{"id":48095,"date":"2026-09-09T16:55:25","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T16:55:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/?p=48095"},"modified":"2026-09-09T18:16:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T18:16:06","slug":"responsibility-of-catholic-politicians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/es\/2026\/09\/responsibility-of-catholic-politicians\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Responsibility of Catholic Politicians?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; disabled_on=&#8221;off|off|off&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;blue-menu&#8221; module_class=&#8221;mosaic_width&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; background_color=&#8221;#044368&#8243; z_index=&#8221;9999999999&#8243; height_phone=&#8221;35px&#8221; height_last_edited=&#8221;off|desktop&#8221; max_height_phone=&#8221;35px&#8221; max_height_last_edited=&#8221;off|desktop&#8221; display_conditions=&#8221;W3siaWQiOiJlNjk5Y2I0Yy04ZjE1LTRmNDgtYTA3OS04NmVmYzYxYTFlYjMiLCJjb25kaXRpb24iOiJ1cmxQYXJhbWV0ZXIiLCJjb25kaXRpb25TZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJzZWxlY3RVcmxQYXJhbWV0ZXIiOiJzcGVjaWZpY1VybFBhcmFtZXRlciIsInVybFBhcmFtZXRlck5hbWUiOiJzaG93IiwiZGlzcGxheVJ1bGUiOiJlcXVhbHMiLCJ1cmxQYXJhbWV0ZXJWYWx1ZSI6InRvcC1oZWFkZXIiLCJhZG1pbkxhYmVsIjoiVVJMIFBhcmFtZXRlciIsImVuYWJsZUNvbmRpdGlvbiI6Im9uIn0sIm9wZXJhdG9yIjoiT1IifV0=&#8221; 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_builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;0px||0px||false|false&#8221; da_disable_devices=&#8221;off|off|off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; da_is_popup=&#8221;off&#8221; da_exit_intent=&#8221;off&#8221; da_has_close=&#8221;on&#8221; da_alt_close=&#8221;off&#8221; da_dark_close=&#8221;off&#8221; da_not_modal=&#8221;on&#8221; da_is_singular=&#8221;off&#8221; da_with_loader=&#8221;off&#8221; da_has_shadow=&#8221;on&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; background_color=&#8221;#f2f2f2&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;||50px||false|false&#8221; background_color_phone=&#8221;#FFFFFF&#8221; background_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; background_enable_color_phone=&#8221;on&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_text module_class=&#8221;bullets-module&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; text_font_size=&#8221;16px&#8221; quote_text_color=&#8221;#eb7425&#8243; quote_font_size=&#8221;17pt&#8221; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;justified&#8221; max_width=&#8221;75%&#8221; max_width_tablet=&#8221;&#8221; max_width_phone=&#8221;100%&#8221; max_width_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; module_alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;20px|||0px|false|false&#8221; custom_padding_tablet=&#8221;&#8221; custom_padding_phone=&#8221;0px||||false|false&#8221; custom_padding_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #054368;\">What is the Responsibility of a Catholic Politician?<\/span><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #054368;\">by CAPP-USA<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Updated September 2026<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Catholic politicians are called to serve the common good, protect human dignity, form their consciences according to Catholic teaching, and bring their moral convictions into public life without turning the Church into a political party. They are not required to support one political party or one detailed policy program, but neither may they treat fundamental moral principles as irrelevant once they enter public office.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Catholic politicians have a special responsibility.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">They are not called simply to win elections, advance a party platform, or follow public opinion.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Catholic politicians are called to exercise public authority in service of the human person and the common good.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">That responsibility begins with a properly formed conscience and \u201ca well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political program or an individual law which contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals\u201d. <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/roman_curia\/congregations\/cfaith\/documents\/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20021124_politica_en.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Doctrinal Note on the Participation of Catholics in Political Life, 3)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">A Catholic in public life \u201ccannot think of delegating his Christian responsibility to others.\u201d <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/roman_curia\/congregations\/cfaith\/documents\/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20021124_politica_en.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Doctrinal Note on the Participation of Catholics in Political Life, 3)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">In proclaiming Saint Thomas More \u2018Patron of statesmen and politicians\u2019 \u2013 More was martyred for refusing to bend his conscience to political pressure \u2013 Pope St. John Paul II noted that what guided More, was the conviction that \u201cman cannot be sundered from God, nor politics from morality.\u201d <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/john-paul-ii\/en\/motu_proprio\/documents\/hf_jp-ii_motu-proprio_20001031_thomas-more.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Motu Proprio, October 31, 2000, 4)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_36059\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"width: 400px;\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-36059 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Photo-5.jpg\" alt=\"Catholic politicians must not hide their faith in their work, but join their faith to their work.\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36059\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-36059\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catholic politicians have a responsibility to courageously promote the Truth<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center; font-weight: 400;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #054368;\">Are Catholics Required to Participate in Politics?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>The obligation to participate in politics is, itself, part of the Catholic vocation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe, Christians, cannot \u2018play Pilate\u2019 and wash our hands\u2026We must participate in politics because <strong>politics is one of the highest forms of charity<\/strong> because it seeks the common good.\u201d <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/francesco\/en\/speeches\/2013\/june\/documents\/papa-francesco_20130607_scuole-gesuiti.