Election and Voting Resources
During an election year Pastor's Column, Fr. Joe Mamich wrote: "first off, as our Bishops wrote in their document, Faithful Citizenship (FC), I, too, will not tell you for whom or against whom to vote. Please join me in taking the time to explore all the issues and candidates in light of our Church’s teachings. Our Church teaches that “the responsibility to make choices in political life rests with each individual in light of a properly formed conscience, and that participation goes well beyond casting a vote in a particular election” (FC, 7).
I believe that the right to vote is an awesome opportunity and duty. Being so great a privilege, it is clear that we should responsibly pray, discern, and consider our choices. Properly-forming one’s conscience includes researching the candidates, issues, and platforms by first-hand exploration of their materials, not simply relying upon others’ commentaries while considering Church teaching. Part of this consideration must include the awareness of the Church’s opposition to supporting: abortion, same-sex marriage, euthanasia, human cloning and embryonic stem cell research.
In addition to these issues, one must also consider the Church’s teaching on matters such as: genocide, torture, racism, the targeting of noncombatants in acts of terror or war, immigration, and the Church’s commitment to insuring the preservation of religious freedom, liberty, and expression for all. All these, in one way or another, are grounded not only upon the law of God, but also in the love of neighbor and the dignity of the human person. After prayerful consideration of these in the formation of one’s conscience, one makes the conscious choice for the issues and candidates one supports. Finally, it’s important to remember that “the Church is involved in the political process, but is not partisan. The Church cannot champion any candidate or party. Our cause is the defense of human life and dignity and the protection of the weak and vulnerable” (FC, 58)."
We have assembled this list of resources for your convenience and consideration:
Papal, National and State Conference Resources
- Gaudete et Exsultate: On the Call to Holiness in Today's World, Pope Francis, 2018.
- Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2015.
- Catholic Conference of Ohio: Election Issues, 2020.
Books and Articles by Individual Bishops
- "Render unto Ceaser: Serving the Nation by Living our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life", By Archbishop Charles J. Chaput - This is the Amazon link to the book that was given out for free in September 2020. Book copyright 2008, 2012.
- “The call to holiness in an election year" by Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, 2019.
- "A Message from Bishop Edward Malesic on the Election", Bishop of Cleveland, 2020.