US Catholic bishops' president urges faith over politics in elections

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, has issued a statement ahead of the November midterm elections urging Catholics to prioritize faith over partisan politics.

Coakley emphasized that participating in public life and voting is both a right and a responsibility in a representative democracy. He cautioned against political discouragement, stating that “discouragement is not a Christian virtue,” and called for support of free and fair elections.

The Archbishop encouraged the faithful to judge candidates based on their actions and their promotion of the common good rather than mere promises. He also advised against the tendency to avoid criticizing one's own party for fear of strengthening opponents, noting that a “well-formed conscience does not operate on those terms.”