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Pope Francis)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Pope Leo XIV made the same point and directed our attention to how early on the Church spoke to it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">In addressing legislators from 68 countries he repeated that \u201cPolitics has rightly been defined as \u2018the highest form of charity&#8217; quoting Pope Pius XI (<em>Address to the Italian Catholic University Federation<\/em>, December 18, 1927).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIndeed, if we consider the service that political life renders to society and to the common good, it can truly be seen as an act of Christian love, which is never simply a theory, but always a concrete sign and witness of God\u2019s constant concern for the good of our human family (cf. Francis, Encyclical Letter <em>Fratelli Tutti<\/em>, 176-192).\u201d <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/leo-xiv\/en\/speeches\/2025\/june\/documents\/20250621-giubileo-governanti.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Address to the Inter-Parliamentary Union)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center; font-weight: 400;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #054368;\">What Is the Political Responsibility of a Catholic?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Pope Benedict XVI called politicians and legislators \u201c<strong>servants of the common good<\/strong>\u201d and he placed a particular responsibility on Catholic legislators: <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/benedict-xvi\/en\/speeches\/2005\/december\/documents\/hf_ben_xvi_spe_20051203_family-america-latina.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Address, December 3, 2005)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">\u201cCatholic politicians and legislators, conscious of their grave responsibility before society, must feel particularly bound\u2026to introduce and support laws inspired by values grounded in human nature.\u201d <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/benedict-xvi\/en\/apost_exhortations\/documents\/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20070222_sacramentum-caritatis.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Pope Benedict XVI, 83)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Pope Francis put the same demand more bluntly: \u201cgood politics is possible, indeed dutiful\u201d when it \u201cputs the human person and the common good at the center.\u201d Promoting the common good, he said, bears particular weight on \u201cthose who assume social and political commitments and positions.\u201d <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/francesco\/en\/audiences\/2020\/documents\/papa-francesco_20200909_udienza-generale.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(General Audience, September 9, 2020)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">\u201cTo build a healthy, inclusive, just and peaceful society we must do so on the rock of the common good. <strong>The common good is a rock<\/strong>.\u201d <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/francesco\/en\/audiences\/2020\/documents\/papa-francesco_20200909_udienza-generale.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(General Audience, September 9, 2020)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Pope Leo XIV brought this point into the present day when he said that the principles of Catholic Social Doctrine \u2014 \u201cthe inviolable dignity of every person, the common good, the universal destination of goods, subsidiarity and solidarity &#8211; provide the sure criteria for discernment.\u201d <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/leo-xiv\/en\/speeches\/2026\/august\/documents\/20260821-meeting-icln.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Address to the International Catholic Legislators Network)<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Addressing the challenge of artificial intelligence, he added that sound legislation should protect people from exploitation, preserve privacy, ensure transparency, and strengthen democratic institutions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">He went on to describe the common good as \u201cthe social expression\u201d of human dignity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">The question for a Catholic politician, then, is not merely: <em>What can I legally do?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">It is also: <strong>What ought I to do for the good of the human person and society?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #054368;\">Catholic Politicians and the Right to Life<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Some moral questions impose especially clear responsibilities on lawmakers.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Abortion is one of them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Pope Benedict XVI taught that <strong>public officials \u201care duty bound to defend the fundamental right to life.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0<a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/benedict-xvi\/en\/speeches\/2005\/december\/documents\/hf_ben_xvi_spe_20051203_family-america-latina.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Address, December 3, 2005)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Pope Pius XI likewise wrote: \u201cThose who hold the reins of government should not forget that it is the duty of public authority by appropriate laws and sanctions to defend the lives of the innocent\u2026in the first place infants hidden in the mother&#8217;s womb.\u201d <span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/pius-xi\/en\/encyclicals\/documents\/hf_p-xi_enc_19301231_casti-connubii.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Casti Connubii, 67)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">And Pope St. John Paul II was explicit: \u201cNo one can ever renounce this responsibility, especially when he or she has a legislative or decision-making mandate.\u201d <span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/evangelium-vitae\/#90\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Evangelium Vitae, 90)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">The Church therefore does not treat abortion merely as one policy preference among many.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Pope Leo XIV reinforced this in the strongest terms.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Drawing on <em>Magnifica Humanitas<\/em>, he told Spanish lawmakers that \u201cevery human life must be recognized and safeguarded from conception to its natural end, in every circumstance of its existence\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">He went on to warn that \u201cwhen this certainty is obscured, the most vulnerable are the first victims, and the law loses its deepest meaning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">The defense of human life is \u201cneither a partisan issue nor a confessional interest\u201d but \u201ca goal of civilization.