Faithful Citizenship: Voting is a Catholic Duty

“Every person has a fundamental right to life,” say the U.S. Bishops, “the right that makes all other rights possible. Each person also has a right to the conditions for living a decent life—faith and family life, food and shelter, education and employment, health care and housing. We also have a duty to secure and respect these rights not only for ourselves, but for others, and to fulfill our responsibilities to our families, to each other, and to the larger society.” --excerpt from Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility, 2003 (http://www.nccbuscc.org/faithfulcitizenship/faithfulcitizenship03.pdf)

I found the above quote from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website that is dedicated to our role as United States citizens of faith called Faithful Citizenship: http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org/

When filling out my absentee ballot today, I used the California Catholic Conference website to learn what the California bishops had to say about the nine propositions coming up on Nov 2nd. You may find this helpful, too: http://www.cacatholic.org/index.php/take-action/election.html

Register to Vote before October 18th for the November 2nd General Election

Have you recently moved? Turned 18? Recently become a US Citizen? If so, you need to register to vote before October 18th for the next General Election.

Voter Registration forms are generally available at public libraries and city halls. Register online at the League of Women Voters website (http://www.vote411.org).

At my parish, my Social Concerns Ministry has put a reminder in the bulletin, and will put voter registration forms in the vestibule.

The California Catholic Bishops provide information on current legislation on their website (http://www.cacatholic.org).

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops ask Catholics to become informed and vote using their conscience and judgment. The Catholic Church never tells people how to vote; the Catholic Church does point out moral issues with respect to legislation. See their Faithful Citizenship website for more information: http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org/

"In the Catholic Tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation." – United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship”, No. 13