Fr. Frank Pavone: Faithful Citizenship
Fr. Frank Pavone National Director, Priests for Life The bishops were particularly pleased with their efforts when they voted to approve their document on Faithful Citizenship on November 14. The bishops voted electronically, and then the conference President called for the results to be shown on the large screen. The yes and no votes were tabulated and displayed as two bars. The vote was almost unanimous. Only four bishops voted against the document. The applause that then ensued was sustained, and was just as much for the process by which this document had come about as it was for the substance of it. Over the last three decades, the "Faithful Citizenship" documents, issued every four years just before a presidential election year, have been the topic of controversy and division. Those in the Church whose work is specifically to end abortion and euthanasia, which the Church has identified as "preeminent issues," have often felt that the documents have been confusi...