\u201d <span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/press.vatican.va\/content\/salastampa\/en\/bollettino\/pubblico\/2026\/06\/08\/260608a.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Meeting with members of the Spanish Parliament)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">At the same time, Catholic moral teaching recognizes that legislators sometimes operate in imperfect political circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #054368;\">When Can Catholic Politicians Legitimately Disagree?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">The Church distinguishes between abandoning a fundamental moral principle and making prudential judgments about how best to advance that principle under real-world conditions. <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/roman_curia\/congregations\/cfaith\/documents\/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20021124_politica_en.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Doctrinal Note on the Participation of Catholics in Political Life)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Catholic politicians are not required to reach identical conclusions on every public-policy question. The Church recognizes a legitimate plurality of political approaches. That plurality concerns the choice of morally acceptable means, not the abandonment of essential moral principles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Catholics may honestly disagree over tax rates, regulatory structures, health-care systems, environmental mechanisms, immigration administration, anti-poverty programs, education policy, defense spending, and many other questions of means.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Why? Because <strong>Catholic Social Teaching provides moral principles, not detailed legislative programs.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">The Church\u2019s <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/roman_curia\/congregations\/cfaith\/documents\/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20021124_politica_en.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">doctrinal note<\/a>\u00a0explicitly recognizes that political life often involves different strategies, technical assessments, and contingent judgments, allowing for a legitimate plurality of morally acceptable solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">But prudential disagreement is not the same thing as moral relativism. Some principles are not simply negotiable political preferences.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Human dignity does not depend on a vote.<\/strong> The deliberate killing of innocent human life cannot become morally good because a majority approves it. Nor can Catholics simply dismiss the dignity of workers, the poor, migrants, families, the elderly, the disabled, or other vulnerable people because their protection is politically inconvenient.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">The challenge is to distinguish carefully between the principle itself and the prudential means of applying it.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #054368;\">Catholic Responsibility Extends Beyond One Issue<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">The obligation of moral coherence does not begin and end with abortion.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Catholic politicians must take seriously the Church&#8217;s teaching on:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"padding-top: 0; padding-bottom: 0;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/human-dignity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the dignity of every human person<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/the-family\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">marriage and family<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/2024\/08\/list-of-human-rights-according-to-the-church\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">religious freedom<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/dignity-of-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the dignity of work<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/2025\/03\/rerum-novarum-summary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the rights of workers<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/right-to-private-property\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">private property and its social obligations<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/category\/all-articles\/physical-environment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">care for creation<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/immigration-overview\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">immigration<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/articles\/?_search=poverty\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">poverty<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/articles\/?_search=peace\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">peace<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/solidarity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">solidarity<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/subsidiarity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">subsidiarity<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/preferential-option-for-the-poor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the preferential option for the poor<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Pope Leo XIV touched on nearly all of these in a single speech \u2014 urging protection for migrants, support for families, a preference for peace over rearmament, and robust ethical oversight of artificial intelligence, alongside his appeal on life. <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/press.vatican.va\/content\/salastampa\/en\/bollettino\/pubblico\/2026\/06\/08\/260608a.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Meeting with members of the Spanish Parliament)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">But these teachings do not all translate into public policy in precisely the same way. Some concern fundamental moral prohibitions. Others establish goals or principles while leaving considerable room for disagreement about the best legislative means.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">That is why Catholic Social Teaching cannot simply be mapped onto the platform of either major political party.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">The purpose of Catholic Social Teaching is not to baptize our politics but to judge and reshape them. <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/2021\/12\/not-liberal-or-conservative\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Catholic Social Teaching is not Liberal or Conservative)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #054368;\">Can a Catholic Politician Separate Personal Faith From Public Office?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>Not completely.