St. Rose of Lima

You are invited to look at all of the issues as you study candidates' for future elections. Compare their views with Catholic Social Teachings.

Issues		Catholic Social Teachings

Abortion		The Catholic Church opposes any measures by government that support abortion of human life. From the moment of conception, all human life has dignity and must be protected. It urges government to repeal any taxes that go toward funding abortions; including partial-birth abortions
Crime		Pope John Paul II and the United States bishops have continually called for an end to Capital Punishment and have declared that dignity must still be granted to even the most violent of criminals who should remain in custody.
Education		The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has come out in favor of the No Child Left Behind Act promoted by President Bush and Senator Kerry. The bishops also hailed the Supreme Court on its decision for school vouchers for low-income students.
Environment		In their document on Climate Change (2001), the US bishops state that they have no independent judgment on the plausibility of global warming but encourage fruitful dialogue by world leaders. The document warns against quickly dismissing global warming theory and that developed nations should do their part to preserve the future of our planet.
Guns		In their 1994 document on “Confronting the Culture of Violence,” the US Bishops encouraged curbing the easy availability of deadly weapons. The bishops encourage the extension of the assault weapons ban which expired in September, 2004.
Health Care		The US bishops urged congress to take action to help uninsured Americans, and to start taking steps toward achieving affordable, accessible and adequate health care for all by insisting on resources for health care programs in the fiscal 2004 budget plan.
Jobs		The US bishops supported the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2002 and continues to press for increases in federal minimum wages. The bishops also agree that all free trade agreements should contribute to sustainable human development, especially among the poorest and most vulnerable sectors of society.
Marriage		The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has opposed gay marriage and supports a national amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
Mercy Killing		The Catholic Church condemns the practice of “mercy killing,” another name for euthanasia. The direct killing of another human or taking one’s own life (suicide) stands against both Scripture and Tradition.
Stem Cell & Cloning		The Church teaches that from the moment of conception, human embryos must be preserved and protected. The Church supports experiments with adult stem-cells as such procedures do not kill humans, while embryonic (fetal) stem-cells tests do.
Taxes		The Catholic bishops have been consistent supporters of changes in the tax code to assist low income families. Both the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit have been high priorities for the bishops.
War		At a recent United Nations session, the Vatican spoke against the invasion of Iraq. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops also urged the President and Congress to refrain from invading Iraq based on the “Just War Theory” held by the Catholic Church. The US bishops decried the attacks of Al Qaeda and the crimes of Saddam Hussein against humanity. The US bishops urged the Director of Homeland Security to respect the human dignity of aliens to our country.