Priests for Life - Political Responsibility
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POLITICAL RESPONSIBILITY CENTER
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Welcome to our Election Action Center

"Priests for Life has the most effective political impact of any Catholic apostolate in our country."
– Dr. Deal Hudson

Listen to the replay of our January 25 "Vote Pro-Life" Teleseminar

Stay informed on the health care debate in our Country

Join our Vote Pro-Life Cause on Facebook

Priests for Life Forming Political Responsibility Teams for 2010 and 2012

A message from Fr. Frank Pavone

Dear Friends,

Fr. Frank Pavone, M.E.V.Priests for Life – and I personally – am so grateful for your commitment to advancing the Culture of Life in the voting booth!

The problems we currently are dealing with in the health care reform debate ultimately stem from the elections of 2008, and the solution to these problems is in the elections of 2010 and 2012.

It’s as simple as that, and it’s time to get working, right now, on fostering the voter education and mobilization that need to be done.

Priests for Life is therefore creating teams of people in cities across America. These teams will help to educate people about the political process and the issues, activate Churches, register voters, inform citizens of the positions of the candidates, foster early voting, and help get people to the polls.

All of this will be done in ways consistent with what Churches and tax-exempt organizations can do under the law.

We need your help, and we need you to sign up now! Please fill in the form below and we will communicate with you in more detail about the important opportunities that the coming elections bring us!

With thanks and prayers,



Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director

Please Join our “Pray to End Abortion” Cause on Facebook!



What can I do??

1. Help to register more voters -- Find out the many possible ways how, either through your Church or as a private citizen! Now is the time to register new voters!  

2. Obtain from us the presentations that were given at the 2003 legal symposium we co-sponsored at the Ave Maria Law School on the topic The Church and Politics: Are We as Restricted as We Think? Click here for written presentations and for the ability to listen to the seminar. Share these resources with your pastor or organization leader. You can order the booklet at our online store.

3. Letters to the Editor -- Be sure to get hard-hitting letters into your local daily papers about candidates and issues! You can influence many people! See instructions and sample letters at www.priestsforlife.org/letters

4. Encourage your pastor to use the resources available below for preaching, bulletin inserts, and educational booklets for the Church bookrack or library.

5. Organize small groups to study the US Bishops' document Living the Gospel of Life. Our study guide on this document can be used individually online, or by groups in your Church, organization, or home. 

6. Use the Internet to spread the word about issues, candidates, and political responsibility! Use our banner ads on your website. Go into chat rooms, discussion forums, bulletin boards, etc. to raise awareness about the elections. Make links from your website to ours and to other political sites. Make your own website to help people take part in the elections or to spread information about the candidate of your choice.

7. Use your email list to broadcast helpful election information, such as the material on this site.

8. You may be needed in your community to help distribute voter guides on the weekend prior to the election. An election can be decided based on how many voter guides are given out! If you can help in this effort, fill in the form above and indicate the kind of help you can provide or check with your local or state respect life organizations to see what is planned. And please note that you DO have the right to distribute these fliers in Church parking lots. See this legal letter for information. Moreover, if you are thrown out of the parking lot, you can always move onto the public sidewalk or other public property adjoining the Church, and you should strongly insist on your right to remain there.

9. Make use of early voting, which in many states, can be done without needing a special reason -- you can vote before Election Day, thus decreasing the chances that something unexpected will prevent you from getting to the polls. Promote this idea to others. Also make sure that those who will be out of town on Election Day, or who are homebound, request and send in an absentee ballot.

10. When Election Day approaches, you can increase the number of votes for the right candidates by calling your friends and urging them to go to the polls. On Election Day, take the day off from work and help people get to the polls if they need a ride or someone to watch their children, or some other form of assistance.

11. Contact your local Board of Elections and ask about poll-watching, which is an activity you can take part in whereby citizens are present at the polling places on Election Day to make sure that the elections are conducted fairly and efficiently, and to be on the alert for abuses.

12. Support the candidate of your choice by making a financial contribution and/or working on his or her campaign. (The amount of money you can contribute to a specific candidate is limited by law. Once you have reached the legal limit, contribute to organizations like ours which work to advance particular positions which the candidates of your choice support.) Also, show support for your candidate by means of yard signs, bumper stickers, pins, and envelope stickers!

 


How do I know where the candidates stand?


For the Clergy


Resources for the Parish

 


Legal Guidelines on What to Do in the Parish

Guidance for Churches and Religious Organizations from the IRS
(Requires Acrobat Reader)

Commentary on IRS Guidelines by Jim Bopp, Jr.
(Requires Acrobat Reader)

Guidelines from the James Madison Center for Free Speech - [Long Version] and [Abbreviated Version]

Political Campaign Guidelines for Tax-Exempt Organizations
from the United States Bishops' Office of the General Counsel, 2007

A Legal Symposium: "The Church and Politics: Are We as Restricted as we Think?"

Clarification regarding dioceses and legal advice.

 

Brochures and Booklets That We Have Available for
Distribution in the Parishes, Free of Charge

 

 

For the Media


Statements of the US Bishops on Political Responsibility

Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility -- United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, November 2007[PDF format]

US Bishops' Statement: Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics (November 1998) | [tambien en español]

Key short quotes from Living the Gospel of Life

Our bishops speak

Our page on Magisterium Teachings will refer you to a wider array of documents in which bishops address the topic of abortion and political responsibility.

 


Further Educational information

If you are a "pro-choice" voter or candidate, take a look here to see what you are tolerating.

Priests for Life
PO Box 141172 • Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. 888-735-3448, (718) 980-4400 • Fax 718-980-6515
mail@priestsforlife.org