The politics of conscience

The politics of conscience


I am saddened by the comment of a party-list congressman who thought that the “Catholic Church in the Philippines is practicing a double standard when it tells the people to choose the country’s next leaders by following their conscience, but at the same time it tells them not to vote for those candidates that support the reproductive health (RH) bill”(Solon hits Church double standard, PDI 01/26).

I presume he has a wrong notion about conscience. He must be referring to personal preference or a bad conscience and not to an informed conscience as taught by the Church. A person who claims that he uses his conscience in electing a candidate but his conscience is opposed to the teachings and ethos of the Catholic Church is using his personal preference or bad conscience. He only expresses such and not a showing of a well-formed and informed conscience. The Church helps the conscience to be formed by imbuing in the conscience of the person the teachings and traditions of the Church. It is only then that the conscience is informed. And only a formed and informed conscience should be followed.

Is the Church playing a double standard as claimed by the congressman? He said that “On the one hand, [the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines ] has said vote according to your conscience. On the other, it says it’s not moral to vote for people who support the reproductive health bill. There is a double standard here” This is an uncalled for remark. It is the moral obligation and duty of the Church to protect its flock from sinning especially by following policies that are anti-life and anti-family. It follows that the Church admonishes the faithful not to vote for candidates who push for anti-life and anti-family bills. In both cases, the Church persuades the faithful to use their informed consciences. That is not double standard- that is consistency!