Note: This was originally submitted in August and was lost in our recent server change. I'm sorry that I don't have any any of the comments from August.
As the fall elections draw near, many Catholics will once again see their choices as a dilemma. Some anti-abortion candidates will seem unacceptable for other reasons and some pro-choice candidates will seem attractive for other reasons. In 2004, then Cardinal Ratzinger wrote a memorandum to Cardinal McCarrick which dealt with this problem. He said that there is no room for dissent from candidates and voters in Church teaching on abortion and euthanasia, but he added the following Nota Bene:
“A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate’s permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. When a Catholic does not share a candidate’s stand in favor of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons.”

Several weeks ago, I heard a commentator on a Catholic radio station assure a Bush-supporting caller that the Church had no official position on the war in Iraq. I was in and out of my truck working that day, so I was unable to get the name of the radio commentator. I suppose the statement is technically correct. No doctrinal statements have been made nor encyclicals issued. One cannot lose access to the Eucharist for supporting the war. But that does not mean that the Vatican has been silent or neutral about the war. I thought it would be worthwhile to put together some of the statements about the war for people to mull over as we prepare to hold our officials accountable in this year's elections and try to evaluate the next steps as they are proposed.

1. September 22, 2002 Zenit News Service
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger does not believe that a unilateral military attack by the United States against Iraq would be morally justifiable, under the current circumstances.