Conscience, Catholicism and voting focus of talk

Timothy Mullner is coming to the Albany Diocese to speak on a election-year document by the U.S. bishops, but he doesn't intend his talk to be all about the upcoming presidential elections.

Instead, it will be "an evening of reflection and catechesis," he told The Evangelist, urging attendees to "let the Church's teachings resound in you, so you can become better informed" about crucial issues.

Mr. Mullner's talk will focus on "the challenge and opportunity of 'Faithful Citizenship,'" referring to "Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility" by the Administrative Board of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. (The document has been printed in installments in The Evangelist; read it at www.usccb.org.)

Social teaching

The agenda for the talk stems from Mr. Mullner's work as a national catechetical consultant for Benziger, the oldest Catholic publisher in the U.S. Each week, he travels to a different diocese in the country to speak on aspects of religious education.

In his Sept. 29 talk at St. Pius X Church in Loudonville, he plans to highlight principles of Catholic social teaching that can help Catholics in voting.

"It can't be just about voting for what I want," he explained. The Declaration of Independence "guarantees me the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness, but how do I share that with others? I'm going to talk about the rights we have as Americans and our responsibilities as Catholics to care for the body of Christ and the earth."

Moral frame

"Faithful Citizenship" mentions that the Church provides Catholics with a moral framework, everyday experience with serving the needy and a diverse community.

Mr. Mullner told The Evangelist that while the first and third concepts "get the most press," Catholics must also use a moral compass in their everyday lives. That isn't just about voting, he added; putting Church teachings to work daily can be as simple as buying fair-trade coffee.

Doing so is "promoting a right relationship [between] the producer and the consumer. That's our mandate as Catholics -- to take care of each other. The reign of God can be translated as 'right relationships.' When we're in good relationships, we get a glimpse of what God's reign is all about."

Conscience

"Faithful Citizenship" is not the bishops' attempt to tell Catholics which political candidate to choose, Mr. Mullner continued. Rather, he called the document a "seamless garment" that teaches about responsibility in election time and beyond.

"It demands the development of a conscience in the Catholic context," he said.

In addition to his talk at St. Pius, Mr. Mullner will give a full-day program for religious educators and youth ministers on Sept. 30. He hopes to show them how to build "Faithful Citizenship" into parish catechetical programs.

"I'm going to be a catechist," he said of his visit to the Diocese. "I'm going to echo the faith, so that we can inform ourselves about issues."

("The Challenge and Opportunity of Faithful Citizenship" will be held Sept. 29, 7-9 p.m., at St. Pius X parish in Loudonville. There will be a free-will offering to benefit SALT, a social-justice immersion program for youth in the Albany Diocese. To learn more, see the ad in The Evangelist or call 462-1336.)

(9/23/04)