Faith in the Public Arena

When the bishops of Minnesota host Catholics at the Capitol on March 9, an important component of the day will be the praying of rosaries in the Capitol rotunda.

Political activism is important, but it can only be authentic if it is rooted in Christ

This year, the bishops of Minnesota are hosting an exciting event in St. Paul on March 9 called Catholics at the Capitol.

What are the primary responsibilities of lawmakers? And what guiding lights can politicians look toward to know with confidence that they are following a prudent course?

The debate over immigration policy is inevitably heating up as we prepare for Donald Trump’s inauguration as president. Undoubtedly, an early priority of his presidency will be to increase border security and re-examine President Obama’s immigration enforcement policies.

Over the past several months, many faithful Catholics have expressed deep dissatisfaction with this year’s presidential election, and understandably so: Neither major party candidate seems personally guided by a consistent ethic of life, and there are deep, concerning questions about the character of both.

During election season, we hear a great deal about “following our consciences” and the need for conscience formation. The U.S. bishops offer their guide to faithful citizenship so that the principles of Catholic social teaching might inform our election day decisions, and a number of organizations similarly put out a range of voting guides.

The level of distaste for both major parties’ presidential candidates is at an historic high. In the midst of this discontent, the traces of two distorted approaches to voting have become clear.