As the election year begins to heat up the United States Conference Of Bishops made the following information available.
They stated clearly the approach that a parish should have when talking about the upcoming election and issues.
While it is important to be clear about what we can’t do, the most important thing to focus on is what we can do. In a democracy, loving our neighbor and caring for the least among us means supporting leaders and policies that promote the common good and protect society’s most vulnerable members. Helping Catholics to recognize and act on this dimension of their faith is an essential task for parish leaders.
DO:
- Address the moral and human dimensions of public issues.
- Share church teaching on human life, human rights, and justice and peace.
- Apply Catholic values to legislation and public issues.
- Conduct a non-partisan voter registration drive on church property.
- Distribute unbiased candidate questionnaires covering issues of human life, justice, and peace that have been reviewed and approved by your diocesan attorney.
- Check with your diocesan attorney if you have any questions about what is appropriate.
Don’t forget to like this on your Facebook page
DON’T:
- Endorse or oppose candidates for political office.
- Distribute partisan campaign literature under church auspices.
- Arrange for groups to work for a candidate for public office.
- Invite only selected candidates to address your church-sponsored group.
- Conduct voter registration slanted toward one party.
- Distribute a biased candidate survey.
With the current climate of the country, we will all wait to see what other denominations issue.
Make sure to view the gallery below of great people of faith.
Catholic Bishops Remind Parishes Of Political Guidelines was originally published on elev8.com
