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Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship

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Title: Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship


1
Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship
  • Washington State Catholic Conference

2
Mission of the WSCC
  • The Washington State Catholic Conference is the
    common voice of the Catholic bishops of the
    Archdiocese of Seattle, the Diocese of Spokane
    and the Diocese of Yakima. Our mission is rooted
    in the Catholic communitys belief in the
    inviolate dignity of the human person, its
    tradition of service to the most vulnerable of
    society, and its firm commitment to a just and
    peaceful world.

3
Faith and Public Policy
  • The Churchs obligation to participate in shaping
    the moral character of society is a requirement
    of our faith.
  • Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, US
    Conference of Catholic Bishops

4
Faithful Citizenship
  • For Catholics, public virtue is as important as
    private virtue in building up the common good.
    In the Catholic tradition, responsible
    citizenship is a virtue participation in the
    political process is a moral obligation. It is
    an essential part of our calling as disciples.
  • Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, US
    Conference of Catholic Bishops

5
  • It is increasingly apparent that major public
    issues have clear moral dimensions and that
    religious values have significant public
    consequences.
  • Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, US
    Conference of Catholic Bishops

6
  • This millennium requires a new kind of politics,
    focused more on moral principles than on the
    latest polls, more on the needs of the poor and
    vulnerable than the contributions of the rich and
    powerful.
  • Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, US
    Conference of Catholic Bishops

7
  • The believers participation in the social
    discourse as such is not a matter of inducing
    others to accept our religious beliefs and our
    religious principles, but of persuading others
    that the implications of our religious beliefs
    are, in fact, beneficial to society on societys
    own terms, that they responsibly address the
    questions which are the subject of the social
    conversation.
  • Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, US
    Conference of Catholic Bishops

8
Separation of Church and State
  • Our nation is enriched and our tradition of
    pluralism enhanced when religious groups
    contribute to the debate over the policies that
    guide the nation.
  • Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, US
    Conference of Catholic Bishops

9
Participation in the Public Square
  • Public policy is reflective of a societys values
  • We seek to promote the common good
  • Our values and beliefs inform how we advocate

10
How does the Church help the Catholic faithful
to speak about political and social Issues?
  • Helping to develop a well-formed conscience
  • Encouraging the development of the virtue of
    prudence

11
Political Choices
  • We recognize that the responsibility to make
    choices in political life rests with each
    individual in light of a properly formed
    conscience . . .
  • Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, US
    Conference of Catholic Bishops

12
Conscience Formation
  • Gather Facts
  • Reflect on Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching
  • Determine the consistency with fundamental moral
    principles
  • Examine your motives and emotions
  • Discuss with others
  • Pray
  • Make a decision

13
Critical role of prudence
  • Prudence shapes and informs our ability
  • to deliberate over available alternatives,
  • to determine what is most fitting to a specific
    context, and
  • to act decisively
  • Exercising this virtue often requires the
    courage to act in defense of moral principles
    when making decisions about how to build a
    society of justice and peace.

14
Doing Good and Avoiding Evil
  • Aided by the virtue of prudence in the exercise
    of well-formed consciences, Catholics are called
    upon to make practical judgments regarding good
    and evil choices in the political arena.
  • Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,
    US Conference of Catholic Bishops

15
Two temptations in public life
  • First
  • A moral equivalence that makes no ethical
    distinctions between different kinds of issues
    involving human life and dignity.
  • Intentional destruction of innocent human life is
    not just one issue among many.
  • Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, US
    Conference of Catholic Bishops

16
Two temptations in public life
  • Second
  • The misuse of these necessary moral
    distinctions as a way of dismissing or ignoring
    other serious threats to human life and dignity.
  • Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, US
    Conference of Catholic Bishops

17
Second Temptation (cont.)
  • Racism and other unjust discrimination, the use
    of the death penalty, resorting to unjust war,
    the use of torture, war crimes, the failure to
    respond to those who are suffering from hunger or
    a lack of health care, or an unjust immigration
    policy are all serious moral issues that
    challenge our consciences and require us to act.
  • These are not optional concerns which can be
    dismissed.
  • Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, US
    Conference of Catholic Bishops

18
What influences your voting?
  • Your Catholic faith
  • Societal beliefs/pressures
  • Allegiance to a political party
  • Your personal opinions
  • Media
  • Other people

19
What are the values / principles that guide us
on issues?
20
Key Elements of Catholic Social Teachings
  • Life and dignity of the human person. The
    Catholic Church proclaims that human life is
    sacred and that the dignity of the human person
    is the foundation of a moral vision for society.
  • Call to family, community, and participation. The
    person is not only sacred but also social. How
    we organize our society in economics and
    politics, in law and policy directly affects
    human dignity and the capacity of individuals to
    grow in community.
  • Rights and responsibilities. The Catholic
    tradition teaches that human dignity can be
    protected and a healthy community can be achieved
    only if human rights are protected and
    responsibilities are met.

21
Key Elements of Catholic Social Teaching
  • Option for the poor and vulnerable. A basic
    moral test is how our most vulnerable members are
    faring.
  • The dignity of work and the rights of workers.
    The economy must serve people, not the other way
    around.
  • Solidarity. We are one human family whatever our
    national, racial, ethnic, economic, and
    ideological differences.
  • Care for Gods Creation. We show our respect for
    the Creator by our stewardship of creation.

