In their statement on Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (FCFC), the U.S. Catholic bishops write, “In the Catholic Tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation” (No. 13). Voting in elections does not exhaust the duty of a Catholic to participate in public life; it is, nevertheless, an integral element of that duty. Although the duty to participate is ongoing and year-round, American Catholics frequently consider it more directly when they engage in the quadrennial election of the U.S. president. These years present unique challenges for clergy but also enormous opportunities, especially for catechesis concerning participation in political life and for the formation of consciences.

First, election years provide an opportunity for education on the social dimension of the Gospel. The redemption wrought in Christ Jesus has consequences not only for individuals but also for social relations (cf. Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, No. 178), and the Gospel is to penetrate every aspect of human life (cf. No. 181). While the Church “cannot and must not replace the state” (Deus Caritas Est, No. 28), she exercises a powerful ministry toward the state by proclaiming and working for justice without ceasing. This ministry is her duty, and it is the duty of every Catholic. By carrying out this obligation, Catholics and all people of faith make a unique contribution to the ordering of a just society. They bring an encounter with God that clarifies and elevates human reason, and they bring moral traditions and experiences of serving those in need.

While all Catholics are called to participate in political life, that call differs depending upon one’s “position and role” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1913). Direct intervention in the just ordering of society is the responsibility of the lay faithful (cf. Catechism, No. 2442; Deus Caritas Est, No. 29). Clergy, on the other hand, are called not to intervene directly in political life, but rather to serve the lay faithful as they carry out the lifelong task of forming consciences. This responsibility to hand on the Church’s moral and social teaching rests primarily with the bishops, whose co-workers in this task are priests and deacons. These two modes of participation in political life — direct intervention and the service of conscience formation — are distinct but complementary. Clergy are called to proclaim the Church’s teaching and to encourage the royal (kingly) office the laity have received in Christian Initiation; the lay faithful are called to hear, receive and act upon that teaching.

Formation of Consciences

Election years present an opportunity for the formation of consciences. Before examining ways of doing so, however, it will be helpful to examine some reasons that conscience formation does not take place. First, an unwillingness to help form consciences sometimes reflects an implicit belief that it is inappropriate to form them. While it is true that “the responsibility to make choices in political life rests with each individual in light of a properly formed conscience” (Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, No. 7), this fact does not mean that individuals carry out this responsibility in isolation. The truth that the clergy are not to replace the consciences of the faithful does not mean that there is an accompanying duty not to form consciences. As Pope Francis notes, “We have been called to form consciences, not to replace them” (Amoris Laetitia, No. 37). The latter part of this quotation cannot be separated from the former. The royal office of the laity must always be served by the prophetic office of the clergy.

Second, an unwillingness to form consciences is occasionally motivated by difficult circumstances: “It’s not worth it”; “It’s too hard”; “It’s too divisive,” etc. There are times when the integral proclamation of the Gospel places pastors in conflict with certain members of the community or Church parish. While some teachings of the Church may be received well by a community, others are not. In today’s polarized climate, proclaiming the Church’s teachings can lead to heated letters, false accusations or even a drop in collections. Without a complete proclamation, however, the Gospel cannot penetrate every aspect of human life.

On the other hand, there is sometimes a willingness to form consciences, but this formation takes place in partisan or ideological ways. Whether in the Sunday homily, bulletin articles or other parish communications, clergy may be tempted to allude to the political party and candidates whom they believe the lay faithful should endorse even while not advocating outright for any of them. By implicitly aligning the Church with a political party or candidate, the Church’s comprehensive vision — a vision which transcends every candidate and party — is undermined. Without this comprehensive vision, progress in any single area is limited since different areas are “intertwined and inseparable” (Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, No. 2) and “demand an integrated approach” (Laudato Si’, No. 139). Additionally, subtle associations of Church and party obscure the fact that Catholics should be guided more by moral convictions than membership in a particular party or interest group.

Despite these challenges, the Church can and must form consciences and facilitate lay engagement in the public square so that the principles of the Church’s social doctrine (the dignity of the human person, the common good, subsidiarity and solidarity) can become reflected in the life of society. However, as we do so, we must keep in mind certain guidelines to ensure that this activity is appropriate and non-partisan.

What Parishes Can Do

The following activities are appropriate and can help form consciences and facilitate positive engagement by the lay faithful in the public square:

• Do share the principles of Catholic social teaching. In November 2023, the body of bishops approved a series of five bulletin inserts to help Catholics form their consciences and engage in political life. The topics include:

• New Introductory Note to Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship

• The Role of the Church in American Political Life

• The Dignity of the Human Person

• The Common Good

• Solidarity

• Subsidiarity

Use this series of bulletin inserts as teaching tools and distribute them with the Sunday bulletin, as part of adult formation efforts and on the parish website.

• Do teach from the bishops’ statement. If you are preparing a homily to help Catholics form their consciences, regardless of whether it is an election year, the bishops’ statement on Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship is an excellent resource from which to teach. Part I focuses on why the Church teaches about issues affecting public policy, who should participate in political life, how the Church helps the faithful to speak about political and social questions, and what the Church says about Catholic social teaching in the public square. Part II applies Catholic social teaching to major issues. Part III shares goals for political life and challenges to citizens, candidates and officials.

