U.S. CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ VOTING GUIDELINES: FAITHFUL CITIZENSHIP AS A RESOURCE FOR POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT

Abstract

Beyond offering guidelines for voting, Faithful Citizenship represents an attempt by the U.S. Catholic bishops to articulate a theological vision of political engagement. One may examine the theological vision of Faithful Citizenship according to three textual viewpoints: what it says (content); theological understandings (problematics); and possibilities for conceptual development (implications). Addressing the dynamics of political engagement in contemporary society is a complex task. While this analysis maintains that Faithful Citizenship constitutes a useful conceptual resource insofar as signaling the basic theological terms of Catholic political engagement, there are areas of conceptual underdevelopment. Accordingly, the analysis suggests paths toward a deeper conceptual engagement with political philosophy, especially understandings of constitutional democracy.