Catholic Democrats

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Catholic Democrats [1] is a national non-profit organization of concerned Catholics, based in Boston. The organization was founded in 2004 as an outgrowth of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' “Call to Faithful Citizenship,” [2] which is rooted in “a consistent moral framework anchored in the scriptures and expressed in the teachings of the Church.” The 2004 presidential elections had witnessed unprecedented attempts to bend Catholic Social Teaching to accommodate policies on the part of the US Government that have led to the deaths of as many as 655,000 people in Iraq [3], the first meaningful increases in abortion numbers since 1990 [4], stagnation of family incomes for the majority of Americans, significant new numbers of poor children in the US [5], and increased numbers of working people and their families without health insurance [6]. The Catholic Democrats have members in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, with active local groups in a growing number of states.

In their statement, “The Challenge of Faithful Citizenship,” [7] the Bishops enunciated a new commitment to advancing public policies that work in the interest of “the common good.” Catholic Democrats was founded as a medium for discussion about ways that Catholics can find common ground in dealing with some of society’s most pressing social problems: war, poverty, unintended pregnancy, preventable illness, the death penalty, instability of the family, all forms of discrimination, and supporting the dialogue balancing medical advances and the dignity of the individual. Central to this conversation is recognition of the Gospel imperative that the moral life can only be found through inviting people of conscience to pursue loving choices in their lives, rather than advocating state-sponsored or other coercion in any form.

Catholic Social Teaching is not the provenance of Democrats or Republicans, and examples can be found of dramatic shortcomings on the part of both major political parties. Catholics played a major role in turning public opinion against the Vietnam War, fostered under both Democratic and Republican Administrations, that ultimately led to 58,169 American war casualties, possibly more than 100,000 suicides by Vietnam veterans [8], and the deaths of 2 million people in Southeast Asia. Unlike groups like the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, which routinely criticize Democratic office holders for not following a conservative political agenda, the Catholic Democrats work to support Catholic civil servants who are under attack for their beliefs. The Catholic Democrats aspire to contribute to the representation of the Catholic conscience among Democrats, and as a medium for expressing the ways that Democrats are pursuing Catholic Social Teaching in the public arena.

Catholic Democrats [9] has also created Political Action Committee called the Catholic Democrats Communications PAC.