• Do encourage voting. It is never appropriate to tell Catholics how or for whom they should vote, but Church organizations can and should encourage members to register to vote and share information about how to register. It may be possible for a parish to host a voter registration drive, but procedures for voter registration vary by state. At vote.gov, you can check state voter registration deadlines and access your state’s election website. Also, be sure to consult your diocesan attorney and these general voter education and voter registration guidelines.

• Do conduct a candidate forum, if permitted by diocesan policies. All candidates running for a particular office must be invited and efforts should be made to ensure broad participation by candidates. Be sure to ask questions to candidates that span a range of issues covered in the Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship statement.

• Do educate about ballot measures and referenda. Church organizations are allowed to support or oppose ballot measures, referenda, initiatives and constitutional amendments. The Church can and should take positions about issues, applying our values and Catholic social teaching to policies. This is different than supporting candidates or parties, which is not permitted.

Don’ts (What to Avoid)

It is not the Church’s role to tell Catholics for whom or against whom to vote. Instead, we help Catholics form their consciences in accordance with God’s truth, recognizing “that the responsibility to make choices in political life rests with each individual in light of a properly formed conscience” (Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, No. 7). To these theological reasons for nonpartisanship, we can add legal reasons: the IRS prohibits 501(c)(3) church organizations from engaging in political campaign activity, including supporting or opposing a political campaign, candidate or party. Ignoring this can jeopardize a church’s tax-exempt status.

With this in mind, here are some activities that Church leaders, including priests, should always avoid:

• Don’t endorse or oppose candidates, groups of candidates or political parties. In addition, avoid both words and actions that might be interpreted as endorsing or opposing candidates, groups of candidates or parties. Review with church employees their obligation not to speak (or appear to speak) in their professional capacity when expressing personal political views.

• Don’t make church facilities (or assets or members) available for political campaign events or for any partisan political purpose.

• Don’t distribute, or authorize others to distribute, partisan political materials. Also, be sure to avoid biased voter education materials which support or oppose — or exhibit bias toward or against — any candidate or party. These should not be distributed on church property, in church publications or at church activities. If you learn that someone has distributed unauthorized materials — for example, leaving unapproved flyers on cars parked in the parish lot — you may wish to announce that the materials were distributed without permission. The only materials permissible for distribution are those authorized by your diocese, by the state Catholic conference, or by the USCCB (cf. Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, No. 8).

• Don’t invite or allow only selected candidates to address your members. If you plan to hold a candidate forum, first check with the diocese to ensure that such events are permissible. If so, you must be sure to invite all candidates — not only those from one party or the other. In addition, be sure not to treat the candidates unequally. For example, it would not be acceptable to invite candidates from one party far in advance and those from the other party at the last minute. In addition, you should not disadvantage any candidate who is unable to attend. If you host a candidate forum for an election with two candidates, but only one is able to attend, the forum should either be canceled, or there should be an opportunity for the missing candidate’s representative to stand in.

Additional Guidance

Your diocesan attorney is an important resource and can provide legal expertise if you are in doubt about whether or not an activity you are considering is nonpartisan and permissible. Always consult with your diocesan attorney before hosting a political candidate for any reason. In addition, the USCCB Office of General Counsel provides detailed guidance about political activity. Many additional materials are included on the bishops’ webpage, FaithfulCitizenship.org, including a series of videos in five languages, a novena and resources for parish leaders.

At a time of intense polarization, clergy can also play an important role in helping Catholics see one another as members of one family and teaching skills for civil dialogue. At CivilizeIt.org, materials are available to help foster listening and dialogue — for example, an examination of conscience, a learning resource on skills for dialogue and videos about our Catholic response to polarization.

Election years have become increasingly difficult times in the life of our nation and Church. Nevertheless, it is critical that we are neither disillusioned nor enticed by angry political rhetoric or powerful, ideological interests because these years also present great opportunities. First, there is the opportunity to discover the true and noble nature of political participation. As Pope Francis notes, “Politics, though often denigrated, remains a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it seeks the common good” (Evangelii Gaudium, No. 205). Second, more intentional formation during election years will also lead to increased engagement outside these years. After all, participation in public life “goes well beyond casting a vote in a particular election” (Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, No. 7).

By taking up the call to form consciences and catechizing about the call to participate in political life, the Gospel will more fully penetrate every aspect of human life, and a civilization of love and truth can be established more completely.

FATHER DUSTIN DOUGHT serves as the executive director of the Secretariat of Divine Worship at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. JILL RAUH is executive director of the Secretariat of Justice and Peace at the USCCB.

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Making Moral Choices

Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship offers the following instructions in making moral judgment: “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 favors a policy promoting an intrinsically evil act, such as abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, deliberately subjecting workers or the poor to subhuman living conditions, redefining marriage in ways that violate its essential meaning, or racist behavior, 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” (No. 34).

“There may be times when a Catholic who rejects a candidate’s unacceptable position even on policies promoting an intrinsically evil act may reasonably 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” (No. 35).

It adds: “When all candidates hold a position that promotes an intrinsically evil act, 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” (No. 36).

“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 policies promoting 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” (No. 37).

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