(Pastoral Letter of Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, SJ, addressed to “The People of God in the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro and all persons of good will, issued on 3 May 2016)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 07 May) — In an earlier pastoral letter, I have outlined five C’s as criteria for choosing candidates for public office. These are: Conscience, Competence, Compassion, Companionship, and Commitment.
Conscience, to my mind, is the first and most important criterion. The candidate must be a person of integrity and honesty. He or she follows the dictates of his conscience that tells him what is morally right and wrong.[]/a> with |||
Can a genuine Christian, in conscience, vote for corrupt candidates?
Pope Francis has reminded us of global warming and the need to protect the environment.
Ecological destruction is also a manifestation of the culture of death. As Christians we need to care for the needy and to care for the earth. Can a genuine Christian, in conscience, elect candidates who destroy the environment through irresponsible logging and mining and issue permits that destroy our natural resources?
As Christians we value marital fidelity. Adultery is sinful and immoral, a violation of the sixth and ninth commandments. Can a genuine Christian, in conscience, vote for those who flaunt their infidelities?
We urge you not to sell your votes. We urge you to vote for candidates of conscience with a consistent pro-life ethic and reject candidates who promote the culture of death.
The choice you make will determine whether we live in the light and progress as a nation or bring back the darkness that we have experienced and rejected in the past – an autocratic regime characterized by violence, human rights violations and corruption, and a reign of terror and greed.
Candidates who have not undergone change themselves and live moral lives are not worthy and capable of changing our society. Change begins within each one of us. It is we as a people who can change our society. So once again, we appeal to you to vote according to your conscience. And to vote for candidates of conscience – i.e., persons of moral integrity. (Antonio Ledesma, SJ is the Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro. Pastoral letter issued 3 May 2016 and read this during a prayer for the eelections on May 5).