ELECTION 2022
The Responsibility of Faithful Citizenship
The November 2022 election is quickly approaching. Catholics—like all good citizens—are encouraged to take special note of the issues, ask questions of the candidates and VOTE. It is a time-tested tenet of Catholic teaching that the laity bear the primary responsibility of political action. This is your time. This is your responsibility.
Don’t let the campaigns, the secular news media or special interest groups determine how you prioritize the issues. In Kansas, most candidates still go door to door and make community appearances. Don’t pass up an opportunity to ask the candidates where they stand on the important moral and social justice issues of the day.
The questions listed here can help Catholics make informed moral and prudential decisions about candidates and public policies. Please use this when contacting candidates. Some issues are more important than others. Some concern policies, like attacks on human life, that a Catholic can never support. The Kansas Catholic Bishops teach us that the sanctity of preborn life and the protection of mothers is the preeminent priority in public policy advocacy. Other top tier issues are religious liberty and defense of the family.
The public policy position of candidates for elected office should be determined on these issues. Other issues involve an obligation to seek the common good and Catholics can legitimately disagree on about how to address some other issues. All the issues, however, deserve our attention and discernment in light of our Catholic faith.
A helpful tool for the formation of one’s conscious can be found at: http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org. Finally, take all these important decisions to prayer. Then take action and vote.
God is with us. We persevere!
Chuck Weber, Executive Director, Kansas Catholic Conference
Tim Hodge (D-Newton) Phone: 785.296.2361 Tim.Hodge@house.ks.gov
– Liam Doe, Company Name
Jan Kessinger (R-Overland Park) Phone: 785.296.7436 Jan.Kessinger@house.ks.gov
– Liam Doe, Company Name
Barbara Bollier(D-Mission Hills) Phone: 785.296.7390 Barbara.Bollier@senate.ks.gov
– Liam Doe, Company Name
Jeff Pittman (D-Leavenworth) Phone: 785.296.7522 Jeff.Pittman@house.ks.gov
– Liam Doe, Company Name
John Skuball (R-Overland Park) Phone: 785.296.7301 John.Skubal@senate.ks.gov
– Liam Doe, Company Name
Tom Burroughs (D-Kansas City) Phone: 785.296.8153 Tom.Burroughs@house.ks.gov
– Liam Doe, Company Name
Pat Pettey (D-Kansas City) Phone: 785.296.7375 Pat.Pettey@senate.ks.gov
– Liam Doe, Company Name
WHAT’S NEXT FOR VALUE THEM BOTH?
More than anything else, our efforts moving forward must be rooted in prayer. This struggle for the dignity of the unborn and protection of women is first and foremost a spiritual battle. We consecrated our efforts for Value Them Both to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Unborn. She will not abandon us, her children. Please continue to ask Our Lady to plead with her Son to protect and defend the most vulnerable in our midst, including women with unplanned pregnancies from surrounding states now coming to Kansas.
In addition to prayer, we must take concrete steps to help women who find themselves in an unplanned pregnancy. Pregnancy resource centers (PRC’s) offer a loving life-giving alternative. There are dozens in Kansas. Here is a great resource for finding a Kansas PRC: www.HelpingKansasWomen.org We need more welcoming places for women facing life and death decisions. The Kansas Catholic Conference is seeking legislative paths to support and increase these valuable resources within our communities.
PRAYER is our most powerful tool! The Rosary is our “not so secret” secret weapon! Please consider joining the Kansas Rosary Crusade at: www.KansasRosaryCrusade.org
