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The U.S. Bishops' Statement The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released a statement in November 2007 called "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship" -- and a bulletin insert explaining the statement. No matter what you hear or read about between now and Election Day, you should know that these are the documents that will serve as this year's "official" guidance from the Church on how to be civically engaged as a faithful Catholic. If someone shows you a voters' guide that tells you specifically whom to vote for and says it's an official Church document, that is not true. The Bishops say that "responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation." They approved the statement by a nearly unanimous margin at a convention in Baltimore. The New York Times ran a story on their deliberation and action (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/15/us/15bishops.html). The Bishops are obviously encouraging every faithful voting Catholic to read the full statement, and we hope you'll do that as well. We call attention to statements 34 through 37 (emphasis ours): 34. Catholics often face difficult choices about how to vote. This is why it is so important to vote according to a well-formed conscience that perceives the proper relationship among moral goods. A Catholic cannot vote for a candidate who takes a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, such as abortion or racism, if the voter's intent is to support that position. In such cases a Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in grave evil. At the same time, a voter should not use a candidate's opposition to an intrinsic evil to justify indifference or inattentiveness to other important moral issues involving human life and dignity. 35. There may be times when a Catholic who rejects a candidate's unacceptable position may decide to vote for that candidate for other morally grave reasons. Voting in this way would be permissible only for truly grave moral reasons, not to advance narrow interests or partisan preferences or to ignore a fundamental moral evil. 36. When all candidates hold a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, the conscientious voter faces a dilemma. The voter may decide to take the extraordinary step of not voting for any candidate or, after careful deliberation, may decide to vote for the candidate deemed less likely to advance such a morally flawed position and more likely to pursue other authentic human goods. 37. In making these decisions, it is essential for Catholics to be guided by a well-formed conscience that recognizes that all issues do not carry the same moral weight and that the moral obligation to oppose intrinsically evil acts has a special claim on our consciences and our actions. These decisions should take into account a candidate's commitments, character, integrity, and ability to influence a given issue. In the end, this is a decision to be made by each Catholic guided by a conscience formed by Catholic moral teaching.38. It is important to be clear that the political choices faced by citizens not only have an impact on general peace and prosperity but also may affect the individual's salvation. Similarly, the kinds of laws and policies supported by public officials affect their spiritual well-being." This website is part of our own fulfillment of civic engagement as Catholic American citizens. We believe Barack Obama should be the next President because America desperately needs a President who will give voice to our better angels. Senator Obama will look for common ground in addressing some of the most pressing needs of our time -- among them alleviating poverty, protecting the environment, making peace and, we believe, creating a culture of life. We are confident, having reviewed the Bishops' statement, that responsible Catholics can vote for Barack Obama -- and we think they should! The full statement can be found at the U.S. Bishops' website (http://www.usccb.org/faithfulcitizenship/FCStatement.pdf). The UCCSB has also developed a robust website (http://www.faithfulcitizenship.org/) with much more information about responsible Catholic voting, including sections for all Catholics, parish and school leaders, diocesan and community leaders and young Catholics; podcasts; a "family guide"; and content en espanol. Contact us.    Register to vote. This website is not affiliated with the campaign of Barack Obama or with the Roman Catholic Church.