Election

Our election season is upon us, and Catholics are urged to embrace the opportunity to vote.  Pope Francis has addressed the issue of voting.  He stated, “We need to participate for the common good.  Sometimes we hear: a good Catholic is not interested in politics.  This is not true:  good Catholics immerse themselves in politics by offering the best of themselves so that the leader can govern.”

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued and updated a document called, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.”  The bishops have encouraged us to take our voting obligation seriously.  They said, “We bishops seek to help Catholics form their consciences in accordance with the truth, so they can make sound moral choices.  We do not tell Catholics how to vote.  The responsibility to make political choices rests with each person and his or her conscience.”

The bishops have stated that “In the Catholic Tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation.  As Catholics, we should be guided more by our moral convictions than by our attachment to a political party or interest group.  In today’s environment, Catholics may feel politically disenfranchised, sensing that no party and few candidates fully share our comprehensive commitment to human life and dignity.”

As we know, we live in an imperfect world and we are dealing with imperfect candidates.  Our bishops invite us to properly form our consciences and to vote for those candidates whose views we believe best reflect Catholic teaching.