There are those who argue that the Church should not get involved in politics. They suggest that the Church should concern itself with sacramental and evangelizing matters within the parish and leave advocacy and engagement with elected officials to others. People often cite ‘separation of church and state’ as justification for these views.
For some folks, this may ring true. For many (including myself), it does not. As people of faith, we are always seeking to build up God’s kingdom on Earth, to ensure that the God-given dignity of every single person is respected and honored. There are so many ways that we can work on these goals, and one of the best is to reach out to our elected officials. We can encourage them to support legislation and spending that honor these values – and stand against that which does not. We believe that a governmental budget – whether local, state, or national – is a moral document, as it prescribes on which priorities money will be spent. With finite resources, it must be decided if and how much money will flow towards different programs. Similarly, our laws must seek to build more just, equitable, compassionate, and peaceful communities, and take special care of those who are in poverty or have been marginalized.
Every two years, the state of Ohio goes through its budget making process, and – with the Catholic Conference of Ohio (CCO) coordinating – we speak with our elected officials while this work is in process, urging them to allocate money to programs that line up with our values. To that end, on Tuesday, March 25, Catholics from across the state met in Columbus for Catholics at the Capitol. Prior to the gathering, the CCO reviewed current legislation and the draft budget, and they chose three key issues on which we could advocate. Tuesday morning, after opening with prayer and welcome, the CCO staff walked through these priorities, explaining why they were chosen and what we hoped to have happen. The group then left the CCO’s offices and spent the rest of the day moving between meetings with our representatives and senators, advocating for:
- Support for HB 72 and SB 134 which protect state dollars from funding abortion, assisted suicide, and capital punishment; and end the death penalty in Ohio
- Supporting young families and pregnant women through a Child Tax Credit and dollars for maternity homes (including money for both in the state budget)
- Protecting medically vulnerable people, preventing the possibility of over 700,000 Ohioans losing their health insurance
Over the course of the day, we met with dozens of lawmakers and their staffs, and every one of them heard the same message: we promote a consistent ethic of life, and we want our laws and state budget to reflect this value.
We are grateful to all of those who participated, and we encourage everyone to stay connected with their elected official throughout the year, reminding them that you are watching and expecting them to represent you and your values in the statehouse.