Conscience, knowledge a Winning Team
From the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference
“As the executive director of the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, I know first-hand what an informed and active Catholic citizenry can mean to the advancement of important public policies. Catholics can have a tremendous effect on our culture simply by being registered voters who know the issues, know the candidates, and then vote based on a well-formed and well-informed conscience.”
— Dr. Robert J. O’Hara, Jr.
Executive Director, Pennsylvania Catholic Conference
In our commitment to follow Jesus Christ we must do more than just show up for Mass on Sunday morning, we must bear Christian witness in all we do – in our homes, in our work and recreation, in our interaction with the world around us, and in the public square.
“Any politics of human dignity must seriously address issues of racism, poverty, hunger, employment, education, housing, and health care. Therefore, Catholics should eagerly involve themselves as advocates for the weak and marginalized in all these areas. But being ‘right’ in such matters can never excuse a wrong choice regarding direct attacks on innocent human life. Indeed, the failure to protect and defend life in its most vulnerable stages renders suspect any claims to the ‘rightness’ of positions in other matters affecting the poorest and least powerful of the human community. If we understand the human person as the ‘temple of the Holy Spirit’ — the living house of God — then these latter issues fall logically into place as the crossbeams and walls of that house. All direct attacks on innocent human life, such as abortion and euthanasia, strike at the house’s foundation. These directly and immediately violate the human person’s most fundamental right – the right to life.”
– From Living the Gospel of Life, No. 22 with original emphasis (Pastoral Statement, U.S. Catholic Bishops, 1998)
The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference (PCC) neither supports nor opposes any candidate for public office. In an effort to educate voters, the PCC gave the statewide candidates the opportunity to make their positions known on key specific issues important to Catholics. The Catholic Conferences of various states within the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh in which Byzantine Catholic Churches operate have similar offerings to voters. Learn more about the positions of the candidates for President and U.S. Senate at the following Catholic Conference sites:
Catholic Conference of Kentucky
https://ccky.org/
Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops
www.louisianacatholicconference.org
Catholic Conference of Ohio
www.ohiocathconf.org
Pennsylvania Catholic Conference
www.pacatholic.org
Tennessee Catholic Public Policy Commission
www.tncppc.org
Texas Catholic Conference
www.txcatholic.org
Catholic Conference of West Virginia
www.catholicconferencewv.org
Catholic Conferences of all states which have them are listed in the National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors (NASCCD) web site directory at www.nasccd.org. Also see page 12 of the November 2016 issue of The BCW for the PCC’s general guidelines for political activities, or visit their web site www.pacatholic.org.