Catholics tune out bishops’ voting guides
Every four years, the U.S. Catholic bishops publish a detailed
statement about how Catholics should think about key political issues in
light of church teachings. And every election cycle, activists on both
sides of the Catholic political spectrum argue passionately about what
the statement really means, whether it supports their position and why
it needs to be overhauled if it doesn't.
But what if nobody
actually reads it? A new poll of U.S. Catholics shows that just 16
percent have ever heard of the bishops' document, "Forming Consciences
for Faithful Citizenship," and just 3 percent say they have read it.
Most
worrisome for the bishops may be that three-quarters of those who were
even aware of "Faithful Citizenship" say the document had "no influence
at all" on the way they voted in 2008; 71 percent said it would have
made no difference even if they had known about it.
