Bishops appeal for preparation, prayer as Catholics get ready to vote

{xtypo_info} Click here to read the Bishop's Statement{/xtypo_info}

CHICAGO - The Catholic Bishops of Illinois, including Bishop George J. Lucas of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, have issued an appeal for political responsibility to help prepare Catholics for the upcoming election and further participation in the political process.  

Called Our Conscience and Our Vote, the statement was signed by all the bishops in the Province of Illinois and released through the Catholic Conference of Illinois on Sept. 22.

 "I ask every Catholic to read Our Conscience and Our Vote," said Bishop George J. Lucas in his weekly column appearing in this issue of Catholic Times.

"Our country needs the strong and consistent moral witness of Catholics to help shape a society based on the God-given rights that flow from our dignity as human persons," he said in the column.

In addition to the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, the Province of Illinois includes the Archdiocese of Chicago, and the dioceses of Belleville, Joliet, Peoria and Rockford. Also included among the signers were bishops from the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy and the Syro-Malabar Diocese of Chicago.

The statement is consistent with the themes embodied in Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, a document published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. However, "the bishops in Illinois wanted to issue a unique statement referencing some challenges specific to Illinois," said Catholic Conference director, Robert Gilligan.