Equally Sacred voting Checklist
Preparations for the 2024 US fall election make the news daily. We Affiliates need to be preparing ourselves, too, since so many issues that interact with mission will be impacted by the next US administration. In 2023, the USCCB published a 64-page paper with in-depth discussions of Catholic Church guidance regarding the duties of citizenship (https://www.usccb.org/resources/forming-consciences-faithful-citizenship-pdf).
Network Advocates for Justice (networkadvocates.org) is perhaps best known for its earlier campaign—Nuns on the Bus. This year, Network has provided a one-page checklist highlighting various political issues that relate to Catholic social teaching. Network is also conducting extensive training in preparation for the November 2024 US election. The trainings (www.mobilize.us/network) stress that “Catholics and all people of good will are called to be multi-issue voters, not single issue voters.“
The 2024 Equally Sacred Checklist from Network emphasizes freedom:
Freedom to be healthy
Freedom to live on a healthy planet
Freedom to participate in a vibrant democracy
Freedom to care for ourselves and our families
Freedom from harm
Freedom to live in a welcoming country that values dignity and human rights
Each freedom in the Checklist includes questions voters can use in evaluating candidates. Catholic teaching relating to each freedom is noted in the Checklist. The concise Checklist from Network makes obvious that there are many equally sacred issues to consider in voting, including immigration, gun control, and climate change.
This article first appeared in the July/August issue of Not So Far Afield.