Bishop Loverde writes a letter to the people of Arlington in the Arlington Catholic Herald this week upholding the culture of life and reminding Catholics of their responsibility to consider life issues above all others in this election. If you are an Arlingtonian you'd do well to read the whole thing.
Let me be clear: to vote for a candidate precisely because of his or her pro-abortion stance is an instance of formal cooperation in a grave evil. Such formal cooperation is, according to the constant teaching of the Church, never morally permissible.
I'd like Pete or others to comment on the canonical implications of this statement. What does it mean for a Catholic if he formally cooperates in a grave evil?
Bishop Loverde explains proportionate reason for voting for particular candidates, something that is lost on those who equate the death penalty with the terror war with abortion with ketchup being declared a vegetable with nose hair trimmers for the indigent. It's too long to quote here - just click above and read the whole enchilada.
I'd like to hear what Pete has to say, too, but "formal cooperation in a grave evil" is objectively a mortal sin. It's like handing a gun to a murderer. Canon law is the least of the pro-abortion voter's problems.
Hi guys, the Bishop is clarifying one's moral obligations, not one's canonical obligation. This is the right way to go because canon law concerns what one can prove in the external forum. Thus unlike the politician whose voting record we know, the action of the individual voter is private and not manifest.