Civility is not relative. Neither is morality.
Meant to get to this before, but the message is always timely.
Last November, a bi-partisan group of lay Catholics issued a “Call for Civility” in public debate about the teachings of the Church as related to politicians who choose to ignore them in their public behavior.
In a statement released on November 6, a group of prominent Catholic public figures lamented the “divisively partisan” tone of political debates, and the “attacks on private conduct and recriminations.”
The group especially wanted Catholic bishops to pretty much refrain from publicly teaching about morality and the importance of participating in politics with a well informed conscience.
Last week, another group of Catholics issued a response to that statement.
In a joint statement released on January 22, 96 Catholics– including Templeton Prize winner Michael Novak, Judge Robert Bork, historian James Hitchcock, theologian William May, and other public figures from the worlds of academe, publishing, and public policy– say that the “feel free even strongly to condemn the public policy positions of Catholic politicians who support abortion, embryo-destructive research, and homosexual marriage.”
The day before the Florida primary and a week before Super Tuesday, this is a good time to catch up on public policy positions, and the fact that they are all, ultimately, moral decisions.