Can a politician be a devout Roman Catholic while setting aside his religious beliefs when he is working as a public official? For the head of the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organisation, the Knights of Columbus (KofC), this distinction is not at all possible.
KofC Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said Roman Catholic politicians should stand up for biblical teachings as they perform their official functions.
In an opinion column written for The Hill, Anderson particularly questioned politicians who support policies that allow the killing of unborn children.
"The irony is that these Catholic politicians claim that they agree that abortion is the morally repugnant killing of the innocent. They know that it kills a million human beings a year in this country alone — a number equivalent [to] the total number of people killed in Auschwitz," Anderson said.
He also pointed out that politicians should listen to the voice of the people, many of whom have already made known in public their opposition to abortion.
"The Catholic position – that abortion takes a human life, is morally wrong, and should be substantially restricted – is not only backed up by science; it is now the public's consensus by a wide margin," the KofC leader explained.
Anderson also further lamented how the government is making more and more moves to restrict Catholics' choices, particularly in healthcare.
"Catholics are increasingly facing government 'force' to commit actions they see as immoral – including providing abortion services and health insurance coverage. These actions have, in many cases, been aided and abetted by those personally opposed," he said.
Anderson called on politicians who cannot stand up for their Christian beliefs, particularly on abortion, while they occupy public offices, to just resign.
He even quoted former U.S. President John F. Kennedy who once said that "when my office would require me to either violate my conscience or violate the national interest, then I would resign the office."
"Let's hope today's public servants become that conscientious," Anderson added.
