In July the New Zealand Catholic Bishops issued a statement about the 2017 General Election.
Entitled Step Out and Vote, the statement encourages Catholics as faith-based citizens to make a difference to New Zealand’s future through informed and considered voting in the upcoming election.
The Bishops put forward specific ideas that encourage questions and thinking among voters to help ‘build a nation in which all citizens – whānau and individuals alike – are valued and given equal opportunities to flourish’.
The issues the Bishops addressed in their statement were:
Pro-Life Policies
Bicultural New Zealand
Cultural Diversity
Migration
Safe Society
Caring For Our Planet
Fair Tax Structure
Affordable Housing
Prison Population
The Catholic newspaper WelCom later invited the leaders of the parliamentary parties represented in the 51st Parliament for their responses to these key issues.
WelCom spoke to Bishop Charles Drennan, Secretary of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, about the Step Out and Vote statement.
“All Kiwis have a contribution to make to political debate, and an increasing number of voters are not mother-tongue English speakers – just like our congregations.
“So there is what we might call a conscious ‘humility of communication’ at work in this statement.
“The structure, layout and wording are attuned to contemporary society,” said Drennan.
“Also, we Bishops are very aware of younger voters thinking deeply about what kind of society they want New Zealand to be. Preparing to vote in the election is then a formative experience for them, and indeed for everyone”.
Source
- Welcom
- Welcom
- Image: Marist Messenger
