Australian Bishops call Catholics to vote with conscience and compassion in Jubilee Year

With the Prime Minister’s recent announcement that Australians will go to the polls in a federal election on 3 May, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) has released its election statement for 2025, calling on Catholics to engage deeply with their civic responsibilities during the election. The statement, titled Called to Bring Hope in the Year of Jubilee, urges the faithful to participate in shaping the nation’s future by voting with a well-formed conscience.

Approaching the election in light of the Holy Year of Jubilee and its theme ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, the statement quotes Pope Francis’ observation that ‘all of us have received the gift and task of bringing hope wherever hope has been lost, lives broken, promises unkept, dreams shattered, and hearts overwhelmed by adversity.’ The bishops point out that voting is not merely a civic duty but a chance to promote the common good and build a society grounded in truth, justice, solidarity and freedom.

They address the increasing polarisation in political discourse, warning against the dangers of division and urging peaceful, respectful dialogue. Drawing attention to recent instances of political violence in Australia, they ‘condemn entirely the anti-Semitism that has arisen in our society, as we condemn all forms of hatred or discrimination towards our fellow human beings.’

Reflecting on the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, the bishops’ statement encourages voters to consider four key issues as they go to the polls: the dignity and value of every human being; fairness, justice and the common good; religious freedom and conscience rights; and responsible stewardship of God’s creation. Describing both the dignity of the human person and respect for creation as ‘central to our Catholic faith’, the statement affirms ‘the sacredness of life from conception to natural death’ and highlights the Church’s call to protect the vulnerable, including the unborn, disabled and elderly.

Conscience is our inner guide, enabling us to discern right from wrong and judge what is good and just.

Echoing the Bishops’ election message, Catholic Social Services Australia (CSSA) has released a statement calling on political parties to prioritise those who are most vulnerable. Highlighting the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, Executive Director Dr Jerry Nockles writes that ‘Every policy discussion should recognise the inherent, inalienable and inviolable dignity of every human person.

‘In line with our Catholic values, we urge candidates to champion policies that uplift the most vulnerable in our society,’ he writes. ‘The true measure of Australia’s progress lies in how we treat those on the margins.’

The bishops’ statement also stresses the importance of conscience, pointing to St Paul’s invitation to ‘put on the mind of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 2:16), and calls on Catholics to form their consciences through reason, Scripture and Church teaching, and to discern God’s will through prayer. ‘Conscience is our inner guide,’ the bishops write in the statement, ‘enabling us to discern right from wrong and judge what is good and just.’

We must commit ourselves to conscientious voting, carefully considering the facts and supporting policies that improve the lives of all.

Quoting Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical Spe salvi—‘The one who has hope lives differently’—the statement encourages Catholics to become people of hope and to work for the common good in every part of their lives, including at the ballot box.

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference President Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB commended the statement to all people of good will.

‘As political discourse becomes increasingly polarised, we must commit ourselves to conscientious voting, carefully considering the facts and supporting policies that improve the lives of all, especially the most vulnerable and disadvantaged,’ Archbishop Costelloe said.