Oct 26, 2004 / 22:00 pm
The Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire, has issued a teaching guide for voters that says abortion, the destruction of human embryos for research and assisted suicide are wrong, and marriage must be protected as a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman, reported The Associated Press.
The guide also says Catholics must support the education and protection of children, the dignity of work and the rights of workers. They must ensure the basic needs of all people are met, including health care, housing, food and clothing.
More than 40,000 copies of "Faithful Citizenship: Serving the Common Good" will be being distributed in parishes this weekend. The document is also posted on the diocese’s Web site.
"My role is ... not to tell anyone to vote for any particular candidate," said Bishop John B. McCormack in a statement Monday.
In fact, the document states that "no candidate seems to stand for everything that a faithful citizen believes to be true and good."
Yet Catholics have a moral responsibility to make well-informed decisions that "mirror our desire to be faithful Roman Catholics and good citizens," the bishop said.