The Catholic vote

Is there a Catholic vote? This question has been a recent topic of interest.

Several politicians, particularly in reference to the raging debate on the RH bill, have belittled the idea, insisting there is none, or if at all, dismissing it as a negligible factor that will not make any difference in the coming 2013 elections. On the other hand, some Catholic bishops believe there is, and have encouraged the lay faithful to express this in the coming elections.

In the recent US elections, there was an organized Catholic Vote that came out with their own political ads and endorsed the Romney-Ryan tandem for President and Vice-President. The Romney-Ryan team lost, but at least in the US, the Catholics have served notice that they will be active participants in the electoral process.

A good number now actually believe that the Catholic Vote is an idea whose time has come to the Philippines. Not because we are simply copycats of what goes on abroad, particularly in the US, but because of its intrinsic merit, fueled by a convergence of events specific to our time and place.

It is common knowledge that many of us loathe the kind of politics we have in this country, with its dirty tricks, rampant cheating, no holds barred personal demolition among candidates, widespread vote-buying, etc. There are exceptions, of course, but they are few and far between.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), in its pastoral exhortation in 1997, or 15 years ago, expressed what most of us know: “Philippine politics — the way it is practiced — has been most hurtful to us as a people. It is possibly the biggest bane in our life as a nation and the most pernicious obstacle to our achieving full human development.”

Archbishop Oscar Cruz, in his book Churchmen and Politicians, articulates a familiar anguished cry from the depths of the hearts of many well meaning Filipinos: “Can nothing but a downright miracle ever change such a desperate and depressing socio-political scenario in the country? ... Are the churchmen in the Philippines really inutile after all in fulfilling their fundamental mission of promoting what is good and doing away with what is evil in the secular society, in inculcating virtues and thus eradicating vices in the world of politics …?”

In our blaming society, many have pointed with accusing fingers to the Catholic Church, and of late, even to Catholic schools, for the failure to form the moral fiber of our people sufficiently enough to stand firm against the evil ways of politics as practiced in our country.

The truth is, the responsibility is upon all of us.

The Church has not been lacking in its directions and pronouncements. We can quote volumes here, but in the interest of space, we will refer only to a few.

In the pontifical encyclical “Gaudium et Spes,” the Catholic lay are instructed: “The Church praises and esteems those who devote themselves to the good for the service of all, and take upon themselves the burdens of public office…those with talents for the difficult and noble art of politics, or whose talents in this matter can be developed, should prepare themselves for it, and forgetting their own convenience and material interests, they should engage in political activity.” (No. 75)

The local church has been as expressive as well. In the 2nd Plenary Council of the Philippines held more than 20 years ago, we recall a familiar direction: “In the Philippines today, given the general perception that politics has become an obstacle to integral development, the urgent necessity is for the lay faithful to participate more actively, with singular competence and integrity, in political affairs…and work to explicitly promote the election of leaders of true integrity to public office.” (No. 348, Art.8)

Notwithstanding these pronouncements, the Catholic lay, by and large, has remained lukewarm in getting into the fray of politics. True, most of the politicians are Catholics, the Philippines being about 80% Catholics to start with. However, many of them, with exceptions of course, are what might be termed nominal Catholics. On the other hand, those who have actively responded to the call of the church have mostly limited their participation to membership in election watchdogs groups, such as NAMFREL and PPCRV.

What might be the reasons for the past hesitancy of the Catholic lay, and especially lay groups, in being more active in politics?

One obvious reason is the dirtiness of it all, which makes it extremely difficult to convince someone to leave his or her comfort zone and run for public office. It is not just worth all the sacrifice.

Another reason, more applicable to Catholic lay groups, might be a common but wrong notion of the principle of separation of church and state. True, it is enshrined in our Constitution that “The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable.” (Article II, Sec. 6). But does this mean that Catholic lay groups who actively participate in elections violate this principle? Certainly not. Largely drawing from the works of Fr. Joaquin Bernas, SJ, a noted priest constitutionalist, this principle of separation of church and state really refers to two main concepts as provided for in Article III, Sec. 5 of the same Constitution:

1. the non- establishment clause — which prohibits the state from establishing a religion or aiding a religion

2. the free exercise clause — which obligates the state to guarantee the free exercise of religion.

Hence, this principle is really addressed to, and is more the responsibility of, the state, rather than an obligation being imposed on the church. (I hasten to issue a caveat though, that there are some nuances and exceptions to the whole subject of the principle of separation of church and state, which, because this is not a legal treatise, will not be taken up in this column.)

Be that as it may, it should be clear that active participation by Catholic lay groups (and other religions for that matter) in politics does not violate the constitutional principle of the separation of church and state.

That said, there is now a growing desire among the lay, although mostly silent as yet, to finally heed the call of the Catholic hierarchy for the lay to engage more actively in politics. One spark that is making this happen is precisely the RH bill issue. While rallies and marches, as well as public statements, will continue to be necessary, many now see that the long term solution to what is seen as a protracted battle on pro-life related issues is to elect a greater number of renewed Catholics in Congress. This will necessitate the evolution and organization of a Catholic Vote.

Several big Catholic lay groups are now actually meeting and organizing to precisely start the move towards making the Catholic Vote a reality. There will be no big hoopla, no shrill shouting, but surely, the Catholic Vote will become manifest, beginning with the 2013 elections, and getting stronger in the next elections to come. There are no formal talks, no coordination meetings, but while some Catholic groups are filling up the Congress bleachers, others are moving on the ground. Each one has a role to play, guided by a hidden Hand that makes all things possible, in His time. The various Catholic groups need to see this and appreciate the different roles that different groups will play, in this one big fight for Life.

The Catholic Vote is not a political party. It will scan the horizon among all the parties and support candidates who carry Catholic values in their word and action, in their public as well as private life, regardless of political party, and yes, if called for, regardless of religion. There are no illusions among the convenors. The road ahead will be rough and tough. Politics being what it is in our country, there will be attempts to divide, and disunite. But the seed is being sown. It will be watered. And the sun will shine upon it, and make it grow. Perhaps the miracle that Archbishop Oscar Cruz has longed for in anguish in his book, will begin to unfold. After all, after someone offered his five loaves and two fish, a multitude was fed, with plenty of leftovers. After all, after the workers in a wedding obeyed the instructions of Jesus to fill the empty jars with water, the miracle of the transformation of water into wine happened.

It is beginning to appear that, since it is now a prayer in many Filipino hearts, the Catholic Vote is an idea whose time has come to our beloved motherland.

(Joe Tale, a lawyer, is a member of the Couples for Christ International Council and also Executive Vice President of the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas (Council of the Laity of the Philippines).