Here is an editorial from Catholic Times similar to one that ran about this time four years ago - and about four years before that.
Our country is in the final phase of a presidential election. The conventions are over. The candidates have been chosen; the platforms have been written.
The decisions we make in the next few weeks will affect our country for the next four years and possibly for decades or even generations. The directions we take and the values we choose will define us as a people among the nations of the world and in the sight of God.
As citizens and voters, we have the right to make certain demands of our candidates.
First, we should insist that this campaign be conducted with honesty and civility. Honesty requires that candidates and those who speak for them be forthright about where they stand on important issues. Civility demands that campaigns be conducted without name-calling, derision or deliberately misleading statements. In this way, citizens will be able to judge who is qualified to be the president of the United States and who most closely mirrors our position on issues of life, war and peace, and the economy.
We, as voters, also have responsibilities. Our faith teaches that citizens must be involved in the civic process. For most of us that means informing ourselves about the issues, examining the candidates and their platforms in a fair and straightforward manner, and voting according to the dictates of our well-formed consciences.
As Catholics, we cannot separate being Americans and being disciples of Christ. As we make our decisions about this election, we try to apply what we have learned from God's natural law and the age-old traditions of our church to the needs of our beloved country. We call this "faithful citizenship."
What the Catholic bishops of the United States have done is to provide us with tools to help us decide how to be faithful citizens within the context of our Catholic faith. On their Web site, www.faithfulcitizenship.org , you can read the guide they have given us on Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. You can learn how to participate in a novena asking God to help guide our decisions. You can even sign up for a "Faithful Citizenship" e-mail list.
For Catholics, being faithful citizens is not an option. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we are told: "It is necessary that all participate, each according to his position and role, in promoting the common good. This obligation is inherent in the dignity of the human person. ... As far as possible citizens should take an active part in public life." (1913-1915).
Election day will be here in only six weeks. As citizens, as followers of Christ, we must be informed and prepared to cast our votes for the good of our country.