Manchester, N.H., Dec 17, 2007 / 09:56 am
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester on Saturday began distributing voting guides to parishioners, the Nashua Telegraph reports. The guides recommend voters choose the candidate whose presidency would cause the least harm to human life.
The guide, a six-page pamphlet titled “Conscience and Your Vote,” does not endorse any candidate or party. Over 50,000 copies were distributed at weekend Masses.
“We've never had one before a primary vote," Bishop of Manchester John McCormack said of the guides. "The Church says that there are social issues in society that have moral dimensions, and that Catholics should form their consciences on those social issues and then vote for a candidate who supports those issues the best way possible."
The guide acknowledges that candidates rarely fully adhere to Catholic teaching on life issues like abortion, embryonic research, or the death penalty. Therefore, the guide says that Catholics must review whether "candidates support or tolerate policies that include intrinsically evil acts" and then "carefully assess the situation and decide which candidate will produce the least harm to innocent life, if elected."