A thoughtful Catholic op-ed writer debunks the prevailing wisdom that only Democrats embody Catholic social teaching. Democrats claim that Republicans want to starve the hungry and put poor people out on the street, but that’s just not true. Now, on the one hand, some Republicans have bought into the liberal agenda that government handouts solve problems of poverty and need and approve “nanny government” programs. On the other hand, other Republicans recognize that such handouts do nothing to solve the problems people face and act to give people the means to provide for themselves. But liberals call this cold-hearted and pretend to be the only ones who care about people.
This article is a good short exposition of why political fiscal conservatism is just as compatible with Catholic social teaching as social conservatism. Just because many bishops appear to lean toward fiscal liberalism, doesn’t mean that it is the only position a good Catholic can take on the issues.
