The Pope, the Consistent Ethic of Life, and the Common Good

Pope Benedict XVI has been making the news lately. On the occasion of Barack Obama's election victory, he sent a personal congratulatory message and emphasized working with the new president on issues of "peace, solidarity and justice."  When the Vatican spokesman was asked by a reporter for more specifics discussed in the letter, the spokesperson reiterated, "peace, solidarity and justice."

The Pope also reminded Catholics in a recent statement that all human life, born and unborn, is sacred and must be protected. The Pope noted that every year about four million newborn children die around the world less than 26 days after birth because of poverty, lack of health care, and armed conflict. The Holy Father described this as a matter of "urgent" concern.

This consistent ethic of life principle has a long history in Catholic social thought, but it's often eclipsed when it comes to contemporary debates over faith in politics.  Abortion, for example, is sometimes viewed in isolation from the social, cultural and economic context in which women and families live.  As Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles told Washington Post writer E.J. Dionne, Jr. in this column. "We are not a one-issue Church," Zavala insisted.

Catholic voters agree. A new post-election poll conducted by Public Religion Research and sponsored by Faith in Public Life, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and Sojourners found that 72 percent of Catholics say people of faith should "focus on all issues that are central to their faith even if it makes them less effective in politics."   Strong majorities of Catholics (71%) and evangelicals (62%) also believe people of faith should advocate for policies that "protect the interests of all and promote the common good."

On the urgent moral issue of abortion, poll findings offer hope that we can move beyond culture-war divisions to support public policies that prevent abortions. Eighty-one percent of Catholics and 86 percent of white evangelicals, according to the survey, believe elected leaders should work together to find ways to reduce abortions by preventing unwanted pregnancies, expanding adoption opportunities, and increasing economic support for women who want to carry their pregnancies to term.

The role of religion in public life today has dramatically changed. Just four years ago, the far right had a monopoly on the faith and values' debate. A Christian engagement with public life too often ignored the long tradition of the social gospel:  Jesus' central message of justice and liberation for the poor and oppressed, and the Magnificat's reversal of worldly power.  War, health care and the economy were not widely viewed as moral issues that have a profound impact on human dignity. Today, organizations like Catholics in Alliance, Pax Christi, NETWORK, Faith in Public Life and Sojourners have helped put the common good back at the center of political discourse.

This resurgent common-good faith movement has deepened the moral agenda by reclaiming a prophetic voice on issues such as poverty,  compassionate and root-cause solutions to abortion, genocide and climate change. The movement looks forward to realizing solutions to these issues, and advocating for and holding the new Administration and Congress accountable to these solutions and ideals, as a prophetic faith community must.