Local parish leaders review bishops’ statement

By David Eck

ARCHDIOCESE – As Catholics begin considering candidate positions for the fall elections, several hundred parish leaders recently got a review of Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, a statement of political responsibility from the United States Catholic Bishops.

At presentations in Dayton and Cincinnati, Joan Rosenhauer, associate director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development, highlighted the document and shared insight on how Catholic Social Teaching affects political decisions.

The document, which was approved last November, encourages Catholics to use their faith values to form their political involvement. It was two years in the making and was approved by the bishops with a 221-4 vote.

CNS FILE PHOTO

Joan Rosenhauer

She quoted from Pope Benedict’s first encyclical letter in which he says that loving the sick, lonely and needy is as essential to the church as ministry and preaching the Gospel. Catholics can live out their love of their neighbors and support those in through the opportunities as citizens.

"There are some people who are a little skeptical that this idea (that) faith and politics should come together," Rosenhauer said. "It is, nonetheless, a very important message."

Faithful citizenship is not something new, she said, citing examples from both the Old and New Testaments. Society needs to practice justice, and compassion, love and caring need to prevail from law.

The document says, "responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in the political process is a moral obligation." Catholics should take an active role in public life in the interest of public good, Rosenhauer said.

While individuals become involved in political life, the church avoids partisan politics in order to avoid impacting Catholic social teaching. Aligning with a particular candidate may confuse people about church teaching, and there is the possibility that a candidate could change positions on issues.

"We don’t want to be so tied to a candidate or party that somehow Catholic social teaching gets implicated," Rosenhauer said.

There are seven themes at the heart of catholic social teaching, including 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 worker rights; solidarity; and care for God’s creation.

The document is not an attempt to make the United States a Catholic country, Rosenhauer said, but a call to lift up Catholic concerns and values in the public discourse.

The document affirms the basic themes of church teaching, and avoiding evil and doing good.

"Engaging in politics to build a world that protects life, respects human dignity, and cares for all of God’s creation is one essential way that we live out Pope Benedict XVI’s reminder for us to love our neighbor," said Tony Stieritz, director of the archdiocesan Catholic Social Action office. "This ‘social charity’, as he calls it, is one of the fundamental responsibilities of the Church itself."

Rosenhauer also handed out guidelines for parish and archdiocesan political participation.

Representatives from more than 60 parishes attended the presentations, which were held at St. Andrew Parish in Milford and St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Centerville. They were asked to share information about the document with parishioners.

"I think it’s outstanding," said Sue Keefe, chair of social ministry at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Cincinnati. "It’s wonderful to have Catholic social teaching promoted and our call to be faithful citizens."