Professor Tina Beattie - 03/11/2026

Pope Leo, who is an American citizen, has submitted his vote by postal ballot for today’s midterm elections, explaining that he believes in ‘the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes.’

He is referring to the Catechism, which is the authoritative guide to faith and morals for all aspects of Catholic life. Among other duties such as paying taxes and defending one’s country, the Catechism makes it morally obligatory for Catholics to vote.

In secular democracies, there are sometimes attempts to drive a wedge between religion and politics. Those who refer to their faith in making political arguments are often criticised, as if only those who profess no religious beliefs can be trusted. But for Christians and other believers, faith is not separate from politics but informs the values and priorities we bring to the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

The Catholic Church teaches that political decisions must be made on the basis of what is best for the common good, protecting the dignity of every human life and showing special care for the most vulnerable. Rather than focusing on single issues, this means considering the many factors that contribute to a just and peaceful society and accepting that no politician or party will tick all the boxes. Catholics can legitimately hold different political views on contested issues. The perfect can be the enemy of the good if an overzealous concern for integrity leads to paralysis of action.

Democratic participation necessarily involves compromise and negotiation. As Winston Churchill observed, ‘It has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time…’ In every electoral process, extravagant promises to voters give way to the messy struggles and sometimes abusive powers of those elected. That’s why it is so important to protect fragile and hard-won rights and freedoms from the threat of ideological manipulation, including the often corrupting influence of social media.

St Paul urged the Church of the Galatians to remember that ‘It is for freedom that Christ has set us free’. This is not the competitive individualism of so much modern society that mistakes freedom for licence and tramples on the rights of others. It’s the conscientious quest to resist all that enslaves the spirit and violates human dignity. This is the challenge facing every voter. Today it is people of America who must rise to it.