“Moral rectitude, competences in the political and civil realms, witness of life in the family”: these are the main characteristics to look for in a candidate for the parliamentary elections, as pointed out by the President of the Polish Bishops in a message published today ahead of the 13 October elections. While admitting “the legitimate diversity of opinions” among Catholics, Mgr. Stanislaw Gadecki (pictured) stressed that “pluralism is not equal to moral relativism”. Catholics thus “cannot support programmes that promote abortion, seek to redefine the institution of marriage, or try to restrict the rights of parents when it comes to their responsibility for the education of their children”. Furthermore, Mgr. Gadecki wrote, Catholic voters should not “choose a candidate whose opinions are questionable from a moral point of view and dangerous from a political point of view”. While encouraging the participation of Polish voters in the elections, the prelate emphasised that “outside of exceptional circumstances, nothing can justify the absence of Catholics in public affairs”, and expressed the hope that the final part of the electoral campaign would not be an arena for “power struggles, but rather an opportunity for fruitful debate for the good of the country along the lines of integral development”. Over 30 million Poles are eligible to vote in the elections that will take place on Sunday, 13 October, from 7am to 9pm. The elections will renew both the lower house (Sejm) with 460 MPs and the Senate with 100 senators.