Politics, faith and concrete action

This page gives importance to the role taken by the Church in society. Politics is an arena where such a role is very important. Undoubtedly a very important appointment on the international arena is the election of the President of the United States in November. The election campaign kicks off officially on January 19 with the Iowa caucuses.

The Bishops of the United States are preparing Catholics for the election. They published an 8,500-word document designed to offer a blueprint for electoral decisions based on Catholic social teaching. A similar document has been issued before every presidential election for the past 28 years.

"As Catholics, the election and the policy choices that follow it call us to recommit ourselves to carry the values of the Gospel and Church teaching into the public square," the bishops' Administrative Committee said in "Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility".

"As citizens and residents of the United States, we have the duty to participate now and in the future in the debates and choices over the values, vision and leaders that will guide our nation," the bishops added.

But this year, the bishops hope that the ideas in "Faithful Citizenship" will make new inroads at the parish level. To reach more Catholics the bishops also prepared a special resource kit, workshops for priests and deacons and more local sponsorship of non-partisan candidate forums and voter registration drives.

The resource kit will be mailed to all US parishes at the end of January. It is made up of more than a dozen elements and is designed for parish committees or personnel already in existence. The bishops hope that this kit will make it easier for parishes to weave it and its teaching into their day-to-day activities.

Included are planning ideas for parish staffs and parish councils, a family guide to faithful citizenship, suggestions for youth ministers, ideas for social concerns and pro-life committees, tips for conducting candidate forums, bulletin quotes and clip art, and ideas for Catholic school principals and teachers, as well as directors of religious education and catechists.

Additional resources - including lesson plans for various age groups, homily notes and other materials - will be available on the Internet at www.usccb.org/faithfulcitizenship and will be updated as the year goes on with new ideas and success stories from parishes. The aim is to provide American Catholics with a basic education about Catholic social teaching so that voters may draw on those teachings in making decisions about particular candidates and policy positions.

The Bishops' document called "Faithful Citizenship" reviews the basic themes of Catholic social teaching - life and dignity of the human person; call to family, community and participation; rights and responsibilities; option for the poor and vulnerable; dignity of work and the rights of workers; solidarity; and caring for God's creation - then looks at some specific policy decisions facing the United States today.

The bishops condemn abortion, euthanasia, cloning, the death penalty and the intentional targeting of civilians in war or terrorist attacks. They call for the protection of marriage as a lifelong commitment of a man and a woman, a living wage for all workers, affordable and accessible health care and increased child tax credits that are fully refundable.

On the international front, the document urges more generous US policies toward immigrants and refugees; action to reverse the spread of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons; "consistent political and financial support" for the United Nations and other international bodies; and efforts to "humanise globalisation" and address its negative consequences.

"Building peace, combating poverty and despair, and protecting freedom and human rights are not only moral imperatives; they are wise national priorities," the bishops said. "Given its enormous power and influence in world affairs, the United States has a special responsibility to ensure that it is a force for justice and peace beyond its borders."

The bishops, in their document clearly state that "we do not wish to instruct persons on how they should vote by endorsing or opposing candidates... We hope that voters will examine the position of candidates on a full range of issues, as well as on their personal integrity, philosophy and performance."

The US bishops have this time round set up a clear, decisive and integrated strategy putting together teaching and action to help Catholics reach a mature decision.