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

Authors

  • Thomas E. Drury Palm Beach Atlantic University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54561/prj1702213d

Keywords:

Faithful Citizenship, political engagement, Catholicism, theology, publicness

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.

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Published

2023-10-25

How to Cite

Drury, T. E. (2023). U.S. CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ VOTING GUIDELINES: FAITHFUL CITIZENSHIP AS A RESOURCE FOR POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT. Politics and Religion Journal, 17(2), 213–225. https://doi.org/10.54561/prj1702213d