WASHINGTON (EWTN News/CNA)—With the campaign for the 2012 presidential race gaining speed, the U.S. Catholic bishops are saying that their 2007 statement on the political responsibilities of Catholics must not be misused or distorted to justify supporting candidates that do not adhere to Church teaching.
The bishops warned against “misguided appeals to ‘conscience’ to ignore fundamental moral claims, to reduce Catholic moral concerns to one or two matters, or to justify choices simply to advance partisan, ideological or personal interests.”
An Oct. 4 statement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced that conference president Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, along with the chairs of nine different committees, are reaffirming their 2007 document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” and issuing it with a new introductory note.
The note was discussed at the bishop’s June meeting and authorized at the Administrative Committee meeting in September. It does not modify “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” but clarifies its use and intent.
In the note, the bishops observed that the statement on the political responsibilities of Catholics “has at times been misused to present an incomplete or distorted view of the demands of faith in politics.”
They explained that the topics outlined in the document are not “issues for equal consideration.” Rather, they said, it “makes important distinctions among moral issues.”
The introductory note acknowledged that some issues “involve the clear obligation to oppose intrinsic evils which can never be justified,” while others raise “serious moral questions” and should lead the faithful to “pursue justice and promote the common good.”
Catholic voting became a heated issue in the 2008 election when several prominent Catholic intellectuals voiced support for then-candidate Barack Obama.
In one of the most notable instances, Doug Kmiec, a law professor at Pepperdine University and a former official in the Reagan administration, endorsed Obama and encouraged other Catholic and conservative voters to do the same.
Kmiec called Obama a “bridge-builder” and said that despite Obama’s opposition to Catholic teachings on moral issues, including abortion and same-sex “marriage,” there were proportionate reasons to support him.
Kmiec said he believed that Obama’s opposition to the Iraq war and focus on “the social justice of economic arrangement” made him “closer to the Church’s teaching” than his opponent, John McCain.
In the new introduction to “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” the bishops called on Catholics “to form their consciences in the light of their Catholic faith and to bring our moral principles to the debate and decisions about candidates and issues.”
They explained that the document on faithful citizenship “does not offer a voters’ guide, scorecard of issues or direction on how to vote,” but rather, “applies Catholic moral principles to a range of important issues.”
The introductory note lists six “current and fundamental problems” that remain “pressing national issues.” These issues include: abortion and other threats to those who are vulnerable, sick or unwanted; efforts to force Catholic ministries to choose between violating their consciences or ceasing their services to those in need; intensified efforts to redefine and undermine the nature of marriage; an economic crisis that has increased levels of unemployment, poverty, hunger and debt; a “broken” immigration system; and wars, terror and violence, especially in the Middle East.
The bishops’ note also emphasized the importance of religious liberty. They defended the “right to bring our principles and moral convictions into the public arena” and said that these rights need to be “both exercised and protected.”
The U.S. bishops’ conference has also launched a new website to assist the faithful in the formation of conscience. The website, which can be accessed at http://usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/, offers formation tools for parishes, organizations and individuals.
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I wonder what Doug Kmiec thinks of that bridge-building now.
This is good news!
I am happy to note that our Bishops have responded positively to the Pope’s request to improve understanding of the Church’s teachings among the Faithful. Upgrading the Faithful Citizen document is a good first step. I have heard the work was so general that it could be used by many to justify relativism. Not accepting all of the Church’s teachings is a heretical act and can not be tolerated. I understand the document was originally prepared by the Bishops after they would not approve Canon 915 which was issued by the Holy See to establish obligations of Catholics in public office. It is regrettable that no widespread formal update of the Faithful Citizen has been issued before now. The fact that 50% of Catholics voted to support abortion in the last election is shameful. To be effective instruction of the Faithful must be carried out from the Bishop’s office down to the local parish level. The teachings of the Church have been well established and published. Catholics must accept all Church teachings. Blonging to the Church is voluntary. If intellectuals can’t handle all of the Church’s teachings they should perhaps consider following their consciences to join a different organization that encourages members to have diverse beliefs.
This is indeed good news ... Thank You your Excellencies for having the courage and good sense to revisit this document.
One suggestion from the private sector ... redact and reduce the original 30 something page document down to a one page summary of the “Non-Negotiable” Moral issues confronting us today.
If it is not a “Non-Negotiable” issue it only gets in the way of clearly informing the Faithful. Such a list can and should be placed in every bulletin just before every Election and having separated these sacred grains of “Wheat” from the pages of political chaff you can trust the Faithful to discern other issues in the clear light of these essential basics.
Here we go again. Why the Bishops don’t speak in plain English so even the unschooled can understand is beyond me. It is horrible. I fought hard at our parish last go around and used Faithful Citizenship and had the social and pro-choice people all pointing to the booklet justifying their reasons to vote for Obama and it is going to happen all over again. Obama and his friends around him, Planned Parenthood, Pelosi, Sebellius and others for example, have done as much to attack Jesus’s teaching as the communists and yet our Bishops can’t say don’t vote for him and others who support him.
Shame
Many people who voted for Obama did so because they believed, erroneously, that his stand on issues of war were more attuned to Catholic teaching than any other candidate. Abortion kills, but so does war. Unfortunately, Obama has chosen not just to support abortion, but to expand killing via war. The problem is that NONE of the candidates seem to offer a solution for Catholic voters. Too often, one party supports death in the womb, and the other party supports death out of the womb. One of those issues is not more important than the other. They are equally important.
For some years now, Catholic Answers has published their “Voters Guide for Serious Catholics.”
It is a small booklet that succinctly states the Catholic position on five non-negotiable issues:
Abortion, Euthanasia, Fetal Stem Cell Research, Human Cloning, and Homosexual “Marriage”.
I think most voters would prefer these simple guidelines rather than a lengthy, scholarly, nuanced document.
What would be so difficult for the USCCB to acknowledge and endorse the Catholic Answers booklet?
@PGARBE: The Bishops have not endorsed the Catholic Answers “Five Non-Negotiable Issues” because it presents a distorted view of the Church’s teaching.
Frankly, I am surprised by some of the negative comments about Forming Consciousness. With the much needed update and clarification, it provides simple, clear statements on the official Catholic view on the most important issues, while recognizing that some issues are more important that others.
There is a large disconnect between what the rank-and-file Catholics believe and what the bishops are attempting to teach… but that is a failure of proper catechesis. It is not only this document that is flawed, but also the method of presenting, marketing, and teaching based on this document.
I have read the document (including the introductory note), and while there are some decent parts, the vast majority of it is an unorganized, unclear laundry list of “things we must keep in mind.”
Church teachings are, in fact, hierarchical. Some issues are, in fact, non-negotiable. Unfortunately, this document muddies the waters about precisely what those non-negotiables are! (Contrast this with the clarity of the Vatican’s “Doctrinal Note on the Participation of Catholics in Political Life” http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20021124_politica_en.html ).
This document is too long, unclear, and unwieldy to serve as a voter’s guide, but it is also not thorough enough to serve as a teaching document worthy of in-depth study.
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