{"id":1478,"date":"2012-10-31T10:05:00","date_gmt":"2012-10-31T10:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/north-dakota-bishop-stands-by-pastoral-letter-on-election\/"},"modified":"2012-10-31T10:05:00","modified_gmt":"2012-10-31T10:05:00","slug":"north-dakota-bishop-stands-by-pastoral-letter-on-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/10\/north-dakota-bishop-stands-by-pastoral-letter-on-election\/","title":{"rendered":"North Dakota bishop stands by pastoral letter on election"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Bismarck, N.D., Oct 31, 2012 \/ 04:05 am (CNA<\/a>).- Bishop David D. Kagan of Bismarck defended his letter on the election which was read this weekend at parishes in North Dakota, against demands by a state senator that it be withdrawn or changed.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIt's with a properly formed conscience, which we regularly nourish with prayer, the sacraments, and continued study, that we can\u2026set a good example, which ultimately isn't about you or me,\u201d Bishop Kagan told CNA Oct. 30.<\/p>\n

\tThe example we set, he emphasized, presents Christ to other people.<\/p>\n

\tBishop Kagan is the ordinary of Bismarck, and is serving as the apostolic administrator of Fargo while the see is vacant.<\/p>\n

\tAs part of his role, Bishop Kagan issued the letter asking parishioners \u201cto vote as a Catholic citizen with a properly formed Catholic conscience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tBishop Kagan wrote that the teachings of the Church are \u201cthe means for us to properly form our consciences so that we seek always what is true and good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHe went on to say that intrinsically evil actions, such as abortion and euthanasia, \u201cmust always be rejected and opposed,\u201d and that issues that do not directly affect the life and dignity of people are secondary to these.<\/p>\n

\tThough Bishop Kagan \u201cwill not tell you how to vote,\u201d he wrote that \u201cI ask you to vote for the candidates who represent you as Catholic citizens. Please do not vote for the candidate who is most likeable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tResponding to an advance copy of the letter, however, state senator Tim Mathern asserted in an Oct. 23 statement that the obligation to \u201cfollow your conscience\u201d is in conflict with the obligation of Catholics to form their conscience according to Church teaching, and that Bishop Kagan's teaching \u201cshort circuits conscience formation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tMathern's statement also characterized Bishop Kagan's letter as \u201ca request on voting for or against a specific person or party,\u201d thus risking the Church's non-profit status.<\/p>\n

\tThough no candidates or parties are mentioned by name in the letter, Mathern believes Bishop Kagan's plea not to vote for the \u201cmost likeable\u201d candidate is too particular.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cNorth Dakotans who have been exposed to political coverage or advertisements this election season can readily identify the candidate who is considered the 'most likeable,'\u201d he said. \u201cRepeatedly, newspaper reports use this designation for one candidate, as do ads against her candidacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tBishop Kagan responded to CNA, however, that he wrote the letter out of concern for the souls of the Catholic faithful under his charge.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThere isn't a circumstance that can ever justify you or me checking our faith at the door, and then going in and doing something that is contrary to what we say we believe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIt does a great disservice to other Catholics, and to those who are not Catholic, if we create one of those artificial divisions between what I believe as a Catholic and what I do as a Catholic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tBishop Kagan added that \u201cconscience can be in error,\u201d and that while there are things that are \u201ceasily recognized\u201d by individual consciences as true or false, there are also matters \u201cin between.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cAnd that's where the relationship between Church authority and conscience\u2026becomes so necessary and essential, because it's not always clear what is the Truth, and therefore what is the good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cSo it's that recognition that there is an authority\u2026that can inform and properly form one's conscience so it recognizes the Truth, and then directs the person to seek that which is true and good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHe said the relationship between authority and conscience is a \u201ccomplementary\u201d one, and that authority and conscience are not meant to be \u201cat odds\u201d with one another.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cFor a Catholic to properly form and inform his or her conscience, so that the truth is recognized and the good is pursued\u2026one has to be able to look to the authentic teaching of that truth,\u201d he offered.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI was taken aback when my use of an adjective (likeable) was interpreted as endorsing one candidate over another,\u201d Bishop Kagan said. \u201cI'm not singling out anybody, I'm talking about all candidates, and I stand by that\u2026I don't regret using that adjective.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWhy would I base my choice of a candidate on likeability rather than a reasoned examination of the candidates' positions all of the important issues?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\tThe bishop noted that the response to his letter has been overwhelmingly positive. Of over 400 emails he has received about it, only 6 have objected to the letter. And the Bismarck diocese's Facebook page \"likes\" have more than doubled since Friday.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe response I've seen has been overwhelmingly in support\u2026so that as many Catholics as possible are reminded of essential Catholic Church teachings as we are to apply these in daily life, whether it's voting in an election, or business\u00a0 practices or whatever it may be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bismarck, N.D., Oct 31, 2012 \/ 04:05 am (CNA).- Bishop David D. Kagan of Bismarck defended his letter on the election which was read this weekend at parishes in North Dakota, against demands by a state senator that it be withdrawn or changed.<\/p>\n

\t&ldquo…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nNorth Dakota bishop stands by pastoral letter on election<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bismarck, N.D., Oct 31, 2012 \/ 04:05 am (CNA).- Bishop David D. 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