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">The Church recognizes the legitimate autonomy of political institutions. Catholic politicians are not supposed to impose uniquely theological beliefs simply because the Church teaches them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">But neither does the Church accept the idea that <strong>faith and moral conviction must disappear when a Catholic enters public office.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">The Church\u2019s <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/roman_curia\/congregations\/cfaith\/documents\/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20021124_politica_en.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">doctrinal note<\/a>\u00a0makes an important distinction: the proper autonomy of political life means independence from ecclesiastical control; it does not mean independence from morality.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Pope Benedict XVI warned: \u201cAny tendency to treat religion as a private matter must be resisted.\u201d <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/benedict-xvi\/en\/speeches\/2008\/april\/documents\/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20080416_bishops-usa.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Address to the Bishops of the United States of America)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><strong>The point is not that every article of Catholic doctrine should become civil law.<\/strong> Rather, the Catholic politician cannot divide life into two unrelated compartments \u2014 Catholic convictions on Sunday and morally neutral decision-making the rest of the week.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Public decisions inevitably rest on some understanding of the human person, justice, rights, and the common good. \u201c[E]very legislative task ultimately confronts a decisive question: what conception of the human person inspires laws, and what kind of society do those laws build?\u201d <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/press.vatican.va\/content\/salastampa\/en\/bollettino\/pubblico\/2026\/06\/08\/260608a.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Pope Leo XIV)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">That is the Catholic political question in its most fundamental form.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #054368;\">Does the Catholic Church Have a Political Party?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>There is no Catholic political party. Catholic Social Teaching is not Democratic or Republican, liberal or conservative: \u201cthere can generally be a plurality of political parties in which Catholics may exercise&#8230; their right and duty to contribute to the public life of their country\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">But there is an obligation: this \u201cshould not be confused&#8230; with an ambiguous pluralism in the choice of moral principles or essential values.\u201d <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/roman_curia\/congregations\/cfaith\/documents\/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20021124_politica_en.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Doctrinal Note on the Participation of Catholics in Political Life)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Pope St. John Paul II made this clear in declaring Saint Thomas More Patron of Statesmen and Politicians, pointing to his martyrdom for refusing to let political loyalty override \u201cthe primacy of truth over power.\u201d <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/john-paul-ii\/en\/motu_proprio\/documents\/hf_jp-ii_motu-proprio_20001031_thomas-more.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Motu Proprio, October 31, 2000, 1)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">For Catholics in public office, <strong>party discipline therefore cannot become the ultimate moral standard<\/strong>. Neither can personal ambition, polling, or political convenience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><strong>The first loyalty is to truth about the human person and the common good<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Pope Francis warned against exactly this temptation. He saw \u201cpartisan interests emerging\u201d \u2014 people \u201cseeking economic or political advantages, generating or exacerbating conflicts\u201d instead of \u201cworking toward a good shared by all.\u201d <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/francesco\/en\/audiences\/2020\/documents\/papa-francesco_20200909_udienza-generale.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(General Audience, September 9, 2020)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThose who simply look past others&#8217; suffering to protect their own position, he said, are \u201cdevotees of Pontius Pilate: they wash their hands\u201d <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/francesco\/en\/audiences\/2020\/documents\/papa-francesco_20200909_udienza-generale.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(General Audience, September 9, 2020)<\/a> \u2014 the same image he had used years earlier to describe Catholics who refuse to engage in politics at all.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Withdrawing from politics and weaponizing it for partisan gain turn out to be two forms of the same failure: both, in their own way, wash their hands of the common good.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #054368;\">What Is the Church&#8217;s Role in Politics?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><strong>The Church does not claim to provide technical solutions to every political problem.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">As Pope Benedict XVI wrote: \u201cThe Church does not have technical solutions to offer and does not claim &#8216;to interfere in any way in the politics of States.&#8217;\u201d \u2014 <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/caritas-in-veritate\/#9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Caritas in Veritate, 9)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">The Church&#8217;s role is different. She teaches moral principles, helps form consciences, and reminds political society that government exists for the human person \u2014 not the other way around.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt is not the Church&#8217;s task to set forth specific political solutions&#8230; to temporal questions that God has left to the free and responsible judgment of each person.\u201d Its purpose, rather, is \u201cto instruct and illuminate the consciences of the faithful.\u201d <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/roman_curia\/congregations\/cfaith\/documents\/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20021124_politica_en.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Doctrinal Note on the Participation of Catholics in Political Life)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">The Church therefore does not become another political party. Her task is to form consciences and teach the moral principles by which political choices should be judged.