Recently, Priests for Life put out another call nationwide for Churches to do
voter registration drives. This activity simply consists of giving Church
members the opportunity to fill out the voter registration forms at the back of
Church. The forms take about a minute or two to complete.
It is perfectly legal for a Church to conduct a non-partisan voter
registration campaign. "Non-partisan" means that it is not limited to people of
any given party. In fact, nobody who is eligible under Federal and state law is
excluded.
Voter registration drives in the Churches are also fully consistent with the
Gospel and with the call that the Pope and bishops have been making to us to
get involved in the electoral process. Jesus commissioned his apostles to
make disciples of all the nations and to teach them to carry out all His
commands. The work of the Church is not simply to bring people to believe,
but also to carry out the Lord's teachings. The Gospel transforms society
and renews the face of the earth. That includes renewing the face of leadership,
laws, policies, and political life.
The Pope, even in his encyclical on the Eucharist, urges us not to neglect
the duties of our citizenship, and the bishops remind us in Living the Gospel
of Life that "every voice matters in the public forum; every vote counts."
So we are good to go, legally and spiritually. What keeps us from actually
doing it?
One of the obstacles is an excessive fear that some dioceses and parishes
have of working with "outside groups." Some, for example, may not want to do a
"Christian Coalition" voter registration drive, or a "Priests for Life" or
"National Right to Life" voter registration drive.
Of course, parishes and dioceses are free to work with whom they choose. But
that's not really the issue, because the decision not to work with a particular
group does not absolve a Church of its duty to equip its members to be active
voters. Voter registration drives are not inherently linked with any group.
Voter registration is an activity that citizens do and that Churches have the
right to facilitate. The activity is not owned by the Church or by any
outside group. We at Priests for Life -- along with many other national groups
-- promote awareness of the need to do voter registration, and share
information on how to carry it out. It is the role of the local diocese and
parish to then pick up the ball and run with it. If they are afraid to do
so, they should admit that, rather than disguise their fear with the excuse that
they cannot work with a particular group.
Meanwhile, we will not be afraid to call on everyone to register as
many voters as possible -- with or without the help of the Churches Even night
clubs have been conducting voter registration drives, to protect certain immoral
activities. Will they do better than God's Church?
