It
is our duty as Catholics to
vote to support pro-life and
pro-family values. As Catholics,
we become good citizens of our
nation if we are good citizens
of the kingdom of God. We ought
to live by the gospel of Jesus
Christ, in all areas of our
lives, and during these times,
even particularly in the political
area.
The
Church has already clearly provided
the guidelines. We in CFC-FFL
are saying the same things to
our members. We are for life,
and abortion is a great evil
that can never be accepted or
compromised with.
May
the Holy Spirit form all our
consciences, and give us the
mind of Christ and the heart
of Mary. God bless.
frank
New
York Bishops Encourage Catholic
Voters: "View Politics
through the Lens of Faith"
By
Kathleen Gilbert
ALBANY,
New York, October 2, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com)
- The bishops of New York State
have issued a document calling
upon Catholics
to "exercise our cherished
right and our solemn duty as
Americans and as Catholics"
to vote to support pro-life
and pro-family values.
"We
Catholics are called to look
at politics as we are called
to look at everything - through
the lens of our faith,"
wrote the bishops on Wednesday.
"We should be guided in
evaluating the important issues
facing our state and nation
by the Gospel of Jesus Christ
and the teachings of His Church."
The
bishops highlighted the Catholic
obligation to form one's conscience,
in order that Catholics may
better discern which issues
carry a greater moral weight.
The most important of these
issues, write the bishops, is
"the
inalienable right to life of
every innocent human person,"
which "outweighs other
concerns where Catholics may
use prudential judgment."
"The
right to life is the right through
which all others flow. To the
extent candidates reject this
fundamental right by supporting
an objective evil, such as legal
abortion, euthanasia or embryonic
stem cell research, Catholics
should consider them less acceptable
for public office."
The
New York bishops also encouraged
Catholics to familiarize themselves
with the positions of congressional
candidates. "Our state
is facing many critical issues
which are of vital concern to
faithful Catholics," they
advised, "and it is absolutely
necessary for good citizens
to pay attention to these races
and to vote accordingly for
the better candidates."
The
bishops' statement also included
a list of "important questions
for political candidates"
to help Catholics establish
candidates' positions on key
issues.
Among
New York Catholics, the most
recent Siena Research Institute
presidential poll shows Sen.
McCain leading Sen. Obama, with
McCain at 47% and Obama at 40%,
reports TimesUnion.com.
Among
all New Yorkers, Obama leads
McCain, though the margin has
been shrinking since June. Obama
now leads 46% to 41%, just above
the 3.9% margin of error.
To
view the New York bishops' full
statement, go to:
"For
to me life is Christ, and death
is gain." (Phil 1:21)