American Catholic Voters

In his article "Tough Choices for U.S. Catholics," commentator Jeremy Lott of a UK news website offers his assessment of the dilemma faced by American Catholic voters in the upcoming presidential election. Lott first calls attention the correlation between weekly Mass attendance and the tendency to vote Republican (actually, the 2004 web article from which he draws his claims says that people of any religious background who come to weekly services are more likely to favor the conservative, right-wing candidates in an election). He asserts that “most Mass-going Catholics . . . [are] apt to agree with the prudential judgment of groups like the Knights of Columbus,” who acknowledge the primacy of abortion over “social justice issues” and denounce Catholic pro-choice candidates. Lott goes on, however, to say that despite the significance of the abortion issue for so many Catholic voters, there is one issue especially in this year’s election that may make their decision less clear-cut: the war in Iraq. Lott refers briefly to the just war theory and offers a reminder that voices from the Vatican disapproved of our entry into Iraq. Lott cites Cardinal Pio Laghi (sent by Pope John Paul II as an emissary to the White House), who said that a U.S. invasion of Iraq would be “illegal” and “unjust.” He quotes Pope Benedict XVI, who, while still a cardinal, said, “The concept of a ‘preventative war’ does not appear in the catechism of the Catholic Church.”

Lott claims that both candidates “only amplify the worst tendencies of their respective parties.” Basically, Lott sees the plight of American Catholic voters as this: to vote for Obama would be problematic due to his extreme pro-choice stance (the man voted against the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, for crying out loud). To vote for McCain, however, does not completely ease our consciences either, as he has been a strong proponent of “an unjust war in Iraq” and would perhaps involve us in other armed conflicts that are not justified in the eyes of the Church.

I found Lott’s article to be very interesting, especially considering the fact that he has a different vantage point since he is writing from the U.K. While I agree with a lot of what he says and am really able to identify with this article, I think that his view of the American Catholic voter is incomplete.

The main reason that I was drawn to this article was precisely because of the two issues that Lott pinpoints, namely abortion and war. As I struggle to navigate the waters of this year’s presidential election, these are two of the main issues about which I am concerned. While some of Obama’s social policies may seem to exhibit a greater care for “the least of these,” I cannot support his policies regarding his treatment of the smallest of the least of these. As Dr. Seuss proclaims in his book Horton Hears a Who, “A person’s a person no matter how small.” When I look at McCain, however, I grapple with his pro-war stance. I suppose that some McCain proponents would argue that by supporting the war he is in fact securing the lives of Americans at home and somehow helping to improve life for Iraqis, but to accomplish these ends by war seems contradictory to me (besides the fact that we were not justified in entering into the war in the first place). In short, I do not see either candidate as upholding what the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin referred to as a “consistent ethic of life.”

While I strongly identify with Lott’s concise explanation of the problems presented by the candidates’ positions on abortion and war, I do not fully agree with Lott’s perspective of the American Catholic voter, and American Catholics in general. I think that the situation is a bit more complex that Lott makes it out to be. A Time Magazine poll of 600 Catholic voters from various parts of the U.S. published in June showed that 45% of those polled were in favor of McCain, and 44% were leaning towards Obama. The article on American Catholic voters that went with the poll spoke about a trend of Catholic voters to favor the views of Douglas Kmiec, who supports Obama due to economic and social justice issues as well as the war in Iraq (Claire explained this in her post last week). On a personal level, I know several pro-life Catholics who will most likely vote Democratic in this election. While these voters are concerned with the war, I have found that Iraq is not the only issue that, as Lott puts it, may “trump” the priority of electing a pro-life president on their list of concerns.

Also, I sadly feel that Jeremy Lott’s view of American Catholics is too optimistic. He opens his article by trying to identify with the American Catholic voter through this statement:

“Suppose you are an observant but not particularly devout American Catholic. You go to Mass on Sundays and those holy days that you remember. You don't eat meat on Lenten Fridays - though how you curse it. You feel guilty about not going to confession more often. You fish money out of your pockets during most offerings and usually give to the bishop's appeal. Your faith may not move mountains, but it's real, and you take the obligations of your religion seriously. While you're not wild about all the particulars of Church teaching, you don't doubt that it's true.”

Although Lott’s description is of “an observant but not particularly devout” American Catholic, by today’s standards I think the person he describes would indeed be considered devout in our nation. Moreover, while Lott’s claims about the correlation of Church attendance and conservative voting have validity, the percentage of Americans who regularly attend Mass is deplorably rather small. Of the approximately 69.1 million American Catholics (according the USCCB) who comprise about 24 % of the population, only about 25% attend weekly Mass. This works out to only about 5.75% of the population. While this is probably higher than many European nations, it is obviously far from a majority. Furthermore, not all of these people can/will vote as this number includes all American Catholics (not just those who are eligible to vote).

I guess what I wanted to point out was that, while I really relate to the tension presented by Lott surrounding the issues of abortion and the war in Iraq, his perception of the American Catholic voter in this election is a bit simplified and (I am sad to say) optimistic. The percentage of American Catholics who regularly attend Mass (let alone fit with other parts of the description Lott proposes) is grievously small, and even within this group of faithful Church-goers, there is a significant amount of wrestling over several different issues. Personally, I would argue that the low Mass attendance is actually a more pressing issue than the upcoming election. As we have been discussing in class, we first need to “be Church” (to quote theologian Stanley Hauerwas). We are called to enter into a relationship with God and one another and become the body of Christ. Then God can work through us to bring about the peace, justice, and life that characterize His kingdom both in our short time on earth and beyond.