Church and State. Answer to an Inquiry

From Charles Z  

Dear XXX

I wanted to respond to your message (about the Catholic Church and political engagement). 

On 9/16/13 Pope Francis said that “We need to participate for the common good. Sometimes we hear: a good Catholic is not interested in politics. This is not true: good Catholics immerse themselves in politics by offering the best of themselves so that the leader can govern.” 

To assist in this process, the US Bishops wrote “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.” It is impressive to read the various issues that were discussed and the constituencies that were consulted in the drafting of this document:

* Committee on Catholic Education, 

* Committee on Communications, 

* Committee on Cultural Diversity,

* The Committee on Doctrine, 

* The Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, 

* The Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, 

* The Committee on International Justice and Peace, 

* The Committee on Migration, 

* The Committee on Pro-Life Activities,

* The Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage,

* The Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty.

The full body of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) at its November 2015 General Meeting approved this document. 

I received the recent guide from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. They encouraged us to make the document available in ways we thought appropriate. To discern this, first I consulted the Parish Staff for their input. I spoke with Parish Leadership. I talked with people who coordinate parish communication and with our Director of Communications. Thus the discernment process to make the guide available was done with broad consultation with the parish faith community. 

The list above shows a broad range of issues was discussed and considered. Should there be factual errors in the document recently published by the US Bishops Conference, it was certainly not because of a lack of input from a wide range of constituencies. 

I admire your passion for this. I would encourage you to contact the US Bishops Conference with your concerns.

Tue, Sep 29, 2020 - 12:12PM