Bishops release latest version of ‘Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,’ Catholic guide to voting

Last updated on: August 10, 2016 at 9:53 am by Deacon Greg Kandra

Bishops release latest version of ‘Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,’ Catholic guide to voting 2016-08-10T09:53:20-04:00 Deacon Greg Kandra

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From the USCCB website:

The Catholic bishops of the United States are pleased to offer once again to the Catholic faithful Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (en Español), our teaching document on the political responsibility of Catholics. This statement represents our guidance for Catholics in the exercise of their rights and duties as participants in our democracy. We urge our pastors, lay and religious faithful, and all people of good will to use this statement to help form their consciences; to teach those entrusted to their care; to contribute to civil and respectful public dialogue; and to shape political choices in the coming election in light of Catholic teaching. The statement lifts up our dual heritage as both faithful Catholics and American citizens with rights and duties as participants in the civil order.

From the introductory note:

This version draws on the wealth of papal teaching since the 2007 version of Faithful Citizenship, such as the later magisterium of Pope Benedict XVI and that of Pope Francis to date. From these great teachings we discern, for example, messages to the universal Church to attend in a special way: to the inextricable link between our witness to the truth and our service to those in need (Caritas in Veritate); to our role as missionary disciples, called forth from the sanctuary to bring Christ to the margins with joy (Evangelii Gaudium); and to the care for our common home and all who dwell in it, especially the poorest (Laudato Si’).

The document is also updated to take account of recent developments in the United States in both domestic and foreign policy:

The ongoing destruction of over one million innocent human lives each year by abortion
Physician-assisted suicide
The redefinition of marriage—the vital cell of society—by the courts, political bodies, and increasingly by American culture itself
The excessive consumption of material goods and the destruction of natural resources, which harm both the environment and the poor
The deadly attacks on fellow Christians and religious minorities throughout the world
The narrowing redefinition of religious freedom, which threatens both individual conscience and the freedom of the Church to serve
Economic policies that fail to prioritize the poor, at home or abroad;
A broken immigration system and a worldwide refugee crisis
Wars, terror, and violence that threaten every aspect of human life and dignity

All of these threats, and more, speak to a breakdown in what Pope Francis has called an “integral ecology” (Laudato Si’, nos. 137-55). Without the proper ordering of relationships of persons with each other, with creation, and ultimately with God himself, sin takes hold. Pope Francis reminds us that all individuals, nations, and members of the global community have the duty to place the needs of others ahead of selfish desires to possess and exploit the good things that come from God’s hand.

This document is to be read prayerfully and in its totality. It would be a serious mistake—and one that occurs with regrettable frequency—to use only selected parts of the Church’s teaching to advance partisan political interests or validate ideological biases. All of us are called to be servants to the whole truth in authentic love, and it is our fervent hope and prayer that this document will provide aid to all those seeking to heed this call.

Read the document here. You can also get a pdf version and order copies here.

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