In the Catholic tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue and participating in the political process is a moral obligation, a U.S. Bishops' official told more than 200 archdiocesan clergy and laity July 2.

Addressing representatives from 65 parishes attending morning and evening workshops offered at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Conference Center and at Blessed Sacrament Church in Hollywood, Joan Rosenhauer, associate director for USCCB's department of Justice, Peace and Human Development, spoke on the U.S. bishops' November 2007 document, "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility."

Developed over a period of two years in consultation with the membership of USCCB committees on domestic policy, international policy, pro-life activities, communications, doctrine, education and migration, the document received overwhelming support by the bishops, who voted in its favor 221-4, noted Rosenhauer.

The roots of the teaching on faithful citizenship can be found in the Eucharist, said Rosenhauer. "Christ called us to love all of our neighbors. That is the call of the Eucharist," she declared. "At the heart of who we are and what our mission is as a Catholic community is reaching out in society to the people in greatest need --- loving our neighbors and trying to shape a society that is more compassionate to, more charitable to, and more respectful of all people and all human life."

According to Rosenhauer, the bishops' decades-old teaching on faithful citizenship is neither new, politically partisan, focused only on elections, nor "an attempt by the church to create a United Catholic States of America."

What it is, she emphasized, is an affirmation of Catholic social teaching following seven themes: life and dignity of the human person; call to family, community, and participation; rights and responsibilities; option for the poor and vulnerable; dignity of work and the rights of workers; solidarity; and care for God's creation.

"Faithful citizenship is about sharing the basic themes of Catholic social teaching, and it also includes the important message of avoiding evil and doing good," said Rosenhauer. Intrinsically evil actions, such as abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, embryonic stem cell research, genocide, torture, racism and the targeting of noncombatants in acts of terror or war, must never be supported or condoned.

In a faithful citizenship handout cited by Rosenhauer on making moral choices in the voting booth, the bishops state the importance of a well-formed conscience able to perceive "the proper relationship among moral goods," adding that, "A Catholic cannot vote for a candidate who takes a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, such as abortion or racism, if the voter's intent is to support that position. In such cases a Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in grave evil."

"At the same time," state the bishops, "a voter should not use a candidate's opposition to an intrinsic evil to justify indifference or inattentiveness to other important moral issues involving human life and dignity…. In the end, [voting decisions are] to be made by each Catholic guided by a conscience formed by Catholic moral teaching."

Rosenhauer added that having a well-formed conscience means Catholics have a responsibility to understand why church leaders take particular positions on issues, including controversial subjects such euthanasia and immigration. She urged workshop participants to share information on faithful citizenship with their parishes, using downloadable materials available at www.faithfulcitizenship.org.

Following Rosenhauer's talk, Steve Pehanich, senior director of advocacy and education at the California Catholic Conference, gave an update of CCC's California Legislative Network, a joint project of the state's 12 dioceses launched on the Internet early this year at www.cacatholic.org.

"The bishops are teaching it's a moral and ethical obligation to be involved in politics," said Pehanich. "The California Legislative Network is a tool to gather information and make important decisions."