Appeal Against Voting for Socialist Candidates in the Presidential Elections

A manifesto promoted by an anti-abortion activist on the vote of Portuguese Catholics in the second round of the presidential elections argues that “a Catholic cannot vote or support candidates who are socialists, attack life and do not defend the family”. Shared online, on Catholics for Truth websitethe text was signed by early afternoon this Friday by 570 people, including Chega figures, such as deputy Bernardo Pessanha, the councilor of the Lisbon City Council, Bruno Mascarenhas, and the councilor of the Odemira City Council, Manuel Matiaswho is the father of congresswoman Rita Matias and was president of the Citizenship and Christian Democracy Party (PPV-CDC).

Also endorsed by the conservative doctor Manuel Pinto Coelho, the former CDS deputy, Miguel Arrobas da Silva, and other former centrist leaders, such as Abel Matos Santos and Gagliardini Graçathe “Catholic manifesto on voting in light of Church Doctrine” includes the commitment that subscribers undertake not to “support political projects, ideologies or programs that promote or legitimize evils” such as abortion, euthanasia, socialism, communism and Nazism.

Despite ensuring that Catholics for Truth “does not constitute support for any candidate, nor is it a response to another manifesto, open letter or petition” – namely the Catholics for Surewhere it is argued that voting for the former secretary general of the PS “is choosing a President committed to the common good, justice and peace” -, the promoter of the initiative, Nuno Miranda, a computer engineer who regularly works with international pro-life movements, admits that “there are only two candidates in the second round and one of them is known to belong to the PS”.

“What I tell people is that they should vote for the lesser evil”, argues Nuno Mirandaspeaking to DN, adding that Portuguese Catholics “have to think that there is no perfect candidate” in the second round of the presidential elections, although he considers that Ventura is “a little more in accordance with the laws of the Church”.