Bishop McElroy talks politics

Bishop McElroy visits USD and urges Catholics to vote based on their religious values

Mikaela Foehr / News Editor / The USD Vista

Contrary to the popular belief that religion shouldn’t be involved in politics, Bishop John McElroy came to campus to assert that faith and politics cannot be separated. In a lecture titled “Candidates, Consciousness, and Faithful Voting,” Bishop McElroy outlined what he believes should be the guiding themes in the political decision-making process for “faithful voters.”

The lecture, given Thursday, Feb. 6, raised the traditional political Catholic talking point of anti-abortion legislation, but also discussed other issue-priorities, as well as the importance of candidate characteristics.

The event was sponsored by the Frances G. Harpst Center for Catholic Thought and Culture (CTCC). The CTCC’s mission, as stated on their website, is to “(help) USD and its neighbors to explore, understand and celebrate everything it means to participate in a university community that calls itself Catholic in the twenty-first century.” 

The purpose of the event, as laid out on its flyer, was, “The Bishop will lay out the moral parameters and principles we should consider in deciding for whom and for what to vote.”

However, Bishop McElroy made it clear that he did not come to USD to tell people how to vote.

“It is not the church’s position to endorse candidates, and I am not here to tell you who to vote for,” Bishop McElroy explained. 

The bishop spoke for roughly 30 minutes outlining what the Catholic Church believes should be the most important considerations for Catholics when they walk into the voting booth. Contrary to popular opinion, Bishop McElroy did not outline one specific issue as the preeminent issue for voting Catholics, but instead offered ten that he, on behalf of the church, believed should be considered and weighed, according to personal importance. Although, Bishop McElroy did spend a disproportional amount of time discussing the issues of climate change and abortion laws compared to the other eight issues.

At times, Bishop McElroy even insinuated that climate change may be a more pressing issue than abortion since “the survival of the planet, which is the prerequisite of all human life, is at risk.” 

He added that “faithful voters” should also consider the phenomenon of “the culture of exclusion that has grown so dramatically in our nation these last three years.” As well, he implored voters to consider the “competence and character” of presidential candidates, in such a way that it is equally important to the issue considerations.

“Character is an even more essential element in effective faith-filled voting at the present moment, and another reason why faith-filled voting cannot be simply reduced to a series of competing social justice teachings,” McElroy said. 

USD community members and members of the general public attended the event. Some of the students who attended were encouraged to come through extra credit offerings in their classes, like senior Rielly Diaz.

“Two of my classes were offering extra credit for going, but I was also really interested to hear what he had to say,” Diaz said.

Diaz said that he had no expectations going into the lecture, but admitted that some of Bishop McElroy’s claims surprised him.

“Where the shock factor came in was when he said that abortion is no more of a priority than climate change,” Diaz said. “I expected him to take a much stronger stance on that.”

It became evident that Diaz’s surprise was shared among audience members when the floor opened up for questions. Many of the questions posed by audience members referenced the abortion and climate change policy conflict. Some of these questions were posed (not by anyone affiliated with USD, to the best of The USD Vista’s knowledge)  in an accusatory manner, but McElroy remained calm and stuck to his previously voiced stances.

One unnamed audience member, seemingly not affiliated with USD, made it clear that she expected a stonger stance on abortion issues by saying, “Your excellency, you mentioned a lot of Catholic social teaching, but you did not mention the 10 Commandments. Abortion is the torture and murder of an innocent human being, and they are now advocating it right up to birth, and beyond.” 

Two USD professors also spoke up during the question portion of the lecture. Associate professor in the political science department, Evan Crawford, Ph.D., and philosophy professor Turner Nebit, Ph.D. Both professors asked questions related to their fields of study, and although the bishop did not answer either of their questions straightforwardly, he was visibly happier to discuss their thought-provoking questions compared to the previous accusatory ones. 

Mary Doak, Ph.D., who also attended the event, offered the lecture as extra credit for her students. Doak, a theology professor, is teaching a Faith and Politics course. 

“From a faith and politics perspective I wanted my students to go and see what Bishop McElroy thinks religion has to bring to politics,” Doak said. “It is important and interesting to see how the bishop relays the official teachings of the Catholic Church in an in-depth manner, when most people only hear the political talking points.”

The presidential primary elections, which prompted the organization of this lecture, will be held, in the state of California, on March 3. Leading up to the primary day, the on-campus organization USD Votes will be holding events across campus to spread awareness about the election, as well as to help students and faculty alike get registered to vote.