Stockholm - With five months to go until the Swedish general election, the justice and peace commission of the Catholic Diocese of Stockholm has published a document addressed to the faithful and to all "people of good will", offering a compass to guide voters in the light of the Church's social doctrine. The text, signed on 15 April 2026 by president Father Thomas Idergard SJ and secretary general Ludwig Gelot, does not endorse any particular party, but sets out a clear hierarchy of priorities that Catholics are called to observe when forming their conscience.
Two levels of discernment
At the heart of the document lies the distinction between absolute values and matters of practical wisdom. On most political questions - the economy, security, climate, immigration, welfare - the commission acknowledges that Catholics equally committed in their faith may legitimately reach different political conclusions, guided by the principles of social doctrine: solidarity, subsidiarity, and the pursuit of the common good. The picture changes entirely when it comes to what the document terms absolute values: those foundations without which no civil society can function. Here, the Catholic conscience does not enjoy the same freedom; the faithful are bound to do everything within their power to defend these values through their vote.
Abortion: a constitutional reform that troubles the Church
The most pressing issue highlighted in the document concerns a proposed constitutional reform currently awaiting its second and final reading by the parliament to be elected this autumn. The proposal aims to enshrine the so-called "right" to abortion in the Swedish Constitution. Every party currently represented in parliament supports it. The document makes no attempt to conceal its position: what is at stake is the constitutionalisation of a system in which more than thirty thousand unborn children lose their lives every year. The commission expresses profound regret that abortion has become a political given in Swedish public debate, and expresses the hope that the same sentiment is shared by all people of genuine good will.
Faced with such broad cross-party consensus on this issue, the document acknowledges with realism that a single vote is unlikely to alter the course of the legislation. Nevertheless, it invites the faithful to bear it in mind as an indication of a political culture that has drifted away from respect for life.
Euthanasia: a front still open
The situation regarding euthanasia is rather different. Here the document identifies significant differences between the parties. Some have declared themselves in favour of a state inquiry into possible legalisation - a step which, in countries that have already introduced euthanasia, has historically proved to be the first move towards its adoption. Other parties oppose both the inquiry and euthanasia as such. On this front, the vote can still make a difference, and the commission identifies it as one of the decisive factors to weigh when making one's choice.
Faith schools and religious freedom
The document devotes a specific section to education, which looks set to be an electoral issue in 2026 as well. The commission reaffirms that parents' right to choose a faith school for their children is enshrined in international conventions and is non-negotiable. The state can and must guarantee a common curriculum and monitor its delivery, but it cannot require that the entirety of school life - including extracurricular activities - be stripped of any religious dimension. The text does not shy away from pointed criticism of the Swedish authorities, who in the commission's view apply strikingly unequal standards: they sanction the saying of grace before lunch in the school canteen or a blessing at the end-of-year assembly, whilst allowing content rooted in gender ideology to be introduced as compulsory material in ordinary lessons.
A call for cohesion, not polarisation
The document closes with an appeal for civic maturity. Citing the Second Vatican Council and Pope Paul VI, the commission cautions against conflating one's own political preferences with the Catholic faith. Two equally serious and equally well-formed Catholics may vote for different parties, and this in no way diminishes either their faith or their mutual respect. Love of neighbour, the text reminds us, is not measured by the sharing of identical political views, but by recognising the good will and sound judgement of the other. It is a message that serves as an antidote to growing polarisation, rooted in the conviction that politics, whilst an important arena for building the common good, does not exhaust the horizon of faith.
fr.C.V.
Silere non possum