Citizens of the United States of America have now elected a successor to the Presidency of our country. While the election results demonstrate an unquestionable choice for a new president, Catholics had to face many challenging questions when determining which candidate to support.  Both presidential candidates embraced some ideals contrary to upholding the God-given human dignity that each person possesses.  The choice to be made for president, in some ways, came down to making a choice for that candidate who would, if not perfectly, at least in a more consistent fashion reverence human dignity in his political platform.  Participating in these elections proved to be a matter of using faith-informed conscience and prudence, similar to many other difficult decisions that we face in our own day-to-day lives.

In the final outcome, President-Elect Barack Obama will assume the role of our nation's leader in the new year.  Many Americans and, doubtless, many Catholics among them, have great hopes for Barack Obama's presidency.  Insofar as all Americans desire to see a brighter future for our country, for our families and for ourselves, we can be united in that hope.  Yet, while we all share the same hope, we have different ideas of how to achieve the fulfillment of it.  There will be tension among us because of that difference. 

Throughout his campaign for presidency, Barack Obama has expressed his desire to bring change for the better to our nation and it's citizens.  Some of those promised changes, from the perspective of Christian, Catholic, beliefs, contradict this dignity of human life and respect for all human persons.  From this perspective, his election is a cause for concern.  Just as we devoutly prayed that God would guide voters in making the right choice for President, so we should continue to devoutly pray that God guide President-elect Obama as he prepares to assume the role of our nation's leader.  And, as Catholics, we should continue to devoutly pray that God bring about a conversion of heart within President-Elect Obama as he takes up key issues that touch upon human dignity.