Canadian bishop urges citizens to vote wisely in upcoming elections

Toronto, Canada, Oct 24, 2010 / 16:07 pm

Archbishop Thomas Collins of Toronto urged citizens to vote "conscientiously" on Oct. 25 in the city’s municipal elections. The prelate stressed in particular the need to elect Catholic School Board Trustees who live according to the ethos of the faith.

“The political leaders who serve at the municipal level have an immediate, practical, and profound influence on the well-being of the whole community,” Archbishop Collins wrote on Oct. 22. “It is vital that each citizen vote for the candidate he or she considers most qualified to serve the common good.”

Reiterating concerns listed in a pastoral letter last month, the bishop said it “is especially important that Catholics vote, and vote wisely, in the election of Catholic School Board Trustees.”

Speaking on the necessary qualifications, Archbishop Collins said that first and foremost, a “Catholic School Trustee should be a faithful practicing Catholic.”

Additionally, a “Catholic School Trustee should be exemplary in personal integrity and conduct, always striving to foster the good of the children, and not personal interest.”

“We need to elect trustees who will represent us with honor and dignity, as worthy stewards of Catholic Education, so that we may all be proud of their stewardship.”

“Competence, wisdom, maturity, fiscal responsibility, respect for the law, and the capacity to work effectively with fellow trustees for the common good of Catholic Education,” he added, “these are essential qualities in a Catholic School Trustee.”

In his concluding remarks, Archbishop Collins said, “I urge each eligible parishioner to assess rigorously the candidates for the vitally important position of Catholic School Board trustee, holding them accountable to the highest standards, and to vote conscientiously on Monday, October 25.”