“We are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, … against the spiritual hosts of wickedness… Pray at all times” – The Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians: 6:11/12 & 18
 

 

In 2020, our nation is at a critical turning point: In preparing to vote, all Americans need to diligently study in order to gain the necessary knowledge about the issues, the candidates and the parties. Also needed is proper formation of conscience and, most importantly, prayer. 

These two statements by American leaders at previous critical times in our nation's history remind us of the need for proper conscience formation, necessary for virtue, and the need for  prayer:

On February 12, 1779, in the middle of the American Revolutionary War, Samuel Adams, signer of the Declaration of Independence, warned of the need for virtue: "While the people are virtuous, they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader." 

On August 12, 1861, four months after the start of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a National Day of Prayer: "Therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do appoint the last Thursday in September next, as a day of humiliation, prayer and fasting for all the people of the nation. And I do earnestly recommend to all the People, and especially to all ministers and teachers of religion of all denominations, and to all heads of families, to observe and keep that day according to their several creeds and modes of worship, in all humility and with all religious solemnity, to the end that the united prayer of the nation may ascend to the Throne of Grace and bring down plentiful blessings upon our Country."

On November 3, 2020, you will have the solemn responsibility of determining the nation's future by your vote: Will America resume her walk on the straight, narrow and right path established by our founders in 1776 - or not? Please study the documents we have collected for you on this site, consider the guidance below, and pray - for God's guidance and for our country.

 

Casting a vote is more than checking a box and walking away. In a sense, you are saying with your entire mind, body and soul, "This is the world I want to see." In other words, you are voting for your life, the life you will lead in the future of the United States of America, as determined by the election’s outcome.
Voting is one of the most moral actions you can make, and therefore you must consider Our Lord will judge this action.
 
Catholicism understands no candidate is perfect because each is subject to error and sin. 
With this in mind, there are 5 non-negotiables every Catholic is morally bound to follow when voting. These are stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church as follows:
 
1. Socialism/Marxism is immoral: Catechism 2425 states, “The Church has rejected the totalitarian and atheistic ideologies associated in modern times with "communism" or "socialism”. For additional related content in the Catechism of the Catholic Church ("CCC"), link here to the Appendix: Appendix: CCC on Socialism
 
2. Euthanasia is immoral: Catechism 2277 states, “Whatever its motives and means, direct euthanasia consists in  putting an end to the lives of handicapped, sick or dying persons. It is morally unacceptable.”
 
3. The state must allow Catholics to worship: Catechism 2108 states, “The right to religious liberty is a natural right of the human person to civil liberty, i.e., immunity, within just limits, from external constraint in religious matters by political authorities.”
 
4. Abortion is immoral: Catechism 2270 states, “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person.”
 
5. Parents have a right to educate their children: Catechism 2221 states, “The role of parents in education is of such importance that it is almost  impossible to provide an adequate substitute. The right and the duty of parents to educate their children are primordial and inalienable.
 
Click here to read or obtain The Catechism of the Catholic Church on the website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
 
The preceding content is from the “2020 Catholic Voters Guide”, which contains a simplified breakdown of each party’s stance on the critical issues and how they stack up against Church teaching. This excellent document can be downloaded as a pdf (free of charge) from the Church Militant website: Church Militant Voters Guide

 

The following Presidential election voting guidance was issued by Father Frank Pavone*, President of the multi-denominational National Pro-Life Religious Council and founder and leader of Priests For Life (an Association of the Faithful recognized under the Canon Law of the  Catholic Church). This guidance, issued prior to the 2016 election, is as apt in 2020 as it was in 2016, if not more so:

"The election is not ultimately about either Presidential candidate, but rather the good of the nation as reflected in two things: a) What will they do? and b) Who comes into power with them?"

