Religion met politics at the Catholic Studies Election Forum on Wednesday night, when 60 students and professors gathered to discuss the relationship between religion and politics in the upcoming presidential election.

“This is something that is quintessentially Hoya, quintessentially Georgetown,” the Rev. Ryan Maher, S.J., assistant dean in the College, said in his opening remarks.

Maher, who moderated the event, said that Georgetown founder John Carroll would have applauded an event of this kind where students come together in a “respectful, intelligent exchange of ideas.”

Theology professor Vince Miller and Ben Cote (COL ’05) represented the Democrats while government professor Clyde Wilcox and College Republican Chairman Jady Hsin (COL ’07) represented the Republicans.

Though many issues were discussed, the majority of questions and comments dealt with the war in Iraq.

“War must be the last option,” Miller said. “There was a rush to war. We did not exhaust the inspections regime.”

Hsin disagreed, arguing that the war in Iraq was justified by the standards set by the Church.

Several students commented that conditions are better in Iraq today, compared to before the United States entered the country.

“Fifty percent unemployment is not a sign that Iraqis are better off now,” Cote said in response. “Mission is not accomplished.”

Though the situation in Iraq made up much of the discussion, the panelists debated several other issues, including abortion, contraception, homosexuality, faith-based initiatives and the death penalty.

In his opening remarks, Wilcox focused on issues of sexuality.

“If you support the Church’s position on contraception, stem cell research, homosexuality and abortion, and these issues are highly salient issues for you, then Bush is a good fit,” he said.

Wilcox said that Bush is not completely in line with Catholic doctrine on all of these issues, but that he is closer to Catholic teachings than Kerry.

Miller, however, said that abortion is not the most pressing issue of this election.

“The abortion debate has grown cold,” he said.

Miller said that while abortion is immoral, other issues, especially foreign policy and the war in Iraq, take political precedence at the current time.

After discussing political beliefs in the context of Catholic teachings, the panelists discussed the extent to which personal religion should play a role in political decisions, an issue the panelists concurred on.

“It is of the utmost importance to participate in politics with every essence of faith that we have,” Cote said.

Hsin agreed and referred to the religious men who founded the United States.

“One’s faith is inextricably bound with one’s views and attitudes toward the state,” he said.

Drew Beck (SFS ’07) said that he attended the forum to hear the reasons a Catholic should vote for John Kerry.

“Up to now I’d been thinking about voting for Bush,” Beck said. “But I don’t really feel like either side is aligned with the Catholic position.”

Like most of the panelists, Beck said he believes a person’s faith should play a role in his political decisions.

“If you believe that Catholic moral teachings are true, then they should influence your decision to a big extent,” he said.

Dennis McAuliffe, director of Georgetown’s Catholic Studies program, was the primary organizer of the event.

“One of our goals in Catholic Studies is just to get people talking about Catholicism in various arenas,” cAuliffe said.

McAuliffe said the Catholic Studies program is planning a second event in the near future. He hopes to bring individuals from outside Georgetown to discuss other issues as the presidential election draws nearer.