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #054368;\">What Does the Catholic Church Teach About Democracy?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>The Church values democratic participation because it allows citizens to take responsibility for public life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">But democracy is not simply majority rule.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Pope St. John Paul II warned that: &#8220;Authentic democracy is possible only in a State ruled by law, and on the basis of a correct conception of the human person.\u201d <span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/centesimus-annus\/#46\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Centesimus Annus, 46)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Pope Leo XIV has expressed the same principle: \u201c[E]very truly just society is built upon the recognition of the inviolable dignity of the human person,\u201d a dignity that \u201cprecedes any concession by the state and cannot be subordinated to shifting social consensus or the whims of the majority at any given moment.\u201d <span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/press.vatican.va\/content\/salastampa\/en\/bollettino\/pubblico\/2026\/06\/08\/260608a.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Meeting with members of the Spanish Parliament)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">So Catholic political responsibility begins deeper than legislation. It begins with anthropology: <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Who is the human person?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">If that answer is wrong, political structures eventually go wrong with it.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #054368;\">Bottom Line<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>Catholic politicians are not called to impose a Catholic political program.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">They are called to exercise public responsibility with a well-formed conscience, to protect the dignity of the human person, to pursue the common good, and to resist allowing party loyalty, ideology, or political convenience to override fundamental moral truths.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">On many public-policy questions, faithful Catholics may legitimately disagree about the best means. But they cannot simply declare moral truth irrelevant because they have entered politics.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly returned to the same foundational principles: human dignity, the common good, subsidiarity and solidarity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">The task is not to make Catholic Social Teaching conform to our politics. It is to <strong>allow Catholic Social Teaching to form our consciences<\/strong> \u2014 and then bring those consciences into public life.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #054368;\">Conversion of Heart and Soul<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>Pope St. John Paul II wrote: \u201cTruth and freedom either go together hand in hand or together they perish in misery.\u201d <span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/john-paul-ii\/en\/encyclicals\/documents\/hf_jp-ii_enc_14091998_fides-et-ratio.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Fides et Ratio, 90)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">And Pope Benedict XVI reminded Americans that freedom \u201cdemands the courage to engage in civic life and to bring one&#8217;s deepest beliefs and values to reasoned public debate\u201d. <span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/benedict-xvi\/en\/speeches\/2008\/april\/documents\/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20080416_welcome-washington.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Address at the White House)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Ultimately, Catholic political renewal requires more than better policies. It calls for \u201ca conversion of heart and soul.\u201d That applies to politicians \u2014 and to those who elect them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more about: <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/the-common-good\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Common Good<\/a>, <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/human-dignity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Human Dignity<\/a>, <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/solidarity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Solidarity<\/a>, and <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/subsidiarity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Subsidiarity<\/a><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; module_class=&#8221;mosaic_width&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; background_color=&#8221;#f2f2f2&#8243; module_alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;20px||0px||false|false&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;fade&#8221; animation_duration=&#8221;750ms&#8221; da_disable_devices=&#8221;off|off|off&#8221; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; collapsed=&#8221;on&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; da_is_popup=&#8221;off&#8221; da_exit_intent=&#8221;off&#8221; da_has_close=&#8221;on&#8221; da_alt_close=&#8221;off&#8221; da_dark_close=&#8221;off&#8221; da_not_modal=&#8221;on&#8221; da_is_singular=&#8221;off&#8221; da_with_loader=&#8221;off&#8221; da_has_shadow=&#8221;on&#8221;][et_pb_row module_class=&#8221; et_pb_row_fullwidth&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; width_tablet=&#8221;100%&#8221; width_phone=&#8221;&#8221; width_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; max_width=&#8221;100%&#8221; max_width_tablet=&#8221;100%&#8221; max_width_phone=&#8221;&#8221; max_width_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; module_alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px||0px||true|false&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;fade&#8221; animation_delay=&#8221;200ms&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;on&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; header_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; header_text_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; header_4_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; header_4_text_align=&#8221;center&#8221; header_4_text_color=&#8221;#084369&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;||10px&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;fade&#8221; animation_delay=&#8221;100ms&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #054368;\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_toggle title=&#8221;Q: Does the Catholic Church tell Catholic politicians how to vote?