Regarding what they will do:

"A vote is not a character endorsement or the passing of some kind of virtue test. A vote means …this is the person most likely to advance the common good…If an emergency medical technician is saving my life or that of a loved one, I really couldn't care less, in the midst of that emergency, whether he has made lewd comments or committed any sexual sin in the past. This is an emergency moment for our nation, and there are only two options right now for who will take the helm."

Regarding who comes into power with them:

"Who sits in the Oval Office determines who sits in the office of Vice-President, Secretary of State, Secretary of HHS, Attorney General, Surgeon General, and literally thousands of other positions. The worldview, philosophy, and policy preferences of all those people will correspond to the platform of the party to which they belong. When we vote for a President, we vote for a party and for a whole army of people, many of whom will be ten times stronger and more qualified on the issues than the President him or herself — and will lean ten times harder in the direction of the party platform.

We have a Supreme Court split right down the middle, and the next President will shift that court strongly — either toward defending life or destroying it, either to preserving the freedom of the Church or snuffing it out, either to preserving marriage and family or redefining them with new transgender definitions. Do lewd comments of a decade ago by one man really outweigh the concern that moral corruption will be set into stone in public policy and court decisions for decades to come?"

 * Father Pavone worked with Pope Saint John Paul II and Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta, both strong supporters of Father Pavone and his work in building the Culture of Life that Pope Saint John Paul II urged us to build.

Source: Lifenews.com - 2016 - Fr. Frank Pavone

For Father Pavone's guidance for the 2020 election, refer to our  Church Leaders' Voting Guidance page.

The U.S. Catholic Bishops' 1998 statement "Living the Gospel of Life" states, "Opposition to abortion and euthanasia does not excuse indifference to those suffering from poverty, violence and injustice.... But being "right" in such matters can never excuse a wrong choice regarding direct attacks on innocent human life. Indeed, the failure to protect and defend life in its most vulnerable stages renders suspect any claims to "rightness" of positions in other matters affecting the poorest and least powerful of the human community. If we understand the human person as the "temple of the Holy Spirit", the living house of God, then these latter issues fall logically into place as the beams and walls of that house. All direct attacks on innocent human life, such as abortion and euthanasia, strike at the house's foundation."

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Photo at left: Bishop Joseph Strickland of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas
 
 
On July 29, 2020, Bishop Strickland tweeted: "CATHOLICS, PLEASE VOTE with a well formed conscience & choose candidates who respect life, morality, marriage, family & our basic freedoms. It is critical that we keep eternal truths at the forefront as we vote. Study the issues & choose candidates who respect FAITH."
The above content is sourced from an August 4th article on the website of LifeSiteNews. Here is a link to this article: Candidates who respect life
 

Read Bishop Strickland's Tweet supporting Father James Altman's statement, "You Cannot be a Catholic and be a Democrat."  - and read the voting guidance of other U.S. Catholic bishops here on our site:  What Direction is Given by Catholic Bishops?

Tap into the enriching catechizing and evangelizing resources of Bishop Strickland and his team on his website: St. Philip Institute

Hear Bishop Strickland every Tuesday at 12:00 noon Eastern on The Bishop Strickland Hour on Virgin Most Powerful radio: Virgin Most Powerful Radio

Hear from both Protestant and Catholic Faith leaders on the topic of "Pro-Choice" versus "Pro-Life on our site's Faith Teaching on Abortion Decisions page.

After you have come to a decision regarding voting for a pro-abortion candidate or a pro-Life candidate, if you are not sure of the  positions of the candidates in your voting district, you can use Planned Parenthood's  on-line "Voter Guide" to identify the candidates who are "ENDORSED BY PLANNED PARENTHOOD" and those who are "OPPOSED BY PLANNED PARENTHOOD".

Simply enter your address for a list of Federal and State candidates. Here is a link to the Voter Guide on the website of Planned Parenthood:  Planned Parenthood Voter Guide - all States, all districts

For more information regarding Joe Biden's position and record, link here (on this site): Joe Biden on Abortion

For information on President Trump's position and record, link here (on this site):  President Trump's Support of Christians

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