• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Catholic Review

Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Menu
  • Home
  • News
        • Local News
        • World News
        • Vatican News
        • Obituaries
        • Featured Video
        • En Español
        • Sports News
        • Official Clergy Assignments
        • Schools News
  • Commentary
        • Contributors
          • Question Corner
          • George Weigel
          • Elizabeth Scalia
          • Michael R. Heinlein
          • Effie Caldarola
          • Guest Commentary
        • CR Columnists
          • Archbishop William E. Lori
          • Rita Buettner
          • Christopher Gunty
          • George Matysek Jr.
          • Mark Viviano
          • Father Joseph Breighner
          • Father Collin Poston
          • Robyn Barberry
          • Hanael Bianchi
          • Amen Columns
  • Entertainment
        • Events
        • Movie & Television Reviews
        • Arts & Culture
        • Books
        • Recipes
  • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Our History
        • Meet Our Staff
        • Photos to own
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • CR Media platforms
        • Electronic Edition
  • Advertising
  • Shop
        • Purchase Photos
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • Magazine Subscriptions
        • Archdiocesan Directory
  • CR Radio
        • CR Radio
        • Protagonistas de Fe
  • News Tips
  • Subscribe
Gloria Purvis of America Media moderates the conversation during "Civilize It: Unifying a Divided Church," a virtual event sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops May 14, 2024. Participants include Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of San Diego, top right; Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, bottom left; and Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minn., bottom right. (OSV News screenshot/USCCB)

Voting involves acts of citizenship, faith and discernment, ‘Civilize it’ panelists say

May 16, 2024
By Kate Scanlon
OSV News
Filed Under: 2024 Election, Feature, News, World News

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Voting is an act of conscience and should be discerned as such, panelists said at a May 14 webinar organized by the U.S. bishops’ conference and other Catholic groups.

Although neither the church nor its officials endorse particular candidates for public office, the bishops’ teaching document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” is meant to advise Catholic voters on how to apply church teaching to the decisions they make in the ballot box.

The panel discussion was moderated by Gloria Purvis, Catholic speaker and host of “The Gloria Purvis Podcast” from America Media, with speakers Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of San Diego, Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minn., and Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas. Participants acknowledged tension between Catholic priorities and the current structure of the two-party system in the U.S. in which neither candidate nor party fully lines up with church teaching.

For example, Joe Biden, who is the nation’s second Catholic president, has called for increased access to abortion, while Donald Trump has taken hard-line positions on immigration and backs expanding the use of capital punishment, which the church teaches is morally impermissible in the modern world.

Cardinal McElroy said, “I think it’s important for all of us to understand Catholic social teaching bisects our current party structure.”

“And so for every, every believing Catholic voting is an act of conscience, and an act of citizenship and an act of faith,” Cardinal McElroy said. “But it’s one that we should not be going to with a sense of victory but a sense of always understanding that in our voting, we are conflicted. … We vote because we know that no one encapsulates even the bulk of what the church calls us to be and do and work in our society.”

Bishop Flores said, “I think our first responsibility is to kind of always be engaged in the political process, and not just … in an election time.”

“Sometimes it even happens that the party we wanted to win wins and then we kind of let it go because well, they’re in charge now,” he continued. “So we will win, but we don’t admit the fact that no party, as Cardinal said, is going to completely hold on to the convictions that we hold as Catholics, and that we need to even resist the party we are in favor of when they are promoting something that we know in conscience we cannot support; and sometimes we don’t do that because we kind of want to give them a free pass.”

Catholics, he said, are called to “promote the good,” including when their own party falls short of that call.

Citing St. Thomas Aquinas, Bishop Barron said that “love means to will the good of the other,” but too often in a polarized society “we become tribalistic.”

“We forget that (quote),” he said. “And now it becomes simply a matter of winning an argument or, you know, waving the flag of my tribe as opposed to all of us together endeavoring to learn the truth.”

The webinar was part of the U.S. Catholic bishops’ “Civilize It” initiative, which seeks to foster “a better kind of politics, one truly at the service of the common good,” a nod to Pope Francis’ encyclical on human fraternity, “Fratelli Tutti.” The webinar was co-sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Charities USA, Glenmary Home Missioners and the Jesuit Conference.

Read More 2024 Election

Faithful and furry: People and pets await next pope

Trump signs executive order directing government to only recognize two biological sexes

‘We go to cry with them,’ says nun as migrants lament Trump immigration orders

Trump’s birthright citizenship order challenged in lawsuit

Trump’s Day 1 includes executive orders on birthright citizenship, climate

Wisdom, strength, humility focus of Inauguration Day prayers for President Trump

Copyright © 2024 OSV News

Print Print

Primary Sidebar

Kate Scanlon

Click here to view all posts from this author

For the latest news delivered twice a week via email or text message, sign up to receive our free enewsletter.

| MOST POPULAR |

  • Pope Leo to return to practice of ‘imposing’ pallium on new archbishops

  • Archbishop Lori announces appointments, including pastor and associate pastor assignments

  • Pope’s brother says even as a baby, future pontiff had a spiritual ‘air’ about him

  • Diversity is cause for strength, not division, pope tells Rome clergy

  • Prodigal son to priest

| Latest Local News |

Prodigal son to priest

Radio Interview: Books and Authors: Inspiring Trailblazers

Future priest from Congo has a heart of service

Sister Joan Minella, former principal and pastoral life director, dies

Archbishop Lori offers encouragement to charitable agencies affected by federal cuts

| Latest World News |

High court sends Catholic groups’ challenge to N.Y. abortion-coverage mandate back to state courts

Religious Liberty Commission examines imperiled Native American sacred site, mandatory reporter law

As ‘new nightmare’ unfolds between Israel and Iran, ‘never-ending tragedy’ in Gaza continues

Pope asks Italian bishops to proclaim the Gospel, teach peace

Pope Leo XIV will escape Rome’s heat in July by going to papal villa

| Catholic Review Radio |

CatholicReview · Catholic Review Radio

Footer

Our Vision

Real Life. Real Faith. 

Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond.

Our Mission

Catholic Review Media provides intergenerational communications that inform, teach, inspire and engage Catholics and all of good will in the mission of Christ through diverse forms of media.

Contact

Catholic Review
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-3150
mail@CatholicReview.org

 

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent

  • High court sends Catholic groups’ challenge to N.Y. abortion-coverage mandate back to state courts
  • Religious Liberty Commission examines imperiled Native American sacred site, mandatory reporter law
  • As ‘new nightmare’ unfolds between Israel and Iran, ‘never-ending tragedy’ in Gaza continues
  • Thank you to a one-of-a-kind teacher
  • Pope asks Italian bishops to proclaim the Gospel, teach peace
  • Pope Leo XIV will escape Rome’s heat in July by going to papal villa
  • Almost half of U.S. adults have Catholic connection, but Mass makes significant difference in Catholic identity
  • Prodigal son to priest
  • U.S. bishop calls for ardent prayer, diplomacy as Israel-Iran strikes continue

Search

Membership

Catholic Media Assocation

Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association

The Associated Church Press

© 2025 CATHOLIC REVIEW MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED