Life issues dominate bishops' poll agenda

by Peter Stanford THE right to life, to a job, to fair wages and to support for the family are among the issues Catholic leaders have urged the faithful to weigh before casting their votes.
A common theme among bishops' statements on the election is the need to use votes to fight for the protection of human life in all its forms, but particularly as a protest against Britain's abortion laws.
Bishop Patrick Kelly of Salford, prefacing his remarks with a warning that voters should not expect too much of politicians, adds to traditional Catholic concern on abortion the imperative to defend life "through formal education, in work and at home, in sickness, old age and in dying, for ourselves and for the whole human family, and for this nation and its resources and for the resources of the earth".
Bishop Kelly's pastoral letter to his diocese, released after Prime Minister John Major announced the election date, urges Catholics to "appreciate and use seriously the right to vote, and never take it for granted or treat it lightly".
On election day. April 9, Catholics must not "separate political choice from the demands of the gospel of Christ", said Bishop John Brewer of Lancaster in a pastoral letter circulated throughout his diocese at the weekend.
Stressing that his message was "political but not party political", Bishop Brewer said that "candidates must be judged, not simply on the basis of their party, but on their appreciation of their personal responsibility to uphold basic human values".
These, as the Pope proclaims in his 1991 social encyclical Centesimus Annus. include " the right to life from the first moment of conception, the right to live in an environment which aids personal worth and stable family life, the right to work and a just return for that work," Bishop Brewer emphasises.
Bishop Cormac MurphyO'Connor of Arundel and Brighton, in a pastoral letter to be read out this Sunday, highlights "four key Christian virtues" in the run-up to polling day. "They are truth, justice, freedom and love, " he says.
Truth the bishop warns, may become a victim as the race for 10 Downing Street hots up over the four week campaigning period. Among issues that truth demands Catholic voters should address, says Bishop Murphy-O'Connor, are "our response to the needs of the former Soviet Union" and "to the continuing tragedy of Northern Ireland".
The bishop urges the politicians of all parties to "ensure that Northern Ireland remains high on the political agenda until a just solution is found".
On the theme of justice, Bishop Murphy-O'Connor mentions the rights of the unborn child, of workers and their families and of children. Justice must also embrace the third world, he goes on, and the debt burden that ties millions of people to poverty and deprivation. "A serious attempt to resolve this problem of third world debt could bring real freedom to millions of people".
The Catholic Union, headed by the Duke of Norfolk, also offered its advice to voters this week. As a significant proportion of the voting public, Catholics could form a substantial lobby for change on April 9, the Catholic Union points out.
"Catholics have a right and a duty to know the personal convictions of those who seek to represent them on ethical matters. We deplore any attempt by party managers to suggest that these should not be disclosed for party political reasons".
The Catholic Union notes that among this election's crop of candidates are members of the last Parliament who voted in the right to abortion up to birth for women expecting handicapped children.
The ecumenical pressure group, Church Action on Poverty, has produced a briefing paper outlining for Christian voters the "key facts" about low income, unemployment, homelessness, debt and the operation of the social fund.
It suggests questions that could be put to candidates on these issues and provides graphic illustrations of the plight of those families living on low wages.
Cardinal Basil Hume and Archbishop Derek Worlock released electoral guidelines to Catholics last month.