Last Thursday the Centre for Faith and Justice together with the Justice and Peace Commission of the Archbishop's Curia issued a document emphasising the duty of Christians to reflect before, and to vote in the general election.

The document, which is based on the Church's social teaching, states that "Every Christian, as a citizen... (has)... the duty of exercising one's right to vote, with a conscience that is well formed and not on the basis of personal interests or blind affiliation with a political party".

Electoral candidates as well as voters should seek "truth, freedom, justice and solidarity". "Candidates should be honest and of utmost integrity, and should work for the common good, which goes beyond personal and partisan interests."

Eight principles are proposed as guiding lights:

1. The centre of every political initiative should be the value, the integrity, and the dignity of every person who is created in the image of God. The Christian person should seek those political representatives who safeguard the human person from the moment of conception right through all its life.

2. The family remains the main pillar upon which society is built. In this respect, the Christian person should identify those proposals which strengthen in every possible way the family itself, built on a life-long marriage between a man and a woman, as well as all those structures that sustain it.

3. From a Christian perspective, social justice demands from political leaders that in all social matters, there will be no forms of hatred and/or discrimination on the basis of race, sex, class, age, disability, political or religious belief.

4. As a co-operator with God in His plan for creation, every Christian person should seek in every political representative and political party the characteristics of commitment that place the safeguarding of the environment and sustainable development at the forefront of the political agenda for the country.

5. Education is the foundation for the full development of the whole person. This demands that our political representatives adopt a student-centred educational system. Special attention should be given so that every school and centre of education fosters the principles of inclusion and education for life.

6. The fast changes in the field of health and healthcare demands political commitment so that the human person and his/her dignity are always at the centre of all health policies and the related services given. The system of healthcare and cure should continue to improve, and accessibility by everyone to the health system should be assured.

7. The elected representatives should propose, create and guarantee a social and economic environment in which all those who are capable for work will find employment, with a just wage which helps him/her live with dignity and sustain his/her family adequately.

8. Every voter should seek those proposals that guarantee for everyone the right to adequate housing that safeguards one's dignity, and that those who least afford have access to financial aid for renting or buying property. It is a must that political initiatives should always be taken to safeguard this right.

The two Church organisations appealed that "during this period of electoral campaign, the need arises more than ever for the communications media to give truthful information that helps, and not confuses, every person in arriving at the best choice based on a well formed and informed conscience. This applies both for the message contents as well as the methodology used in conveying the message."

...and vote for Christian values

Like Malta, Spain is also holding an election next month. One difference between the two countries is that in Spain, there is tension between the Church and the government. In their pre-electoral statement, Spanish Catholic bishops have urged voters to back candidates who uphold Christian values and not to vote for candidates who favour dialogue with militant separatists.

"We do not (expect) that those in government should submit to the criteria of Catholic morality, but to the common denominator provided by a morality based on right reason and each nation's historic experience," the permanent council of the Spanish bishops' conference said in a statement. "Although it is true that Catholics can support and participate in various parties, not all programmes are compatible with the faith and obligations of Christian life or with the aims and values Christians should promote in public life."

The bishops hoped to encourage citizens to "use their votes responsibly", by not confusing "a non-confessional, secular state with a breaking of moral bonds and a release from objective moral duties".

"It is unjust to try to build a society artificially with exclusively worldly, non-religious references, without worship of God or any aspiration to the eternal life," the bishops added. "We respect those who see things differently. We only ask freedom and respect (to propose) our own viewpoint freely so no one will feel threatened, and our intervention (is) not be interpreted as an injury or danger to other freedoms."

The bishops' statement criticised the government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero for talks with the Basque separatist group ETA, which has killed more than 800 Spaniards in a struggle for independence since the 1960s. The separatists called off a truce last June.

"A society that wishes to be free and fair cannot recognise, directly or indirectly, a terrorist organisation as (a) political representative of any part of the population," the bishops said. "In principle, the Church recognises the legitimacy of nationalist positions which, using democratic methods and without resorting to violence, aim at modifying the political configuration of Spain's unity."

The Catholic Church has clashed repeatedly with the Socialist-led government over reforms in family life and education. In recent statements, the bishops' conference deplored a sharp rise in abortions and defended Spain's Catholic schools, some of which could face closure after planned government budget cuts.