&#8221; icon_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; open_icon_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; title_text_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; title_level=&#8221;h3&#8243; title_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; body_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; body_text_color=&#8221;#084369&#8243; background_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||20px&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;fade&#8221; animation_delay=&#8221;50ms&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">A<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">: Not on every political question. The Church teaches fundamental moral principles and helps Catholics form their consciences. Many policy questions involve prudential judgments about how those principles should best be applied. As the <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/roman_curia\/congregations\/cfaith\/documents\/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20021124_politica_en.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Doctrinal Note<\/a> puts it, &#8220;it is not the Church&#8217;s task to set forth specific political solutions&#8230; to temporal questions that God has left to the free and responsible judgment of each person.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=&#8221;Q: Can Catholic politicians disagree with Church teaching?&#8221; icon_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; open_icon_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; title_text_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; title_level=&#8221;h3&#8243; title_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; body_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; body_text_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; background_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||20px&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;fade&#8221; animation_delay=&#8221;100ms&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>A: <span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">Catholic politicians, like all Catholics, have a responsibility to form their consciences in accord with moral truth and the teaching of the Church. There can be legitimate disagreement over how principles are best implemented through particular policies and legislative means. But disagreement over policy <em>means<\/em> is different from rejecting a fundamental moral principle itself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=&#8221;Q: Can faithful Catholics disagree about public policy?&#8221; icon_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; open_icon_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; title_text_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; title_level=&#8221;h3&#8243; title_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; body_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; body_text_color=&#8221;#084369&#8243; background_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||20px|||&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;fade&#8221; animation_delay=&#8221;150ms&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>A: Yes. The Church recognizes legitimate political pluralism and allows considerable room for prudential judgment about policy mechanisms, strategies, and priorities.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=&#8221;Q: Can a Catholic politician keep his or her faith private?&#8221; icon_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; open_icon_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; title_text_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; title_level=&#8221;h3&#8243; title_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; body_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; body_text_color=&#8221;#084369&#8243; background_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||20px|||&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;fade&#8221; animation_delay=&#8221;150ms&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>A: Catholic politicians must respect the legitimate autonomy of civil government and may not simply impose religious doctrine as law. But the Church rejects the idea that moral conviction must be excluded from public life. Political decisions necessarily involve judgments about justice, human dignity, and the common good.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=&#8221;Q: Does the Catholic Church endorse a political party?&#8221; icon_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; open_icon_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; title_text_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; title_level=&#8221;h3&#8243; title_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; body_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; body_text_color=&#8221;#084369&#8243; background_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||20px|||&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;fade&#8221; animation_delay=&#8221;150ms&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>A: No. The Church does not identify herself with a political party. The <span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\"><a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/roman_curia\/congregations\/cfaith\/documents\/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20021124_politica_en.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Doctrinal Note<\/a><\/span> recognizes a legitimate plurality of parties while insisting this &#8220;should not be confused&#8230; with an ambiguous pluralism in the choice of moral principles or essential values.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=&#8221;Q: What is a properly formed conscience?&#8221; icon_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; open_icon_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; title_text_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; title_level=&#8221;h3&#8243; title_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; body_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; body_text_color=&#8221;#084369&#8243; background_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||20px|||&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;fade&#8221; animation_delay=&#8221;150ms&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>A: <span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000; font-weight: 400;\">A properly formed conscience is not simply personal preference or feeling. The Second Vatican Council describes conscience as &#8220;the most intimate centre and sanctuary of a person, in which he or she is alone with God, whose voice echoes within them&#8221; <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/hist_councils\/ii_vatican_council\/documents\/vat-ii_const_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Gaudium et Spes, 16)<\/a>, and the <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vatican.va\/roman_curia\/congregations\/cfaith\/documents\/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20021124_politica_en.