Maybe Trump’s problems with Catholic voters aren’t all that puzzling after all

On Sept. 6, the Washington Post published a report called “White Catholics Struggle to Get on Board the Trump Train.”

The article’s assumption was that obviously Caucasian Catholics are expected to vote Republican. However, the report noted, some are having second thoughts in the light of the Donald Trump candidacy — presumably because of his waffling on the issue of abortion.

Inexplicably, the Post article completely ignored the overall progressive thrust of Pope Francis’ teaching and the un-Republican influence it might be having on Catholic voters. Instead, it bolstered its “of course” assumption about Catholics voting Republican by puzzling over the fact that four years ago Catholics who attended Mass at least once a month favored Mitt Romney by 38 points.

This year, Donald Trump’s lead among such Catholics has shrunk to 17 points.

True, the Post article did suggest that Pope Francis might have something to do with the trends it described. After all, Francis had explicitly intimated that Trump was unchristian for intending to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border. Followers of Jesus, Francis said, build bridges, not walls. In response Trump dismissed the pope as “very political.”

However, the article completely ignored the issues of climate change, a world economy based on arms manufacture, capital punishment and worldwide income disparities — Pope Francis’ signature issues highlighted in his speech last year to the U.S. Congress.

The article carried on as if that speech and the pope’s landmark encyclical on climate change had never occurred. It was as though the church were still mired in the reactionary era of John Paul II and Benedict XVI, when Catholics seemed obsessed with one issue alone: abortion.

So how should Catholics vote who are tuned into Pope Francis’ more comprehensive moral concerns? According to the pope’s eco-encyclical, his Apostolic Exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel, and his address to the U.S. Congress, Catholics should vote against:

▪ Climate-change deniers and for those who share the pope’s climate concerns.

▪ Champions of dirty fossil fuels and in favor of those supporting alternative, renewable energy sources.

▪  Those who would exclude refugees from finding shelter in the United States and in favor of those advocating sanctuary.

▪  Those who favor arms sales abroad and in favor of proponents of divestment from the arms industry.

▪ Champions of capital punishment and in favor of those calling for its abolition.

▪ Those proposing tax cuts for the wealthy and in favor of increased redistributive taxes on their incomes.

▪ Those whose answers to global terrorism are war, bombing and drone assassinations, and in favor of those who offer legal and diplomatic solutions to the problem of national security.

They should vote for those who are selective in their “pro-life” advocacy, and for those who connect respect for life not just with abortion, but with providing care for unwanted children brought to term, with clean energy, environmental protection, universal health care, investment in public education and opposition to capital punishment and war.

In the run-up to the elections, these are the issues Catholics should quiz Hillary Clinton and Trump about — as well as candidates for other public offices.

This story was originally published October 21, 2016 at 7:29 PM with the headline "Maybe Trump’s problems with Catholic voters aren’t all that puzzling after all."