There are several non-Church affiliated, political advocacy groups (such as CatholicVote, Priests for Life, Catholics United, My Faith Votes, League of Women Voters, etc.), which seek to mobilize and educate Catholic voters. These non-Church affiliated groups may endorse (or oppose) candidates for elective office, as well as provide candidates with direct financial support, which does not conform to the non-partisan nature of the Church and risks scrutiny of the Church’s tax-exempt status. Therefore, these groups are prohibited from distributing materials inside Diocese of St. Petersburg churches. The Diocese of St. Petersburg is not affiliated with these groups and is not responsible for the content of their materials.

As Catholics, we have a responsibility to engage in the political process. While the church must be nonpartisan because of requirements and laws that are in effect for tax-exempt organizations, individuals can be partisan, and they should be informed of the issues that are important to us as Catholics.

Fortunately, the Church provides resources to help individuals to learn about these issues that are of importance, both through the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) as well as through the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops (FCCB).

You can obtain election resources to learn more about the issues that are important to us so that you can prepare to go to the voting booth and to do your civic duty of voting.

Visit the following websites to obtain these resources:

United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship
Document | Website

Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops
Candidate Questionnaire Project

Diocese of St. Petersburg
dosp.org/faithful-citizenship-resources

How Do Catholics Prepare for the Election?

In this one minute video, Bishop Parkes speaks about how Catholics should prepare for the upcoming election.