From: Amy B Hill
To: Dr. Kopp
Cc: advocate
Sent: Friday, November 2, 2012 3:34 PM
Subject: RE: PCC Election Resources
Dear Dr. Kopp,
Thank you for taking the time to write in about our election related materials. Let me start by saying that the “Know the Positions of the Presidential Candidates” document is but one tool that a faithful Catholic can use to help form his/her conscious in preparation for the election and is not a substitute for an individual's own research and study. The USCCB, bishops, dioceses and PCC produce materials throughout the year that focus on various issues.
In fact, just yesterday the Bishops of PA released a statement in advance of the election, which you can read here. If we all –including the laity - work together to fulfill our calling to educate and catechize, then I think Catholics will understand the difference in the moral weight of various issues. All this is to say that this one document is not a panacea that will convince Catholics to give the moral weight to the issues of intrinsic evil - this must be a combined effort that goes on throughout the year.
The reason for not highlighting one issue over another is twofold: respect for free will and the prohibitions that attend our tax status.
The tradition of the bishops not to tell people for whom to vote or to endorse candidates, can be found in the Catechism, “Every human person, created in the image of God, has the natural right to be recognized as a free and responsible being. All owe to each other this duty of respect” (Catechism, no 1738). It is not our role to be partisan or tell individuals for whom to vote, but rather to assist Catholics with properly forming their consciences in light of the values of the Gospel and fundamental teachings of the Church. It’s the duty of the lay faithful, through study and prayer, to reach just conclusions in the voting booth and beyond.
To get to the second part of the reasoning, giving weight to one issue would result in an endorsement of the candidate that agrees with the church. As an Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) §501(c)(3) organization, the Church is prohibited by law from participating or intervening in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. There is no specified safe harbor of permissible intervention; the statutory ban is absolute.
PCC is therefore forbidden to use the medium of its voter education materials to guide the electoral choices of voters by emphasizing the importance of a candidate’s views on one issue over another. Instead, we seek to serve Catholics by researching, surveying and interviewing candidates on issues of importance in an effort to help Catholics inform their consciences before entering the voting booth.
I understand that you disagree, and please be assured that I will share your critique with staff. Thank you again for taking the time to write and don’t forget to vote on Tuesday!
Sincerely,
Amy Hill
A. B. Hill, APR
Director of Communications
PENNSYLVANIA CATHOLIC CONFERENCE
223 North Street
PO Box 2835
Harrisburg, PA 17105
PH. 717-238-9613 - FAX 717-238-1473
From: Brian
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 3:45 PM
Cc: advocate
Subject: Re: PCC Election Resources
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2012 3:45 PM
Cc: advocate
Subject: Re: PCC Election Resources
Dear PCC,
Your Presidential voters guide is woefully inadequate. To put out an "alphabetical" listing implies all these issues are morally equivalent and that none of them are inherently evil.
This may simply be an oversight on your part but from the perspective of those fighting the good fight for the Faith and the Right to Life, this looks more like deliberate obfuscation and malfeasance on your part.
This is extremely troubling given the importance of this election cycle and I and many others have made our displeasure known to the PA Catholic bishops.
Regards,
Dr. Brian Kopp
Johnstown, PA
On Oct 23, 2012, at 9:27 AM, "Pennsylvania Catholic Conference" <advocate@pacatholic.org> wrote:
Voting and civic engagement are moral responsibilities. As a service to help Catholics inform their consciences before entering the voting booth, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference staff researched, surveyed and interviewed candidates about their positions on key Catholic issues. The PCC materials have information about the views of the candidates for state attorney general, auditor general and treasurer, the two U.S. Senate candidates, and the presidential candidates. All materials are available in one place here.
Please feel free to download, post, tweet, photocopy, and share these tools with friends, family and fellow Catholics.
- Know the Positions of PA’s Statewide Candidates (and in Spanish)
- Statewide Candidates Complete Questionnaire
- Interview with US Senate Candidate Tom Smith
- Interview with US Senate Candidate Senator Bob Casey, Jr.
- Know the Positions of PA’s United States Senate Candidates (and in Spanish)
- Know the Positions of the Presidential Candidates (and in Spanish)
The Church neither endorses nor opposes candidates for public office. The materials we developed as an agency of the Church are for informational purposes only. The documents are tools to help Catholics prepare for the election and not a substitute for individual research and study.
Catholics are asked to prayerfully reflect on what they learn about candidates in light of our faith. The PCC’s resources, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States document, the Catechism and the Bible are all sources to be consulted.
Election Day is November 6. Mark your calendar then pray, inform your conscience and VOTE!You have received this message because you have subscribed to a mailing list of Pennsylvania Catholic Conference. If you do not wish to receive periodic emails from this source, please click below to unsubscribe.Find us on 
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