Faithful Citizenship Falls Short
by Michael Genovese

Genovese is the chair of leadership studies and professor of political science at LMU. He is a well-known expert on the US presidency and is author of 18 books, his latest being “Memo to a New President” (Oxford University Press).

Religion and politics are often a combustible combination. There is an inevitable tension between matters of faith and matters of power. We are called upon to love our neighbors, but what about when those neighbors wish us ill? How often can, should we turn the other cheek? As Catholics we are called upon to oppose abortion, and we are also commanded to oppose unjust wars. Such demands make it hard to participate in the political process when to vote for Democrats often means to violate the former commandment, and to vote for Republicans often requires that we violate the latter. What can one do other than drop out?

And dropping out is not an option as the Catholic Bishops remind us on page 7 of Faithful Citizenship, “In the Catholic Tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation.” We are thus stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Historically we can see both positive and negative aspects of the mix of religion and politics. Much of the American civil rights movement was, for example faith based and faith driven; so too are fundamentalist religious wars in our time.

In the United States, separating church from state was designed to benefit both the church and the state. In a diverse, pluralistic society, to impose a narrow faith-based doctrine on a secular people was an invitation for trouble and repression. The delicate democratic balance demands respect for all voices and it is in this context that the Bishops contribution can make a positive addition to the heated rhetoric of contemporary politics. A responsible contribution by the Catholic Bishops would be all the more welcome after the embarrassing 2004 fiasco where many Bishops openly sided with the Bush administration and against John Kerry (a Catholic) over the single (and admittedly important) issue of abortion. Uncomfortably neglected by these Bishops were transgressions of the Bush administration that in fairness should not have been ignored (a war of choice, the death penalty, the use of torture) by reasonable and fair-minded men of faith. Thus, the recent draft on the role of Catholics in the political arena is an opportunity to right the wrongs of 2004, and contribute valuable insights to the role of religion in the political arena. Sadly, the Bishops fall short.

They do recognize a wider range of important issues than was obvious in the 2004 election, but they still pay especially close and repeated attention to abortion, and mention war, health care, torture, human rights, special option for the poor and vulnerable, and those issues that might favor Democrats over Republicans more in passing than as central to the faith of Catholics.

In a world that desperately needs moral grounding, the Catholic Bishops fall short of what is needed to apply Catholic teaching to matters of politics. As such they diminish their credibility as they appear to be mere partisan advocates of a particular party and administration, and force feed a select few issues into the public consciousness while skating quickly over those important issues that might lead voters away from their party of choice. In spite of the fact that the Bishops insist that their document is not a partisan tool, this is precisely what it is in danger of becoming. As such, the Bishops lose the moral high ground as they wallow in the muddy muck of partisan politics.

Is there a formula for the mix of religion and politics? While what I offer is merely a rough outline, it is suggestive of what is necessary if we are to have a healthy dialogue among believers and non-believers within a democratic and pluralistic framework.

1. Religion must engage in the secular arena on secular terms.

2. Religions must persuade and not impose.

3. There must be a presumption of freedom of religion, thought and action.

4. Religion must welcome and be open to all views and faiths, embracing not excluding.

5. Mutual respect must guide all deliberations and discussions.

6. Religion does not trump politics in a secular democracy.

7. There can be no absolute religious veto over policy.

8. It is important to have faith inform political belief, but that gives no special privileges.

9. We are all sinners, and humility (not arrogance) should guide us in discussions.

10. Religion cannot become the tool of partisanship, lest it lose all moral authority.