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Doctrinal Note<\/a>\u00a0teaches that a well-formed Christian conscience must be shaped by truth and by the teaching of the Church.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=&#8221;Q: What principles should guide Catholic politicians?&#8221; icon_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; open_icon_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.6&#8243; title_text_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; title_level=&#8221;h3&#8243; title_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; body_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; body_text_color=&#8221;#084369&#8243; background_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||20px|||&#8221; animation_style=&#8221;fade&#8221; animation_delay=&#8221;150ms&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>A: The central principles of Catholic Social Teaching include <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/human-dignity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">human dignity<\/a>, <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/solidarity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">solidarity<\/a>, <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/subsidiarity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">subsidiarity<\/a>, and the outcome of these three principles, <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/the-common-good\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the common good<\/a>. Pope Leo XIV presented these principles explicitly to Catholic legislators in August 2026 as criteria for political discernment.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_toggle][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;0px||0px||false|false&#8221; da_disable_devices=&#8221;off|off|off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; da_is_popup=&#8221;off&#8221; da_exit_intent=&#8221;off&#8221; da_has_close=&#8221;on&#8221; da_alt_close=&#8221;off&#8221; da_dark_close=&#8221;off&#8221; da_not_modal=&#8221;on&#8221; da_is_singular=&#8221;off&#8221; da_with_loader=&#8221;off&#8221; da_has_shadow=&#8221;on&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_button button_url=&#8221;\/politics\/&#8221; button_text=&#8221;More About Politics&#8221; button_alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; module_class=&#8221;hover-btn-border&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.21.0&#8243; custom_button=&#8221;on&#8221; button_text_size=&#8221;30px&#8221; button_text_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; button_border_width=&#8221;0px&#8221; button_border_radius=&#8221;0px&#8221; button_font=&#8221;|600||on|||||&#8221; button_icon=&#8221;&#x35;||divi||400&#8243; button_on_hover=&#8221;off&#8221; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; button_text_color__hover_enabled=&#8221;on&#8221; button_text_color__hover=&#8221;#054368&#8243;][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_button button_url=&#8221;\/articles\/&#8221; button_text=&#8221;Back to Articles&#8221; button_alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; module_class=&#8221;hover-btn-border&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.19.0&#8243; custom_button=&#8221;on&#8221; button_text_size=&#8221;30px&#8221; button_text_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; button_border_width=&#8221;0px&#8221; button_border_radius=&#8221;0px&#8221; button_font=&#8221;|600||on|||||&#8221; button_icon=&#8221;&#x35;||divi||400&#8243; button_on_hover=&#8221;off&#8221; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; button_text_color__hover_enabled=&#8221;on&#8221; button_text_color__hover=&#8221;#054368&#8243;][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;Widget of Issues &#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;0px|0px|0px|0px||&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|0px|0px|0px&#8221; da_disable_devices=&#8221;off|off|off&#8221; saved_tabs=&#8221;all&#8221; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; collapsed=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; da_is_popup=&#8221;off&#8221; da_exit_intent=&#8221;off&#8221; da_has_close=&#8221;on&#8221; da_alt_close=&#8221;off&#8221; da_dark_close=&#8221;off&#8221; da_not_modal=&#8221;on&#8221; da_is_singular=&#8221;off&#8221; da_with_loader=&#8221;off&#8221; da_has_shadow=&#8221;on&#8221;][et_pb_row column_structure=&#8221;1_5,3_5,1_5&#8243; use_custom_gutter=&#8221;on&#8221; module_class=&#8221; et_pb_row_fullwidth&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.13.0&#8243; width=&#8221;100%&#8221; width_tablet=&#8221;100%&#8221; width_phone=&#8221;&#8221; width_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; max_width=&#8221;100%&#8221; max_width_tablet=&#8221;100%&#8221; max_width_phone=&#8221;&#8221; max_width_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;0px|0px|0px|0px&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|0px|0px|0px&#8221; custom_css_main_element=&#8221;width: 100% !important;&#8221; make_fullwidth=&#8221;on&#8221; global_module=&#8221;31023&#8243; saved_tabs=&#8221;all&#8221; collapsed=&#8221;off&#8221; 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custom_margin_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;||||false|false&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_css_slide_image_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; custom_css_slide_image_phone=&#8221;width: auto;||margin: 0 auto !important;&#8221;][et_pb_slide heading=&#8221;Three Key Principles&#8221; button_link=&#8221;https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/catholic-social-teaching-principles\/&#8221; image=&#8221;https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Three-Principles.png&#8221; arrows_custom_color=&#8221;#FFFFFF&#8221; dot_nav_custom_color=&#8221;#FFFFFF&#8221; image_tablet=&#8221;&#8221; image_phone=&#8221;https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/3-Key-principle-icons-resized.png&#8221; image_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.19.5&#8243; background_color=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; background_enable_color=&#8221;on&#8221; custom_button=&#8221;on&#8221; button_text_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; button_bg_color=&#8221;#c7e4f7&#8243; button_border_color=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; button_font=&#8221;|700||on|||||&#8221; button_use_icon=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px||0px||false|false&#8221; link_option_url=&#8221;https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/catholic-social-teaching-principles\/&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; sticky_transition=&#8221;on&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: center;\">Catholic social teaching is built on three foundational principles &#8211;<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Human Dignity<\/strong>,\u00a0<strong>Solidarity\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0<strong>Subsidiarity.