God’s law is written in every human heart: Why Catholics have a responsibility to engage in public life

By Marco Roman, Ph.D.

Director of Communications

One sometimes hears the claim that Catholics should “stay out of politics,” particularly when the Church speaks about controversial moral questions.

But this misunderstands both the Catholic faith and the nature of political life. The Church does not exist to promote a political party or candidate. She does, however, have a responsibility to proclaim moral truth, and Catholics have a vocation and responsibility to bring that truth into the communities in which we live.

The Catechism teaches that “it is necessary that all participate, each according to his position and role, in promoting the common good” (CCC 1913). It goes even further: “As far as possible citizens should take an active part in public life” (CCC 1915). Participation in civic life, therefore, is not something foreign to Catholic discipleship. It is one of the ways we exercise responsibility for our neighbor and for the common good.

The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church likewise teaches that participation is one of the pillars of democratic society. Citizens are not merely spectators of public life. We share responsibility for shaping the laws, institutions and culture in which human beings, marriages, families and communities either flourish or suffer.

This is especially important when political questions involve the natural moral law. The Church is not attempting to impose a uniquely Catholic morality upon society when she defends innocent human life, marriage and family, justice, human dignity or the fundamental rights of parents and children. These truths arise from the nature and dignity of the human person.

They are not exclusively Catholic truths. They are human truths, accessible to human reason and applicable to every member of the human family.

The Catechism teaches that the natural law expresses the “original moral sense” by which the human person can discern through reason what is good and evil (CCC 1954). It provides the indispensable moral foundation for building the human community and for civil law (CCC 1959).

As St. Paul reminds us, the requirements of God’s law are “written in their hearts” (Rom. 2:15).

God’s moral law, therefore, is not intended for Catholics alone. It is rooted in the human nature and dignity God has given to every person.

Every society legislates morality. The real question is not whether morality will influence our laws, but which understanding of morality will influence them. Our laws already prohibit murder, assault, theft, fraud, perjury, exploitation, abuse and discrimination because society recognizes that certain actions harm human beings and the common good. We establish laws protecting children, property, contracts, workers, families and vulnerable persons. These are moral judgments expressed through civil law.

Someone, therefore, will always help shape the moral fabric of society. The question for Catholics is whether we will participate in that process — or surrender it entirely to others.

The Church’s social doctrine calls Catholics to something more than withdrawal. The lay faithful have a particular vocation to bring the Gospel and the moral truth about the human person into the temporal order: into our families, workplaces, schools, businesses, communities, culture and political institutions. We do not cease being disciples of Jesus Christ when we enter the public square or the voting booth.

This responsibility becomes particularly serious when fundamental human goods are at stake. Here in Idaho, voters will go to the polls on Nov. 3 and consider Proposition 1, which concerns abortion. Whatever political slogans may surround the debate, abortion presents a foundational moral question: Does every innocent human life possess an inherent dignity that civil society is obligated to recognize and protect?

For Catholics, the answer cannot depend upon political party, polling, convenience or changing cultural attitudes. Human dignity precedes government. It is not bestowed by the state, and therefore the state cannot legitimately decide that some innocent human beings possess it while others do not.

This is precisely why Catholic participation in political life matters. The Church does not ask Catholics to transform the state into the Church. She asks us to help build a society worthy of the human person — a society in which civil law increasingly reflects justice, protects fundamental human rights and serves the authentic common good. We should also remember that not every moral issue carries the same weight. The Church’s social doctrine encompasses many serious concerns: care for the poor, migrants, workers, the elderly, the sick, prisoners, families and those suffering injustice. Catholics should take these responsibilities seriously. But the right to life is foundational because without life no other right can be exercised.

The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church reminds us that the political community exists for the common good — not merely the preferences of the powerful or the desires of individuals. Authentic freedom cannot be separated from truth about the human person. Freedom detached from truth can eventually become the power of the stronger over the weaker. That is particularly important when the person whose rights are at stake cannot speak, vote, protest or defend himself or herself.

Our political engagement, therefore, should not arise from anger, partisanship or a desire for power. It should flow from conversion and faith in Jesus Christ, mature into faithful discipleship and holiness, and bear fruit in mission and charity. We participate because we love our neighbor. We vote because our decisions affect other human beings. We speak because silence can also have consequences.

Catholics should never be embarrassed to bring moral truth into public life. Every political philosophy brings with it some understanding of the human person, freedom, justice, rights and the common good. Catholic social teaching simply insists that these questions must begin with the truth about the human person: created by God, endowed with an inviolable dignity, called to communion with others and redeemed by Jesus Christ.

On Nov. 3, our responsibility is greater than simply casting a ballot. We are called to form our consciences, understand what is truly at stake, judge political questions according to moral truth and act for the common good — especially for those who cannot defend themselves.

Catholics do not leave their faith at the doors of the voting precinct. We bring with us a conscience formed by the truth of God’s divine law, placed within each human being upon their creation. This law is not the possession of Catholics alone; it is God’s gift to the entire human family.

We bring a responsibility to love and protect our neighbor, to defend the dignity of every human person, and to work for a society whose laws reflect the truth about the human person and serve the authentic common good.

In doing so, we help build on what St. John Paul II so often called a “civilization of love.” This is not improper political interference. It is part of our vocation and responsibility as faithful Catholic citizens.