FINDLAY, OH (Toledo News Now) - The Catholic Church has released so-called guidelines on certain hot button issues to remind those who practice that they have a moral obligation to vote.
"The Bishops want people to be aware as voters, that they need to vote their conscience," said Tom McDonald with the Diocese of Toledo.
Every four years, Catholic bishops from the United States release "Faithful Citizenship" or social teachings of the Catholic Church that represent the stance of the church on social issues.
"Not just the Catholic church, but a number of faith traditions have an obligation to bring their values and the values of the Gospel to bear upon the issues of the day, to bear upon critical issues of importance to people," said McDonald.
The four main issues the church touched upon in Findlay Thursday night were economy, healthcare, the environment and abortion. Issues where the guidelines could help torn voters.??
"There are guidelines that the church has set out, at least the Catholic Church about those issues and is calling on their membership to seriously consider the position of the church on those issues," said McDonald.
So what about the "Separation of Church and State"?
"No faith traditions, Catholic or else should really be mandating that their membership be voting for a particular candidate or for a particular issue. But rather, we maintain our separation by saying, 'We're just bringing our moral values to bear on the issues and you the voter are, you have to decide as a person of conscience what your decision is going to be in the voting booth ultimately," said McDonald.
A similar seminar to the one held in Findlay will take place in Toledo on October 8 at St. Francis de Sales High School.??
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