The 2026 Midterms: Political Theater Concealing Spiritual Apostasy
Catholic News Agency’s election analysis exemplifies the modern obsession with temporal power at the expense of eternal truths. The portal focuses on congressional mathematics while ignoring the regnum sociale Christi (social reign of Christ) that must govern all political action. “All the truth of religion proceeds from the innate strength of human reason” (Pius IX, Syllabus of Errors §4) – this condemned proposition permeates the report’s naturalistic framework.
Political Reductionism Replaces Catholic Social Doctrine
The analysis reduces governance to mere seat counts, ignoring the lex divina (divine law) that binds all legislators. Nowhere does the article mention the duty of Catholic voters to oppose intrinsically evil policies like abortion – condemned as “horrendum semper flagitium” (always a horrible crime) by Pius XI in Casti Connubii. The portal’s neutral tone toward Missouri’s abortion restrictions constitutes tacit acceptance of child murder’s legal regulation rather than its absolute abolition.
“Missouri voters will decide whether or not to enact sweeping restrictions on abortion”
This phrasing implies abortion could ever be morally regulated rather than recognizing it as crimen nefandum (unspeakable crime) demanding complete eradication. The 1917 Code of Canon Law (Canon 2350 §1) mandated excommunication for all abortion participants – a stark contrast to modern electoral bargaining with evil.
False Catholic Witness in Public Square
The treatment of Sen. Susan Collins exposes the bankruptcy of nominal Catholicism divorced from doctrinal militancy. The article notes her Catholic identity without scrutinizing her scandalous record – particularly her 72% pro-abortion voting score according to NARAL Pro-Choice America. St. Pius X’s Lamentabili Sane condemned the modernist error that “dogmas… are not truths of divine origin but… the human mind has worked out with great effort” (§22) – precisely the relativistic thinking enabling “Catholic” politicians to defy Church teaching.
Archbishop Jeffrey Grob’s milquetoast warning against polarization exemplifies the conciliar church’s abandonment of prophetic witness:
“We have to remain true to ourselves… not to a particular party, but to our Catholic faith.”
This empty platitude avoids naming specific moral issues demanding uncompromising opposition. Compare this to Pius XI’s Quas Primas encyclical: “Nations will be happy when both citizens and rulers follow in the footsteps of Christ”. True pastors don’t fear “polarization” when defending divine law against modern errors like abortion and gender ideology.
Ballot Initiatives as Trojan Horses
The proposed religious liberty measures reveal a fundamental misunderstanding of true freedom. West Virginia’s church incorporation proposal and Wisconsin’s worship protection amendment both accept the state’s illegitimate authority to “grant” religious rights. Pius IX’s Syllabus condemned the error that “the Church ought to be separated from the State, and the State from the Church” (§55).
The Nevada abortion amendment debate ignores Catholicism’s non-negotiable demand for legal protection of all human life. As the 1917 Code taught: “The primary end of marriage is the procreation and education of children” (Canon 1013 §1) – a truth rendering all contraceptive and abortive measures intrinsically evil.
The Missing Foundation: Christ’s Social Kingship
Nowhere does the analysis reference the only solution to political turmoil: the public reign of Christ the King. Pius XI established this feast precisely to combat secularism’s errors detailed in the article – “laicism, its errors and wicked endeavors” (Quas Primas §24). The portal’s exclusive focus on electoral mechanics ignores the papal warning that “the empire of our Redeemer embraces all men” (Quas Primas §18).
True Catholic action requires more than voting – it demands the complete submission of civil governance to the Church’s social magisterium. As Pius XI taught in Divini Redemptoris: “There would be neither socialism nor communism if the rulers of the nations had not scorned the teachings of the Church” (§49). Until America recognizes Christ’s sovereignty, no election can bring authentic justice or peace.
Source:
A look ahead: 2026 U.S. midterms hinge on key races in Maine, North Carolina (catholicnewsagency.com)
Date: 05.01.2026