\u00a0<\/strong>Human Dignity, embodied in a correct understanding of the human person, is the greatest. The others flow from it. Good governments and good economic systems find ways of fostering the three principles.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide heading=&#8221;Human Dignity&#8221; button_link=&#8221;\/human-dignity\/&#8221; image=&#8221;https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Human-Dignity.png&#8221; arrows_custom_color=&#8221;#FFFFFF&#8221; dot_nav_custom_color=&#8221;#FFFFFF&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.19.0&#8243; background_color=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; background_enable_color=&#8221;on&#8221; custom_button=&#8221;on&#8221; button_text_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; button_bg_color=&#8221;#c7e4f7&#8243; button_border_color=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; button_font=&#8221;|700||on|||||&#8221; button_use_icon=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px||0px||false|false&#8221; link_option_url=&#8221;\/human-dignity\/&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; sticky_transition=&#8221;on&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">This means a correct understanding of the human person and of each person\u2019s unique value. All Catholic social teaching flows from this: the inherent dignity of every person that comes from being made in God\u2019s image.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide heading=&#8221;Solidarity&#8221; button_link=&#8221;\/solidarity\/&#8221; image=&#8221;https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Solidarity.png&#8221; arrows_custom_color=&#8221;#FFFFFF&#8221; dot_nav_custom_color=&#8221;#FFFFFF&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.19.0&#8243; background_color=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; background_enable_color=&#8221;on&#8221; custom_button=&#8221;on&#8221; button_text_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; button_bg_color=&#8221;#c7e4f7&#8243; button_border_color=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; button_font=&#8221;|700||on|||||&#8221; button_use_icon=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px||0px||false|false&#8221; link_option_url=&#8221;\/solidarity\/&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; sticky_transition=&#8221;on&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Solidarity is not \u201ca feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of others. It is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good\u201d. <a class=\"alternate-link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/john-paul-ii\/en\/encyclicals\/documents\/hf_jp-ii_enc_30121987_sollicitudo-rei-socialis.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Pope St. John Paul II, 38)<\/a> Love of God and love of neighbor are, in fact, linked and form one, single commandment.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide heading=&#8221;Subsidiarity&#8221; button_link=&#8221;\/subsidiarity\/&#8221; image=&#8221;https:\/\/capp-usa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Subsidiarity.png&#8221; arrows_custom_color=&#8221;#FFFFFF&#8221; dot_nav_custom_color=&#8221;#FFFFFF&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.19.0&#8243; background_color=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; background_enable_color=&#8221;on&#8221; custom_button=&#8221;on&#8221; button_text_color=&#8221;#054368&#8243; button_bg_color=&#8221;#c7e4f7&#8243; button_border_color=&#8221;RGBA(255,255,255,0)&#8221; button_font=&#8221;|700||on|||||&#8221; button_use_icon=&#8221;off&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px||0px||false|false&#8221; link_option_url=&#8221;\/subsidiarity\/&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; sticky_transition=&#8221;on&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Subsidiarity \u201cis a fundamental principle of social philosophy, fixed and unchangeable, that one should not withdraw from individuals and commit to the community what they can accomplish by their own enterprise and industry. So, too, it is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and a disturbance of right order to transfer to the larger and higher collectivity functions which can be performed and provided for by the lesser and subordinate bodies\u201d. <a class='alternate-link' href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/pius-xi\/en\/encyclicals\/documents\/hf_p-xi_enc_19310515_quadragesimo-anno.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(Pope Pius XI)<\/a><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_slide][\/et_pb_slider][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_5&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;0px|0px|0px|0px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; custom_padding_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;Image &#038; Text&#8221; module_id=&#8221;newsletter&#8221; module_class=&#8221;mosaic_width&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.27.4&#8243; background_color=&#8221;#eb7525&#8243; 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_builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; text_font=&#8221;Open Sans||||||||&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;2px&#8221; header_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; header_font_size=&#8221;35px&#8221; header_5_font=&#8221;Open Sans||||||||&#8221; header_5_text_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; header_5_font_size=&#8221;12px&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;|||0px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 12px\">info@capp-usa.org<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_3&#8243; module_class=&#8221;ds-vertical-align&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; text_font=&#8221;Open Sans||||||||&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;12px&#8221; header_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; header_5_font=&#8221;Open Sans||||||||&#8221; header_5_text_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; header_5_font_size=&#8221;12px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; text_font=&#8221;Open Sans||||||||&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;10px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.5em&#8221; header_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; header_5_font=&#8221;Open Sans||||||||&#8221; header_5_text_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; header_5_font_size=&#8221;12px&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;|||&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;|50px||50px&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\"><strong>Phone:\u00a0<\/strong>(888) 473-3331<\/span><\/h5>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12px;\"><strong>Address: <\/strong>295 Madison Avenue, 12th Floor, New York, NY, 10017<\/span><\/h5>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text 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