The following is part seven of a seven-part series summarizing Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States, a document originally issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in 2015. Part six addressed discrimination, environmental stewardship, media, and global solidarity. This article, part seven, looks at the USCCB's 10 policy goals.
As Catholics, our goal in the realm of politics is to protect the dignity of human life. The following 10 policy goals reflect Catholic moral and ethical principles and affirm our obligation to seek the common good. Though not all issues are equal, the following 10 goals can help voters and candidates “act on ethical principles rather than particular interests and partisan allegiances” (92).
1. Protect the weakest among us, innocent unborn children and provide pregnant women in crisis the support they need to choose life.
2. Keep our nation from turning to violence in other ways such as through euthanasia, the destruction of human embryos, the use of the death penalty, and imprudent war.
3. Support the family by protecting marriage as between one man and one woman. We also need to promote the complementarity of the sexes and defend against "gender" ideology.
4. Address comprehensive immigration reform that offers a path to citizenship and treats immigrants with integrity.
5. Help families and children overcome poverty, in our nation and throughout the world.
6. Support health care that respects human life and religious freedom.
7. Reject prejudice, hostility toward immigrants, religious bigotry, and other forms of unjust discrimination.
8. Encourage global efforts to help overcome poverty, pursue the common good, and care for creation.
9. Have moral limits on the use of military force, and also to seek to end persecution of Christians and other religious minorities around the world.
10. Join others around the world to pursue peace, protect human rights and religious liberty, and to advocate for economic justice and care for creation.
We encourage you to read the USCCB's teaching document Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship in its entirety.
