In a recent interview with the president of Catholic Action for Faith and Family, Cardinal-designate Raymond Burke stressed to Catholic voters that they have a "very serious" obligation to uphold the truth of "moral law" in the upcoming mid-term elections, and specifically cited the protection of unborn children from abortion.

Thomas McKenna asked Burke, who was recently named by Pope Benedict as a future cardinal, "Is it ever licit for a Catholic to vote for a pro-abortion candidate, a candidate who either in a platform or who has voted, has shown himself to support that. Is it ever valid?"

To which Burke answers one "can never vote for someone who favors absolutely the right to choice of a woman to destroy a human life in her womb or the right to a procured abortion," according to the Catholic News Agency.

Burke, the former archbishop of St. Louis, added that voters "may in some circumstances, where you don't have any candidate who is proposing to eliminate all abortion, choose the candidate who will most limit this grave evil in our country.

But you could never justify voting for a candidate who not only does not want to limit abortion but believes that it should be available to everyone."

He made clear in the interview, taped October 20, that he was enunciating principles, not endorsing particular candidates.

The interview can be seen at http://www.catholicaction.org.

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