Voting in a church could affect more conservative candidates and issues, like our euthanasia and cannabis referendums.

Physically being at a church, it seems, makes people more likely to follow church norms unconsciously.

Voting in a school, for example, could stimulate a part of our identity that cares about kids or taking care of our communities, nudging us towards left-leaning candidates or parties. Read more

Collins, who stands in the Papakura electorate, lives in Tamaki, a seat comfortable held by National MP Simon O'Connor.

She arrived about 11 am to place her vote at St Thomas Tamaki, stopping in the chapel to offer a prayer before going in to vote. Read more

They make those calls in their 2020 Election Statement-Whakapuaki Poti 2020, which also urges people to consider the poor and vulnerable when voting.

The bishops' statement expressly says it is not the bishops' role to tell people who to vote for.

It is published in Maori and English throughout.

What kind of a nation do we want?

"We hope and work for a nation that looks to ensure the sanctity and wellbeing of whanau; that ensures families have time to spend with each other; that supports all families to access the basic human needs of food, clothing, housing, education and healthcare," the bishops say.

"Rather than thinking about what will benefit each of us personally regarding the election and referendum choices we face, we ask you to pray and discern what will protect the poor and vulnerable and what will uphold the dignity of creation so that we create a connected future for all, without discarding any of us."

Euthanasia

Urging a "no" vote in the End of Life Choice Act referendum, the bishops say the demand for euthanasia is driven not by pain but by personal and emotional factors such as fear of being a burden or being disabled, fears that reflect negative attitudes towards the elderly and disabled that run deep in society.

They note that key medical groups, including the Medical Association, oppose the End of Life Choice Act and criticise the act for not requiring that people first access palliative care when that is available.

Cannabis

On the recreational cannabis referendum, the bishops say as proprietors of many of the country's 237 Catholic schools with 66,000 students, they are keenly aware that rangatahi are the group most vulnerable to the adverse effects of cannabis.

"We think people do need to give serious thoughts to the issue, and we hope you will use your vote in a way that considers the impact of legalised recreational cannabis on the young and vulnerable in our communities."

Click here for the full 2020 Election Statement-Whakapuaki Poti 2020 in PDF format.

Source

Supplied

The Catholic outreach campaigners (called Catholics for Biden) insistence of the Biden-papal alignment overlooks Biden's support for federal funding of abortions.

Biden has pledged to support taxpayer-funded abortion and codify legal abortion in law. His "public option" health care plan would also cover elective abortions.

Pope Francis has made forceful denunciations of abortion, likening it to "hiring a hitman." He has also condemned selective abortion of the disabled as "the same as the Nazis to maintain the purity of the race, but with white gloves."

The U.S. bishops' document "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship" also denounces abortion, describing it as a "preeminent" threat to human life.

Speakers at Catholics for Biden's online campaign launch urged Catholics not to be single-issue voters on abortion and challenged President Trump's pro-life record while in office.

After the launch, Catholics for Biden promoted an online quiz, "Are you a Pope Francis Voter?"

The quiz told participants "Donald Trump rejects the vast majority of Catholic Social Teaching," while comparing Biden's views favourably with those of Francis.

It went on to describe a "Pope Francis Voter" as someone who considers racism, poverty, migration and healthcare as "sacred issues" to be prioritized in the voting booth.

Biden's policies will protect people in poverty, the elderly, and migrants and reject racism, the quiz continued.

Catholics for Biden co-opted the phrased "sacred issues" from the pope's 2018 apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate - although they overlooked the primary context of his statement.

What Francis actually said was that "all human life, born and unborn is sacred".

He also said "this defence of unborn life is closely linked to the defence of each and every other human right ...

"... the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned and the underprivileged, the vulnerable infirm and elderly exposed to covert euthanasia, the victims of human trafficking, new forms of slavery, and every form of rejection" are equally sacred.

A 2020 election scorecard promoted by Catholics for Biden outlines "Equally Sacred Priorities" that equate abortion with a number of other issues in importance.

"In his writing and speaking, Pope Francis makes it clear: abortion is not the only issue that matters," the scorecard states.

The scorecard was produced by Network, the social justice lobby led by Sister Simone Campbell, who led a prayer at the 2020 Democratic National Convention and endorsed Biden at Thursday night's event.

Asked if her organization opposes legal abortion, Campbell replied: "That is not our issue. That is not it. It is above my pay grade."

The scorecard notes that Trump, and not Biden, is seeking to overturn Roe v. Wade, but adds that Biden, and not Trump, would increase support for pregnant women and fight maternal mortality.

Source

• Catholic News Agency
• Image: CNN.com