With thanks and a deep diaconal bow to Fred, writing over on
Cahiers, I want to draw attention to
Politics and the Election, Revisited. Francis (someone I do not know and who is voting for Sen. McCain), writes:
"Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete once said that our primary (in the sense of essential or ultimate) responsibility in politics is not to end abortion or the war but to build the Church. 'To build the Church is the task of the saints, and that is not a bad party to belong to.'" Amen.
I like the idea of voting for whoever gives the church the most freedom. It is a good criterion. This brings is back to the
CL statement on the elections. It is too bad that U.S. politics split us down the middle, individually and collectively. We really do get presented with false dilemmas. This makes voting difficult. It makes the use of proportional reason difficult because it is next to impossible to attain certainty regarding our choices.
I like the idea of having more than two parties. As I wrote in a comment over on
Clarity Daily, there is nothing intrinsic or constitutional about the two-party system we have developed. As Jesus tells us in yesterday's Gospel,
"repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God".
Fr. Carrón, speaking to
the International Assembly of the Responsibles, quoting Pope John Paul II, said,
"You have no homeland, because you cannot be assimilated to this society" (pg. 4). He continues,
"we are without a homeland if we want to live with our eyes fixed on Jesus" (pg. 4). He is the kingdom in person!
St. Ambrose- pray for us
St. Augustine- pray for us
St. Thomas á Becket- pray for us
St. Thomas More- pray for us
