The U.S. Catholic bishops recently approved their new faithful citizenship statement, titled "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility."
Here is their official Press Release (November 14, 2007)
The complete text of the statement can be found in PDF format at the USCCB's Faithful Citizenship webpage, URL: http://www.usccb.org/faithfulcitizenship/
Also available at this URL are PDF documents containing:
(1) The text for a Bulletin Insert titled "The Challenge of Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship" which includes a nice section on the 7 Key themes of CST: "What does the Church Say about Catholic Social Teaching in the Public Square -- Seven Key Themes"
(2) Links to four other Bishops' Documents on politicians and the responsibilities of Catholics in public life.
(3) A link to a doctrinal note from the Vatican on some questions regarding "The Participation of Catholics in Political Life."
(4) A 5-page parish resource titled "Parish Planning Ideas for Parish Staffs and Parish Councils" (complete with a section on "Do's and Don'ts for Parishes")
A final quote from the press release:
The Faithful Citizenship statement concludes with a “call for a renewed kind of politics:
-- Focused more on moral principles than on the latest polls;
-- Focused more on the needs of the weak than on benefits for the strong;
-- Focused more on the pursuit of the common good than on the demands of narrow interests.
"This kind of political participation,” the bishops claim, “reflects the social teaching of our Church and the best traditions of our nation.”
NOTE: To order distribution copies of the Statement or Bulletin Insert (when they become available) visit http://www.usccbpublishing.org/ and click on "New."
