Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center

Faithful Citizenship: Elections 2008

"As we approach the elections...we renew our call for a new kind of politics—focused on moral principles not on the latest polls, on the needs of the poor and vulnerable not the contributions of the rich and powerful, and on the pursuit of the common good not the demands of special interests."

Faithful Citizenship - US Catholic Bishops

FAITHFUL CITIZENSHIP

Since 1975, the United States Catholic Bishops have issued statements on Catholic civic responsibility. This year, the Bishops' documentForming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship guides us in evaluating candidates for public office in areas of great moral significance. It assists us in making informed decisions and emphasizes the importance of being active in the political process. As people of conscience following the ways of Jesus, Catholics are oftentimes called to be the prophetic voice in a world broken by poverty, violence, and war.

From Awareness to Empowerment: What You Can Do
"Every voice matters in the public forum. Every vote counts. Every act of responsible citizenship is an exercise of significant individual power."

Inform yourself. Utilize the resource links below to educate yourself on Catholic Social Teaching (CST). Be sure to consider all of the CST principles; then, apply the Gospel perspective while evaluating where the candidates stand on the issues.

Register to Vote. (click here for registration form)
Vote on Tuesday, November 4, 2008.
Register other people to vote. You can obtain Voter Registration Forms from your local legislative district in your county. Make sure that the people you register later receive their voter registration card in the mail and that they know where to go to vote on Tuesday, November 4th. Do this to ensure that that they do not become disenfranchised!
Join with other parishioners to register people to vote after Mass and at other church celebrations. Then, go out into the wider community to register others. Visit a nursing home or the student center of a local community college and set a goal of how many people you will register on a given day.
Get out the vote! The week before the election, flier your neighborhood and church parking lot with ½ page fliers encouraging people to vote on November 4th.
After the election, stay involved as an active citizen working to educate and empower others. Join the Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center and Pax Christi USA, and start a Social Justice Committee at your local parish.

Resource Links for Elections:

US Conference of Catholic Bishops
Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States

NETWORK: A Catholic Social Justice Lobby

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
U.S. Elections: Loving our neighbor in a shrinking world
Maryknoll missioners recognize the enormous impact U.S. elections will have on communities around the world. Includes questions for candidates on these issues.

Center of Concern
Voting for the Common Good: Election 2008. Through research, analysis, public education and advocacy, the Center works to advance more just, sustainable and authentically human development for all, especially for the marginalized and those in poverty.

Faithful Democracy
An interfaith coalition encouraging civic participation. Includes voter participation resources and other opportunities for coordinated action.

Friends Committee on National Legislation
Founded by the Religious Society of Friends, works with a national network to advocate for social and economic justice, peace, and good government.

The Interfaith Alliance —One Nation, Many Faiths
Works to promote civic participation, freedom of religion, diversity, and civility in public discourse and to encourage the active involvement of people of faith in political life.

A Matter Of Spirit: Spring 2008—Faithful Citizenship
The Intercommunity Peace & Justice Center's quarterly justice journal. This issue focuses on the "Faithful" side of the subject. Articles on broad topics of conscience formation, separation of church and state, Catholic Social Teaching and more.

Major Presidential Candidates

"Adopting a consistent ethic of life, the Catholic Church promotes a broad spectrum of issues…Any politics of human life must work to resist the violence of war and the scandal of capital punishment. Any politics of human dignity must seriously address issues of racism, poverty, hunger, employment, education, housing, and health care. Therefore, Catholics should eagerly involve themselves as advocates for the weak and marginalized in all these areas."

Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics—US Catholic Bishops, 1998

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