Joe Biden's status as the de facto--and soon to be de jure--Democratic Presidential candidate has inevitably raised serious questions about the role of Catholics in public life.
I just read a very interesting article by Professor Jo Renee Formicola entitled Catholic Moral Demands in American Politics: A New Paradigm. I highly recommend it.
Written in 2009, just after Obama's first win, she traces the development of the Catholic Church's involvement in US politics and the ways in which Catholic politicians have tried to adapt to the Church's teachings. She concludes that the Church today has definite expectations of politicians who claim to be Catholics:
The type of Catholic political engagement that the bishops envisioned was one based on a well-formed conscience, focused on human dignity, motivated by the pursuit of the common good, and committed to the protection of the weak and the vulnerable. (22)
Opposing evil and doing good, then, are twin obligations for every Catholic citizen and legislator, regardless of political exigencies. And because all life issues are connected, attempts to create moral equivalencies, according to the hierarchy, are simply a way to misuse and dismiss serious threats to human life and dignity. Thus, Catholic politicians and voters, according to the hierarchy, must embrace moral coherence and Eucharistic consistency in order to be in line with the doctrinal requirements for life as taught by their religion. (23)
She concludes (I think correctly) that:
A Catholic who is a Democrat [and compliant with the Church's expectations] would most likely have the most difficult time getting elected to national office, as he or she would have to challenge the party on its most critical social issue, reproductive rights, to be considered morally coherent.
But, she also concludes (I think correctly) that a Republican would face equally important issues. Much of the GOP platform is inconsistent with the Church's teachings social justice.
Fortunately, there is an alternative.
