On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics, a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.
Now that I’m back with the Church, are the powers that be going to tell me how I have to vote?
While some priests may desire to direct you that way, in my experience most do not. You may want to take a look at the guidance from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops titled Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. This document, available online, recently was updated and looks at Church teachings on a number of matters of concern to all voters.
I’d encourage you to spend some time with this thoughtful document, thinking about the issues we all face and of course incorporating prayer into our decision-making process.
