What Does It Mean to Be a Faith-filled Voter in Our Polarized Society?
Date of Lecture: October 16, 2012
About the Speaker: Bishop Robert McElroy was ordained to the priesthood in 1980 and served as pastor of St. Gregory Parish in San Mateo, California for 14 years prior to his appointment as auxiliary bishop of San Francisco in 2010. During his tenure at St. Gregory, he promoted lay leadership, championed social justice and fundraising campaigns to combat global poverty, and earned respect as a consensus builder. Known for his scholarship, Bishop McElroy holds degrees from Harvard University, St. Patrick Seminary and University, Stanford University, and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He is the author of two books: "The Search for an American Public Theology: The Contribution of John Courtney Murray" and "Morality and American Foreign Policy: The Role of Ethics in International Affairs."
About the Talk: Bishop McElroy explores the nature of conscience and our obligation to call upon conscience in our voting decisions. He explains the principles of Catholic teaching and how to weigh the preeminence of intrinsic or grave evils such as abortion and war. In the moral act of voting, he says, Catholics must not focus on political parties or beliefs but ask, "What will that candidate do to advance the common good?"
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