The forthcoming administrative elections, due to be held in Portugal on 9 October, “are an excellent opportunity” for choosing politicians in such a way that they are “closer and more attentive to the needs of the population”, says Bishop Gilberto dos Reis of Setúbal, in a statement published by the Portuguese Catholic press agency “Ecclesia”. “It’s the task of the people to decide what ‘city’ they desire and who should govern it says Reis -. This is not just a right, but a duty, because only with the contribution of everyone is it possible to have a better development of social life”. “Catholics the bishop underlines by virtue of their citizenship and the power of the Gospel must be models of this participation”. He asks those candidates who will be elected and those who will go into opposition that “the common good be always at the centre of their concerns and their actions” and urges them “not to succumb to the demagogy of promising things which they know they can’t deliver”. He also asks the electors not to “limit their participation just to voting in the election, only to fall into the passivity of those who stand idly by, now applauding, now censuring, the decisions of their administrators”. “After every election declares Bishop Reis new challenges must begin, both for the elected and for the electors, in the common participation in the global development of the community”. In Portugal, discussion is also proceeding, at the parliamentary level, on a possible referendum on abortion: Msgr. Carlos Azevedo, secretary of the Portuguese Bishops’ Conference, has invited MPs to engage in the debate “with serenity and to avoid demagogy”, without prejudice to the fact that the position of the Church remains clear to everyone.
