In the Gospel of Matthew, an exhausted Jesus was traveling from Galilee to Judea when a group of little children were brought to him for a blessing. When his disciples tried to shoo them away, Jesus rebuked them, saying: “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
For Jesus, children were a priority whose well-being begins at conception and continues long thereafter. Will there be enough food to eat? Adequate healthcare? Housing? Educational opportunities? Safety from gun violence? Clean air to breathe and water to drink?
These questions are matters of public policy, and Catholics must pay attention.
At the Second Vatican Council, the bishops proclaimed that issues affecting “human dignity,” like “subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children” and “disgraceful working conditions” all “poison human society and are a “supreme dishonor to the creator.”
Among these issues, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops maintains that ending abortion and euthanasia must be “preeminent” priorities. And for many Catholics, abortion is a stumbling block when it comes to supporting Kamala Harris.
Abortion should trouble every person of faith. However, the overturning of Roe v. Wade has shown that government overreach has prevented some medically necessary abortions. We have learned about women who have miscarried in hospital parking lots, developed sepsis and lost the ability to have children or children who are the victims of sexual assault who are forced to travel to other states to obtain an abortion.
There is no perfect Catholic candidate. Yet, too often, Catholics succumb to the temptation to be comfortable in their sloganeering — reducing everything to the false binary choice of being either “pro-life” or “pro-choice.”
Jesus challenged his followers to feel some level of discomfort. And being uncomfortable is okay, including not agreeing with candidates on all issues.
Jesus’s ministry sought to reach the left out, broken-hearted, poor and those excluded by society. Pope Francis has repeatedly emphasized that the Catholic Church is for “everyone, everyone, everyone” — and must be a church of welcome for all.
Harris has expressed similar sentiments: “Neighbor is about understanding and living in service of others — that we are all each other’s brothers and sisters.”
Harris is not Catholic, but she is a faithful Baptist. Growing up in Oakland, Harris learned that “‘faith’ is a verb and that we must live it, and show it, in action.” Addressing the National Baptist Convention in 2022, she quoted First Corinthians: “Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything in love.”
We must be agents of love. Collectively, the government can be a force that extends that love by supporting children with a good education, serving meals to the hungry, protecting the environment, promoting peace and helping parents with tax credits and affordable daycare.
One example of putting faith into action came in 2021, when the Senate passed the child tax credit, providing much-needed help to millions of families and reduced poverty levels to record lows.
If elected, Harris promises more government help to reduce food prices, build more homes, slash prescription drug prices, and expand the child care tax credit, including offering $6,000 during the first year after a baby is born.
The late political scientist Jean Bethke Elshtain wrote in her book, “Augustine and the Limits of Politics,” that “Those who refuse to recognize dependence are those most overtaken by the urgency of domination.” Understanding our mutual interdependence means engaging in the political process.
Chicago Cardinal Cupich advises: “Committed Christians and faithful citizens need to participate actively in politics to ensure the common good.”
Harris provides an example of strong moral character. Accepting her party’s presidential nomination, she described the sadness she saw in her school friend, Wanda. Asking if everything was alright, Wanda confided that she had been sexually abused by her stepfather. Immediately, Harris insisted that she must stay with her own family — a decision her mother, Shyamala, immediately affirmed.
Simply put, Kamala Harris is a person of character who is devoted to her spouse and family. Donald Trump is not.
He has been found legally liable for committing rape, been convicted of fraud, repeatedly encouraged violence, was indicted for attempting to overturn the 2020 election, engages in vicious name-calling and has vowed to be a “dictator on Day One” should he return to the White House.
This year, Catholics must affirm what our faith teaches. Religion must not be used as a weapon but as a bridge.
As Pope Francis has said: “No family, no group of neighbors, no ethnic group, much less a nation, has a future if the force that unites them, brings them together and resolves their differences is vengeance and hatred.”
Faith-empowered voices must be part of our political dialogue. In the words of the late Cardinal Joseph Bernadin, ours is a “radically pluralistic” society. To him, this meant Catholics should state their case “in nonreligious terms which others of different faith convictions might find morally persuasive.”
Despite whatever levels of discomfort thoughtful Catholics have with any candidate, our faith requires us to act — and vote.
A faithful Catholic can, in good conscience, cast a ballot for Harris. I plan on doing just that.
John Kenneth White is a professor emeritus at The Catholic University of America. His latest book is titled “Grand Old Unraveling: The Republican Party, Donald Trump, and the Rise of Authoritarianism.”