Keeping the “Forming Consciences” in
“Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship”

By Brother Steve Herro, O. Praem.

“We’re teachers.  We’re best when we encourage, educate, and exhort.  [Parishioners don’t want their bishop] to tell them how to vote, and woe to us if we did.”  Most Reverend Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of Milwaukee, Sept. 23, 2006,Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

In 2006, my home state of Wisconsin was in the midst of a heated off term election as citizens weighed in on two controversial issues: an advisory referendum as to whether the state should re-institute the death penalty and a vote to amend the state constitution to include an amendment that stated that a marriage was a union between one man and one woman.  The Wisconsin Catholic Conference weighed in heavily on both issues, in opposition to the death penalty and in support of the marriage amendment.  Though I have been a political junkie my entire life and truly relish public policy advocacy, I was never so happy to see an election pass as I was in November 2006.  The Church in Wisconsin was very divided on both of these issues.

Fast forward to January 2008.  I was addressing one of the local branches of the Knights of Columbus, their spouses, and invited clergy at the annual “Clergy Night.”  The organizer and I agreed that my presentation would attempt to connect the premises of “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” with the mission of the Knights of Columbus.  After thanking the Knights for their support of the Church’s pro-life position, vocations, and comprehensive immigration reform, I reminded those gathered that “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” is a lens for all of us to use for the next four years when discerning our position on public policy at the local, state, and national level and that our Bishops asked us in the document not to apply other election guides in our churches. 

After my prepared comments, I asked “Are there any comments or questions?” Bill raised his hand and stated, “I have about 16 pages of comments and questions!  Now, do we agree that the primary function of the bishops is to teach the flock?  If so, why can’t they just tell us of whom to vote?”

I reminded the audience of the document’s seventh paragraph, “In this statement, we bishops do not intend to tell Catholics for whom or against whom to vote.  Our purpose is to help Catholics form their consciences in accordance with God’s truth.  We recognize that the responsibility to make choices in political life rests with each individual in light of a properly formed conscience….”  When I replied that the primacy of conscience formation wasn’t some “new fad” hatched in the last few months but a  premise of  Vatican II (see especially “Declaration on Religious Freedom,” #3), Bill replied, “Now that is another thing that is wrong with the Church!....”

After reading “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” I am particularly struck by #17-39.  What is our role as parish social ministry leaders in helping persons form their consciences?  We are called to promote the study of the sources of our own religious tradition, pray, and examine objective research when forming our consciences and helping others to form theirs.  Conscience formation is hard work, but I hope that we are all willing to invest the necessary spiritual and physical energy and time to this necessary cause.

What are the sources in our own religious tradition?  We have sacred scripture, Catholic social teaching as articulated by papal encyclicals and our Bishops’ writings, the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  I hope that each of us has these necessary tools on our bookshelves in our offices.

Do we pray for wisdom for our voters and lawmakers, that their hearts and minds will be open to selecting the most prudent path guided by a well formed conscience?  Do we pray with others when we come together to study our own sources of tradition and objective research on social issues?

Do we study objective research when gathering data to help form our consciences for public policy decision making?  We must invest the necessary time to read, view, and question valid sources such as Catholic Campaign for Human Development’s materials on the state of poverty in the U.S.A. (povertyusa.org), United States Census figures, and international data assembled by sources such as the United Nations.  Do we study candidates’ positions as they articulate them in interviews and debates?

Let’s keep the first FC (Forming Consciences) in FCFC (Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship).  One practical suggestion is to always refer to the document by its entire title and not the handier and shorter “Faithful Citizenship”.