22
Application of Catholic Teaching to Public Policy
  • End of Life Issues
  • Assisted Suicide
  • I-1000

23
FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES forCATHOLIC
TEACHING ON LIFE
24
First Principle

GODS DOMINION AND HUMAN STEWARDSHIP
  • God is the Creator and human persons owe their
    creation to God.
  • Human life is a gift, a sacred trust.
  • Human persons have a right to the use of the gift
    of life, not a right to dominion over life.
  • Human responsibility for life is one of
    stewardship, not ownership.

25
Second Principle THE SANCTITY OF LIFE
  • Each person has worth and dignity because she or
    he is made in the image of God.
  • The value and dignity of human life result solely
    from Gods creating and sustaining love.

26
Two obligations flow from the Sanctity of Life
principle
  • The obligation to nurture and support life
  • The obligation not to harm or destroy life

27
Third Principle THE PROHIBITION AGAINST
KILLING
  • Human persons have an obligation to protect life
    and an obligation not to destroy it.
  • The Commandment You shall not kill does not
    prohibit all killing but only allows it for the
    protection of the person and the community.
  • The Commandment protects the bonds of a community
    by prohibiting the arbitrary taking of life by an
    individual.

28
To clarify this principle it is necessary to
distinguish between killing and allowing to die
  • Killing is any intentional action or omission
    bringing about the death of another.
  • Allowing to die is withholding or withdrawing
    futile or over-burdensome treatment.

29
Principle of Ordinary and Extraordinary Means.
  • Ordinary means are all medicines, treatments,
    procedures, and technology that offer a
    reasonable hope of benefit and which can be
    obtained without excessive pain, expense or
    burden.
  • Extraordinary means refers to all medicines,
    treatments, procedures and technology that do not
    offer a reasonable hope of benefit or cannot be
    obtained or used without excessive pain, expense
    or burden.

30
  • Catholics have a moral obligation to use
    ordinary means to preserve their lives. They
    also may choose to use extraordinary means, but
    they have no obligation to do so.
  • But normally one is held to use only
    ordinary meansaccording to the circumstances of
    persons, places, times, and culture that is to
    say, means that do not involve any grave burden
    for oneself or another. (Pope Pius XII)

31
  • Each of us decides the benefits and burdens of
    treatment according to our own physical, mental,
    emotional and spiritual health at the time of the
    decision. A particular treatment for one person
    may be a benefit while the same treatment for
    another person may be a burden.

32
Difference between withholding treatment and
assisted suicide.
  • Assisted suicide is participating in the
    taking of the life of another.
  • The intention is to cause death.

33
The answer lies in the intention.
  • --If the intent is to cause the person to die,
    this is assisted suicide and not morally
    permissible.
  • --But if the intention is to allow nature to take
    its course, that is, to allow the person to die
    of his/her underlying disease process without
    unnecessarily prolonging the inevitable process
    of dying, then it is allowable to withhold or
    withdraw a treatment or procedure.

34
  • Each decision must apply the principles, but
    must be made on an individual basis after
    evaluating all of the circumstances.

35
Fourth Principle INTERDEPENDENCE
  • Human persons are created as social beings, a
    community of loving persons.
  • Because we live in a community of interdependent
    persons, no one persons freedom is absolute.
  • Other persons welfare must be taken into
    consideration.
  • Individual freedom must be balanced with the
    common good.
  • Scandal.

36
Principles can guide us when we talk about end of
life
  • The topic touches all of us
  • We all have stories that influence us
  • Emotions and experiences influence our
    perspective
  • But do stories and individual cases make good
    law?

37
What is the function of law?
  • It enables us to live together as a society, a
    people
  • It upholds our common values
  • It protects vulnerable and defenseless people

38
Reasons for NOT CHANGING THE LAW on assisted
suicide?
  • Potential Harm
  • 1. Does the potential harm outweigh the potential
    good?
  • 2. Can we create enough or adequate safeguards?

39
Initiative 1000
  • Initiative 1000, as proposed, would legalize
    physician assisted suicide in Washington State.

40
To qualify for physician assisted suicide, a
patient must
  • Be at least 18 years old
  • Prove WA. State residency
  • Be diagnosed with a terminal illness that will
    lead to death within six months
  • Be mentally competent to make health care
    decisions
  • Make decision voluntarily

41
I-1000 Would Legalize Assisted Suicide
  • I-1000 changes the moral stance against the
    taking of innocent human life
  • I-1000 promotes the belief that if a person feels
    as if they are a burden, killing oneself should
    be considered.
  • I-1000 suggests that the answer to pain,
    loneliness, or poor quality of life, is to kill
    oneself.

42
I-1000 is a dangerous initiative
  • I-1000 places vulnerable people, such as the
    disabled, the poor and elderly, at risk for
    abuse.
  • I-1000 does not require notification of spouses
    or family members in cases where someone requests
    suicide. Loved ones could be assisted in their
    suicide and you might never know it until after
    their death.
  • I-1000 actually makes it easy for a depressed
    loved one to commit suicide. The initiative does
    not require a psychological evaluation of those
    requesting assisted suicide, even though
    depression is a normal reaction to receiving a
    terminal diagnosis.

43
For Parish LeadershipWSCC has published
Guidelines for Parishes and Agencies on Political
Activity
44
You Can Make a Difference
  • Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
    committed citizens can change the world.
  • It is the only thing that ever has.
  • - Margaret Mead
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