Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship
A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Add To Favorites
Introduction
1. As a nation, we share many blessings
and strengths, including a tradition of religious freedom and political
participation. However, as a people, we face serious challenges that are
clearly political and also profoundly moral.
2. We are a nation founded on “life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” but the right to life
itself is not fully protected, especially for unborn children, the most
vulnerable members of the American family. We are called to be peacemakers
in a nation at war. We are a country pledged to pursue “liberty and
justice for all,” but we are too often divided across lines of race,
ethnicity, and economic inequality.
We are a nation of immigrants, struggling
to address the challenges of many new immigrants in our midst. We are
a society built on the strength of our families, called to defend marriage
and offer moral and economic supports for family life.
We are a powerful nation in a violent world,
confronting terror and trying to build a safer, more just, more peaceful world.
We are an affluent society where too many live in poverty and lack health care
and other necessities of life. We are part of a global community facing
urgent threats to the environment that must sustain us.
These challenges are at the heart of public
life and at the center of the pursuit of the common good.1
3. For many years, we bishops of the
United States have sought to share Catholic teaching on political life.
We have done so in a series of statements issued every four years
focused on “political responsibility” or “faithful citizenship.”
In this document we continue that practice, maintaining continuity with what
we have said in the past in light of new challenges facing our nation and world.
This is not new teaching but affirms what is taught by our Bishops'
Conference and the whole Church. As Catholics, we are part of a community
with a rich heritage that helps us consider the challenges in public life
and contribute to greater justice and peace for all people.
4. Part of that rich heritage on faithful citizenship
is the teaching of Vatican Council II's Declaration on Religious Liberty
(Dignitatis Humanae). It says that “society itself may enjoy the benefits
of justice and peace, which result from [people's] faithfulness to God and
his holy will” (no. 6). The work for justice requires that the mind and the
heart of Catholics be educated and formed to know and practice the whole faith.
5. This statement highlights the role of
the Church in the formation of conscience, and the corresponding moral
responsibility of each Catholic to hear, receive, and act upon the Church's
teaching in the lifelong task of forming his or her own conscience. With this
foundation, Catholics are better able to evaluate policy positions, party platforms,
and candidates' promises and actions in light of the Gospel and the moral
and social teaching of the Church in order to help build a better world.
6. We seek to do this by addressing
four questions: (1) Why does the Church teach about issues affecting
public policy? (2) Who in the Church should participate in political
life? (3) How does the Church help the Catholic faithful to speak
about political and social questions? (4) What does the Church say
about Catholic social teaching in the public square?
7. In this statement, we bishops do not
intend to tell Catholics for whom or against whom to vote. Our purpose
is to help Catholics form their consciences in accordance with
God's truth. We recognize that the responsibility to make choices
in political life rests with each individual in light of a properly
formed conscience, and that participation goes well beyond casting
a vote in a particular election.
8. During election years, there may be
many handouts and voter guides that are produced and distributed.
We encourage Catholics to seek those resources that are authorized
by their own bishops, their state Catholic conferences, and the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. This statement is
intended to reflect and complement, not substitute for, the ongoing
teaching of bishops in our own dioceses and states. In light of these
reflections and those of local bishops, we encourage Catholics throughout
the United States to be active in the political process, particularly
in these challenging times.
to top of page
|
