Be Our Guest / Alexander Mingus

Why the parties get it wrong

In the final days leading up to the 2024 national election, the most important thing for Catholics to remember is that we are restless. Or should be, at least. As St. Augustine famously proclaims in Confessions, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

But what does feeling restless have to do with an election? As the bishops of the United States put it in “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” (hereafter referred to as “FC”), “Catholics may feel politically disenfranchised, sensing that no party and too few candidates fully share the Church’s comprehensive commitment to the life and dignity of every human being from conception to natural death” (FC, #16).

When I read this statement, I ask myself: would I feel at peace if the United States somehow had a national Catholic political party, one whose platform was built around the principles of Catholic social doctrine with a candidate slated to win the presidential election?

We don’t have to look too far back in history to realize the idea isn’t far-fetched.

One of the most notable examples of political parties attempting to use Catholic social doctrine as the basis of a party platform is the Christian democratic movement, which began in the 19th century in Europe as an attempt to reconcile Catholicism and democracy. In particular, the political upheaval of the French Revolution along with the rise of liberal democracy in European nations would challenge the Catholic laity to form parties that “baptized” the fruits of democracy while setting up social supports for workers in the newly industrialized economies.

Later in the 19th century, the promulgation of Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical “Rerum Novarum” would solidify the Church’s voice in the social questions of the day, leading to the further development of the social doctrine of the Catholic Church and the movement of the laity to creatively live that teaching in public life.

The vitality of these parties, in Europe at least, diminished with the rise of secularism and an abandonment of the Christian tradition that once gave them life. In the United States, attempts at organizing these types of parties have been minimal, except today’s American Solidarity Party.

If we examine the two major political parties of the United States and their philosophical foundations, both past and present, neither is in full alignment with the Church’s moral and social teaching. “[The] principles and related themes from Catholic social teaching provide a moral framework that does not easily fit ideologies of ‘right’ or ‘left,’ ‘liberal’ or ‘conservative,’ or the platform of any political party. They are not partisan or sectarian, but reflect fundamental ethical principles that are common to all people” (FC, #55).

Even if a party or presidential candidate were in full alignment, we would still face the reality of a divided nation where partisanship prevails over the promotion of a consistent recognition of the dignity of the human person and the pursuit of the common good. This is why I feel restless.

Despite these frustrating realities, the bishops help to guide us toward hopeful participation: “… this is not a time for retreat or discouragement; rather, it is a time for renewed engagement. Forming their consciences in accord with Catholic teaching, Catholic lay women and men can become actively involved: running for office; working within political parties; communicating their concerns and positions to elected officials; and joining diocesan social mission or advocacy networks, state Catholic conference initiatives, community organizations, and other efforts to apply authentic moral teaching in the public square” (FC, #16).

In my work for the Church in Indiana, I often hear that the bishops aren’t doing enough regarding social issues, that priests aren’t preaching courageously, that the Church’s hierarchy is out of touch. These criticisms often develop from frustration and hopelessness in the face of seemingly insurmountable issues. As a source of hope, I offer two reminders: the wealth of teaching in the Church’s tradition, particularly Catholic social doctrine and the Church’s robust moral theology. I also recall Pope Benedict XVI’s reminder that the work of the just ordering of society is “proper to the lay faithful” (FC, #16).

In the Second Vatican Council’s pastoral constitution “Gaudium et Spes,” we hear that “the Church, by reason of her role and competence, is not identified in any way with the political community nor bound to any political system. She is at once a sign and a safeguard of the transcendent character of the human person” (#76).

Essentially, the Church is asking us, the laity, to be the salt and light of the political world while the Church maintains her teaching authority. Not every priest and bishop have the same gifts, and not all will have the same interest in preaching about social issues. There are many parts, we are all one body, and each part has its own gifts and calling.

The call of the Church in every age, both to the Christian democrats of the 19th century and to American Catholics of 2024, is to live a life of holiness, allowing our pursuit of sanctity to spill out into society.

Our great challenge is to stay close to Christ and to recognize, with clear and well-formed consciences, where political parties and candidates stray from proclaiming the dignity of the human person, the solidarity of all mankind, respect for subsidiarity and the pursuit of the common good. It is in and through this challenge that we are presented with opportunities to grow in holiness, to strengthen our relationship with Christ and to root all our hope in him.

As we vote, as we discuss the great social, economic and moral questions of the day and as we pursue the common good, we may feel restless. My prayer is that in our restlessness we’ll be reminded of our greater citizenship. Our heavenly citizenship. “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

(Alexander Mingus is the executive director of the Indiana Catholic Conference [ICC], the public policy voice of the Church in Indiana. To receive public policy updates from the ICC throughout the year, go to indianacc.org/register.) †