Every
human person is created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore,
each person's life and dignity must be respected, whether that
person is an innocent unborn child in a mother's womb, whether
that person worked in the World Trade Center or a market in
Baghdad, or even whether that person is a convicted criminal
on death row. We believe that every human life is sacred from
conception to natural death, that people are more important
than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether
it protects and respects the life and dignity of the human person.
As the recent Vatican statement points out, "The Church
recognizes that while democracy is the best expression of the
direct participation of citizens in political choices, it succeeds
only to the extent that it is based on a correct understanding
of the human person. Catholic involvement in political
life cannot compromise on this principle.
