The next UK general election must be held no later than 28th January 2025. It will determine the next Government. Speaking to the Diplomatic Corps on the 8th January 2024, Pope Francis said, “Elections are an essential moment in the life of any country, since they allow all citizens responsibly to choose their leaders.”
The Catholic Church teaches that “participation in political life is a moral obligation” (Evangelii Gaudium #220). This calls us to much more than voting. We need to inform our consciences, proactively make ourselves aware of injustice, reflect, pray and discern, and then respond. This means we have to tell election candidates what we care about and how we want them to act as our representatives.
“Elections are an essential moment in the life of any country, since they allow all citizens responsibly to choose their leaders.”
In ‘Vocation for Justice’ there are tools and materials to help with discernment, engaging with candidates and manifestos, and, ultimately, encouraging candidates to be disturbed by injustice and to respond lovingly for the common good.
We have secured extra funding to allow you to order extra copies of this issue, so that you can pass it on to family, friends and people in your local community. Give one to your parish priest, asking him to pay particular attention to Fr. Rob’s article on page 4 and to share copies with members of your parish. Encourage people to keep ‘Vocation for Justice’ near their front door, ready to ask political canvassers some of the questions on pages 5-8.
Together, we can enable others to prepare well for, and engage with, the upcoming general election.
Clicking on the link below will take you to an order for form where you can request up to 10 extra copies of ‘Vocation for Justice: Preparing for the Election’. For more than 10 copies, please email education@columbans.co.uk.
Please note that requests will be processed in good time before the election and sent out via Royal Mail. We’ll do our best to keep you updated with your request.
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