articulating four basic principles. First, Catholic social teaching clearly goes beyond the split between Republican and Democrat, between liberal and conservative, and therefore corresponds perfectly with neither political camp. Anyone who says that either of our political parties perfectly, or even adequately, represents Catholic social thought is simply misinformed. Broadly speaking, the Democratic Party advocates…

Cada cuatro años, los católicos se enfrentan a un dilema intenso con respecto a la votación. Hay demócratas ardientemente católicos que se preguntan cómo otros católicos pueden elegir un candidato republicano, y hay republicanos ardientemente católicos que expresan precisamente la opinión opuesta. Y ambos lados, típicamente, miran con ansias a sus obispos y sacerdotes para resolver la tensión. Cada ciclo de elecciones presidenciales, la Iglesia se esfuerza por aclarar el tema, generalmente para la satisfacción de muy pocos. Sin embargo, bajo la rúbrica de “una vez más a la brecha, queridos amigos”, permítanme tratar de proporcionar alguna dirección mediante la articulación de cuatro principios básicos. Primero, la doctrina social de la Iglesia Católica va claramente más allá de la división entre republicano y demócrata, entre liberal y conservador, y por lo tanto no se corresponde perfectamente con ningún campo político. Cualquiera que diga que cualquiera de nuestros partidos políticos representa…

One of the most remarkable differences between the social protests of the 1960’s and those of today is that the former were done in concert with, and often under the explicit leadership of, religious people. One has only to think of the crucially important role played by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and so many of his colleagues and disciples in the civil rights demonstrations fifty and sixty years ago. But we don’t find today the same concert between those agitating for social change and the religious leadership. There are many reasons for this phenomenon. Perhaps the most important is simply that the number of people who subscribe to religion, especially in the ranks of the young, has precipitously dropped in our society. But I also think that there is something subtler at play as well, and I have to put on my philosopher’s hat to articulate it. In…