I am a Catholic and a Democrat – That’s All

And yet, rarely have those two attributes seemed more difficult to reconcile.

And yet, rarely have those two attributes seemed more difficult to reconcile.

We all know the familiar caricature.  We are the party of
abortion, gay marriage, sodomy, divorce, pornography, the one-parent
household and premarital sex – in short, the party of the sexual
revolution, secularism, political correctness and permissiveness. 
The decline of the traditional family, indeed of all that was once good
in the world, is the result of that great, evil catch-all that we most
embody – liberalism.  One would think that such a stale,
outlandish stereotype would eventually lose its resonance – and yet,
Democrats still lost weekly churchgoers by 22 points in 2004. 
That must (and surely can) change.

There are Christians among us – good Christians,
committed Christians, devout Christians – not to mention the many
compassionate non-Christians that carry our party’s banner of equal
opportunity and social justice for all.  And yet, we, as Christian
Democrats, have a good deal of explaining to do. 

Furthermore, we as Catholics may have an even tougher task – with a
Pope, a Catechism and the ever-present sting of Catholic guilt. 
Indeed, homosexuality, abortion, poverty, the death penalty, war –
indeed, many of the issues that have politically divided us over the
last decade find themselves at the center of the Catholic Church’s
teachings.  Yet, for a Catholic, simple orthodoxy requires the
adoption of a political philosophy at odds with both liberal and
conservative dogmas. 

To greatly simplify the point, there aren’t many people who are
pro-life, anti-gay marriage, anti-death penalty and anti-war. 
Those who are pro-life often support the Bush administration on the
Iraq war, the death penalty and tax policy.  Those who are deeply
committed to social justice are often pro-choice.  As E.J. Dionne
once wrote, “Being a Catholic liberal or a Catholic conservative
inevitably means having a bad conscience about something.”

On the one hand, these postings are directed at my observant,
conservative father.  His is a generous, loving and humble
Catholicism at odds with many of my heterodox views on sexual ethics
and the authority of Rome.  Looked at one way, my primary
reflections on faith, politics and public policy have always been
guided by a simple goal – getting my father to see the compatibility of
liberalism and Catholicism.  On most issues, I figure that if I
can convince him (or at least get him to see past the above
caricature), convincing the rest of conservative America is possible.

On the other hand, these postings are directed to secular humanists
within our party that are often turned off by Christianity.  I
will do my best to demonstrate the ways in which we are animated by
similar values.  In short, ours is a Christianity quite unlike the
one proclaimed loudly by our more conservative brothers and sisters –
in many ways, one of greater humility and compassion.

And so, my fellow Christian Democrats, as the late Pope John Paul II
was so fond of saying, “Do not be afraid.”  The struggle to
reclaim the soul of Christianity is just beginning.