Advocacy & Education

As members of the Catholic community, we enter the public forum to act on our moral convictions, share our experience in serving the poor and vulnerable, and add our values to the dialogue over our nation’s future. Our moral framework does not fit the categories of right or left, Democrat or Republican. Our responsibility is to measure every party and platform by how its agenda touches human life and dignity. In the Catholic tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue; participation in the political process is a moral obligation.

As bishops, we do not seek the formation of a religious voting bloc, nor do we instruct persons on how they should vote by endorsing or opposing parties or candidates. We are convinced that a consistent ethic of life should be the moral framework from which to address all issues in the political arena. We hope that voters will examine the positions of candidates on the full range of issues, as well as on their personal integrity, philosophy, and performance.

The Catholic community brings to public life the insights of the Scriptures and Catholic teaching, broad experience in serving those in need, and a large diverse community. We are called to be a community of consciences within the larger society. As Catholics, our conscience will not permit us to abandon unborn children because they are seen as unwanted or inconvenient, to turn our backs on immigrants because they lack the proper documents, or to turn away from poor women and children because they lack economic or political power.

Protecting Human Life: Each human life, called into existence by God, is sacred. For this reason we have a responsibility to defend human life at every stage and in every condition.

Promoting Family Life: The God-given institutions of marriage and the family are central and serve as the foundations for social life. Marriage provides the basic foundation for family life and needs to be protected.

Pursuing Social Justice: Scripture and the Church’s teaching call on all of us to embrace God’s preferential love of the poor and vulnerable, to embody it in our lives, and to work to have it shape public policies and priorities.

Practicing Global Solidarity: The United States has a responsibility to help the poor and vulnerable, promote global economic prosperity and sustainable environmental practices, foster stable and peaceful relations among nations, and uphold human rights.

The call to faithful citizenship raises a fundamental question: What does it mean to be a believer and a citizen in the year 2000 and beyond? As Catholics, we can recommit ourselves to carry the values of the Gospel and church teaching into the public square. As citizens, we can vote and participate in the debate over the values and leaders that will take us into the next century. The dual calling of faith and citizenship is at the heart of what it means to be a Catholic in the United States at the beginning of a new millennium.