New Zealand Catholic bishops today stressed they have not endorsed and will not endorse any political party.
The bishops expressed serious concern over a false statement attributed to them and circulating widely on social media that claims they are urging Catholics to vote for the New Conservative political party.
Wellington Cardinal John Dew, vice-president of the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference, said they have reported the matter to the Electoral Commission.
“We are in the final stages of preparing our triennial Election Statement for distribution,” said Cardinal Dew.
“Our Election Statement will specifically say that it is not our role as bishops to tell people who to vote for.”
Cardinal Dew said they have made clear to all parishes as well as the New Conservative party that the circulating statement is false.
“I am particularly concerned that this false statement purports to say some of these fabrications were made in the name of an employee of a Church entity who is named in the document. That is truly appalling.
“We have been told by a representative of the New Conservative Party that they do not know who is behind the false statement, and we accept that,” Cardinal Dew said.
NZ Catholic earlier reported a fake press release purportedly from the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference was picked up by a conservative Catholic blogger and posted on social media sites.
The blogger’s post had since been retracted.
The Catholic Church is meant to be a light to the world. Refusing to endorse the only pro life political party is contrary to the command of Christ.
Christians comprise 50% of NZ popn. We have real political power if we choose to wield it.
Agreed
For me it’s simple. If asked, I answer that a Catholic ought to vote for the candidate who has demonstrated policies and actions best in alignment with God’s will. Where to search for God’s will? Not easy, but it can be found here and there in some Catholic parishes, schools, and dioceses. It can even be found in unexpected corners outside the Church.
It is a sin for any catholic to vote for a party that supports abortion, homosexuality or euthanasia. Since the main parties take the easy way by having a so called ‘conscience’ voting system on contentious social issues, this has allowed practising Catholics off the hook when it comes to voting. I used to tell myself these parties had a few good Catholics in them so they should be ok, but I can not longer do this in good conscience. I can no longer support any party that does not completely reject these evils as part of their stated policies. Therefore, I cannot accept that the bishops and priest are not able to show their support for parties who hold to catholic principles. For far too long the church has been weak on these matters and needs to follow it’s tradition of speaking out like the countless saints who have held true to the teachings of the church for two thousand years.
Amen I say amen