Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Catholic News

Home

Home
Catholic
Religion News
Voter scorecard informs Latinos about religious freedom threats

Voter scorecard informs Latinos about religious freedom threats

Last updated on: October 25, 2012 at 5:10 pm by CNA Daily News

Voter scorecard informs Latinos about religious freedom threats 2012-10-25T17:10:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Washington D.C., Oct 25, 2012 / 11:10 am (CNA).- A group that works to offer a Catholic voice in the public square has released a new guide to inform Spanish-speaking voters of religious liberty concerns in the presidential election.

“Our Christianity – our religious fervor – is a huge part of our lives,” said Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie, director of Hispanic Outreach for the Catholic Association.

She told CNA on Oct. 24 that Hispanic voters need to realize that the current administration “has been aggressive” towards religion, conscience and the Church.

Religion is “intrinsically” part of the Hispanic way of life, she said, and “it’s too central to our culture to give that up.”

Christie is currently using a “grassroots system” that reaches out through local parishes, pro-life groups and religious freedom rallies to distribute Spanish voter guides in the key battleground state of Florida.

The voter guide scores presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney on seven key religious freedom issues, including conscience rights, abortion, religion in the public square, houses of worship and international religious freedom.

President Obama is given a failing grade for his policies, including the federal mandate that requires employers to offer health insurance plans covering contraception, sterilization and abortion drugs, even if doing so violates their consciences. Romney is given an “A+” for his actions and pledges to uphold religious freedom.

Growing up largely in Mexico with parents from Cuba, Christie said that most Hispanics in the U.S. “have left their countries because of a lack of freedom” in the economic, political or religious realms.

It is important for the Latino community to realize that persecution can happen in the U.S. too, she said, pointing to the contraception mandate as an “assault on one of our basic rights.”

Despite controversy over the mandate, Obama holds a strong lead among Latino voters in recent polls. Christie said this is due not to a lack of values but to “a lack of information and a lack of education” within the Hispanic community about threats to religious freedom.

She urged Hispanic voters to listen to the message of the Church and to be careful about the ideas presented by the mainstream media, which do not share a Catholic outlook and are not always accurate on religious freedom issues that affect Catholics.

The Church has made tremendous efforts to raise awareness about the critical issue of religious liberty, Christie said.

Ashley McGuire, senior fellow at the Catholic Association, explained that the decision to publish a Spanish version of the voter guide sprung from the overwhelming success of the English version, which was released on Oct. 4.

More than 1 million copies of the English voter guide were requested for distribution, many in swing states, she said, and the association began receiving requests for a Spanish version as well.

McGuire sees the Spanish voter guide as an opportunity to reach an important demographic in the presidential election.

She explained that “the majority of Spanish speakers in this country are Catholic and deserve to know how the candidates measure up.”

The current admiration has been “deceptive” about the impact that its policies will have on religious freedom in America, she said.

“It’s hard for English speakers to navigate it all,” she observed, let alone those for whom English is a second language.

“I truly believe that Hispanic Catholics are the future in many ways of the Church in America,” McGuire said, pointing to the growing Latino population within the Church.

Therefore, she said, it is “hugely important” for these Catholics to understand the threats facing the Church in this country.

The voter guide is now available in both English and Spanish on the Catholic Association’s website and has attracted significant media attention.

While the Catholic Church “does not tell people how to vote,” McGuire said, it is important for the faithful to maintain a well-formed conscience.

She encouraged voters to look beyond jobs and the economy to consider “what is right and wrong on a fundamental level” and how each candidate will respond to these basic issues.

“I think that message will resonate with Hispanic Catholics,” she said.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

October 25, 2012

Archbishop Chaput: Be Catholic before you are Democrat or Republican

Next Post

October 25, 2012 Pope's former butler goes to prison

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was Jesus' legal father?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Matthat Joseph Jacob Heli