People register to vote during a recent event sponsored by the Heartland Workers Center in Omaha, Neb. The organization has boosted registration efforts for the 2018 elections. (CNS photo/Courtesy of Heartland Workers Center)
To all parishioners in the Diocese of Honolulu
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Peace be with you!
October is designated as Pro-Life month in the United States Catholic Church, and we are asked to focus on the extremely important issues related to defending the lives of the unborn, of the sick and elderly, and of all who are vulnerable. And the first Tuesday of November is Election Day in our country (though many in Hawaii will vote much sooner by mail). There is an important link between these two realities.
Although there is much popular talk about the “separation of Church and State,” it is still extremely important that we people of faith have a voice regarding the laws of our land. Our faith teaches us many principles based on the teachings of Jesus, and following these principles is not only good for Catholics but for the entire society. What is a law, after all, but a community’s concrete expression of the values it expects its citizens to live? All laws have a moral basis. Therefore, our insistence on a respect for life in all its stages from conception until natural death, our championing the dignity of every human person, and our care for the poor and suffering are hallmarks not only of our faith, but of the law that is “written in our hearts.”
I urge all of you, therefore, to prayerfully and thoughtfully consider the issues on which we are called to vote and the people who will be articulating those issues into law. A blind loyalty to a particular political party with which one has always been affiliated is not always what is called for in this time when our institutions and laws are very much in need of a moral compass that is based on the God who gave us our rights and laws that flow from our nature. And, of course, I urge all of you to VOTE and to exercise this responsibility so many people in the world can only dream about. May you be guided by the Holy Spirit, and may your vote be for the good of our entire community!
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Larry Silva
Bishop of Honolulu
