Michigan Catholics for Biden - Harris
Dear Most Rev. Catholic Bishops of Michigan,
We write to you as concerned Catholics across the State of Michigan regarding our Church’s communications with Michigan Catholics during the remaining weeks leading up to the November general election. We urge you to ensure that all Church spokespersons strictly refrain from public partisan-political statements, whether direct or indirect.
As lay people from parishes across the State, we are keenly aware of our moral responsibility to participate actively in this election. In the US Conference of Catholic Bishops document, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (Sections 13 and 16), the bishops remind us that, ultimately, the Catholic laity bears “the direct duty” for promoting justice in the political realm.
We are Catholics who love our faith and fear that any partisan political activity by any Church officials will harm the Church itself. Recently, and over the past several decades, official Catholic spokespersons (communication directors, priests, and at times bishops) have advocated for a particular political party -- or have condemned specific candidates (usually Democrats) -- encouraging or even requiring allegiance to specific parties and selectively quoting sections of Faithful Citizenship to back up their individual viewpoints. Not only is this in direct violation of the principles outlined in Faithful Citizenship (Sections 7,15, and 58), but contrary to numerous and recent Vatican directives.
We urge you, our Michigan Catholic Bishops, to foster unity in our Church by publicly encouraging Catholics in your Dioceses to prayerfully follow their informed conscience when participating in the political process, reminding us of Catholic Social Teaching’s call to respect life at all stages, to promote the Common Good and to support solidarity and subsidiarity with a preference for poor and marginalized people of all faiths. The message of faith, hope, love and charity must be communicated so we can together stand ready as Catholics to act on our values and beliefs in the public square.
Your sisters and brothers in Christ, respectfully,