Corruption takes many forms: outright bribes tolaw enforcement officers, kickbacks from successful contractors to public officials awarding contracts, theftof public or private funds by insiders, and campaigncontributions specifically targeted to produceselective legislative or administrative decision-making. No matter what the form, corruption is a serious evil in Catholic theology. It is theft, a form of injustice, a violation of the duty to the common good, and a breach of the duty of solidarity which contributes powerfully to inequality at the international level.1
When political corruption takes place within democratic systems, it is a “deformity”2 which compromises the proper functioning of the state, causes a growing distrust of public institutions, creates disaffection from politics among citizens, distorts the role of representative institutions, and favors the interests of a well-heeled few over the wellbeing of the many.3 This kind of corruption can include efforts to undercut the voting power of individuals or groups, to sway opinions by use of perverse and false messaging, or to actually undermine vote calculations.4