Diocese of Madison Circulates Voter's Guide - Right to Life Trumps Gay Rights

Bishop Robert Morlino
Diocese of Madison


The Diocese of Madison sent out an email to the faithful today reminding everyone to vote tomorrow.  After pointing out the only state-wide race, the Supreme Court contest, the email encouraged its readers to open an attached voter guide from the Diocese of LaCrosse, on the Supreme Court candidates.  You can see the voter guide here. 

The voter guide provides the reader six organizations and politicians that endorse each of the candidates.  But what is interesting is the order of the endorsers that are listed. They aren't listed alphabetically.  For Justice Prosser the top entity listed is Wisconsin Right to Life.  For Joanne Kloppenburg, the top entity listed is Equality Wisconsin. 

Equality Wisconsin's web page describes its mission:

Equality Wisconsin has been working to win concrete legislative improvements in the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Wisconsin since 2001. Equality Wisconsin Fund breaks down barriers in our diverse communities through public education and organizing.

The Diocese of Madison continues sending its two-trick pony into the political policy ring.  Abortion is evil.  Homosexuality is inherently disordered.   Full stop.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church instructs Catholics about social conscience:    

Conscience is a judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the moral quality of a concrete act that he is going to perform, is in the process of performing, or has already completed. In all he says and does, man is obliged to follow faithfully what he knows to be just and right. It is by the judgment of his conscience that man perceives and recognizes the prescriptions of the divine law.  Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1778

It is important for every person to be sufficiently present to himself in order to hear and follow the voice of his conscience. This requirement of interiority is all the more necessary as life often distracts us from any reflection, self-examination or introspection.  Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1779

Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment. . . . For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. . . . His conscience is man's most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths.  Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1776

The Church exhorts its members to listen to the voice of their own conscience on social and political issues.  A well-informed Catholic conscience can look beyond the quick and easy analysis proposed by others, even if those others are diocesan leaders.

Earlier I posted about polls showing that Catholics in America as a group are more open to equal rights for gays and lesbians than members of other Christian traditions, and Americans generally.   Those Catholics have followed their own consciences in the face of contrary church teaching.