“Ask a Priest: Is Holiness at Odds With Voting?”

Q: I am a Catholic seeking holiness. All the books I read on holiness tell us to be apart from the world and not to be concerned with worldly matters. Yet, our Pope just said in an interview that we must vote, and Americans must vote this time for the lesser of the two evils. So, I am confused: If by seeking holiness we do not participate in worldly matters, why must I vote? It’s not a matter of the lesser of the two evils; it’s a matter of participating in worldly matters that I generally am not concerned about. Can you please clarify? – G.W.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: It’s good that you are seeking holiness. It’s what we are made for. “This is the will of God, your holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:3).

The short answer to your question is: A Catholic is called both to holiness and to be a good citizen. And good citizenship requires that we vote.

We are humans living in the world. We need food and clothing (worldly things), and we need to help form some kind of just society. All this helps us reach our end goal, which is heaven.

Put another way, we should deal with the things of this world in such a way that helps us reach heaven.

This includes politics and government.

If we don’t vote (at least for the lesser evil), we might face a greater evil down the road. And living in a society that is drifting away from God can have a negative impact on our own journey toward eternity.

If the media continue to churn out filth, if religion is marginalized, if the slaughter of the unborn continues, if families and marriages are weakened, we’re sunk as a nation. We need to do what we can to push back. Hence the need to vote.

Again, voting and the call to holiness aren’t incompatible. A key thing is that our ultimate faith isn’t in politicians but in Jesus.

For related reading, see the U.S. bishops’ conference document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.”

I hope some of this helps. Count on my prayers.

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