The Bishop of Arlington, Msgr. Michael Burbidge, has asked Catholics in Virginia, United States, to pray and fast every Friday in October in light of the two constitutional amendments on abortion and marriage that will be put to a vote on November 3. The call comes as early voting has already begun and marks a new step in the campaign promoted by the prelate in defense of life and of marriage between a man and a woman.
Burbidge made the request in the latest episode of his podcast Walk Humbly. “I will encourage everyone to pray and fast every Friday during the month of October,” he explained, with the intention of asking God “to move our hearts and inspire all Catholics to vote no on questions 1 and 2 for the common good” of Virginia.
“Prayer, fasting, sacrifice: all of this is important. We have the truth and we have the power of prayer”, he added.
A month of penance with the polls already open
The request covers all five Fridays in October and comes after early voting began, which opened in Virginia on September 18. The elections will be held on November 3.
Voters will decide on three amendments to the state constitution. Question 1 seeks to enshrine a “fundamental right” to abortion in the constitutional text. Question 2 proposes removing the provision that defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman and replacing it with recognition of marriage between “two adults.” The Catholic Conference of Virginia has officially called for a “no” vote on both proposals.
Burbidge has warned that the first amendment would have consequences for abortion limits, parental consent in the case of minors, and conscience and health-care protections. Regarding the second, he maintains that it would remove from the state constitution “the biblical truth that marriage is between a man and a woman.” Supporters of the reforms, for their part, present them as a way to constitutionally guarantee access to abortion and marriage between people of the same sex.
From the letter in the parishes to Friday fasting
October’s call adds to the initiatives the Bishop of Arlington has been carrying out in recent weeks. Burbidge arranged for a letter about the amendments to be read during Masses on September 12 and 13 in the diocese’s 70 parishes, a decision he said he had not made in his previous ten years leading Arlington.
The diocese has also promoted the Catholics Vote No campaign, and the bishop presided over a Holy Hour at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington to pray ahead of the upcoming vote.
Burbidge has acknowledged that his interventions have also provoked rejection among some of the faithful. According to his account, some Catholics chose to attend Mass outside the diocese on the weekend the letter was read. The bishop asked priests to dialogue with those who disagree, but he insisted on maintaining the Church’s position on both issues.
“Our sacred duty to vote”
In the message issued as part of the campaign, Burbidge states that Virginia faces “very serious legal threats to human life and marriage” and has urged Catholics to participate in the vote.
“Our baptismal call to support the common good includes our sacred duty to vote with a conscience formed in prayer and in the facts,” the prelate maintains.
The Catholic Conference of Virginia holds the same position. Burbidge and the Bishop of Richmond, Msgr. Barry Knestout, had already jointly addressed a letter to the faithful in which they described the two proposals as matters touching on “fundamental issues of good and evil” and called for their rejection at the ballot box.
With voting already underway, the Bishop of Arlington now adds a specific request for the weeks remaining until the elections: to pray and fast every Friday in October.