Partisan priests and even bishops have begun campaigning for their preferred party and pressuring Catholic voters to follow their lead, causing unrest among quite a few American Catholics. Fr. James Martin, SJ. offers some simple advice to those hearing such messages:

Neither a bishop, nor a priest, nor a sister, nor anyone, can or should tell you how to vote. They can point out important issues, but how to vote is up to your conscience. Know the Gospels and church teaching, and then vote as your own conscience demands.

As Pope Francis said, the church is supposed to “form consciences, not replace them.”

I’m writing this now because I’m being deluged with questions like this and Catholics telling me that their bishop or pastor is telling them they’ll be “going to hell,” or they can only vote for one party. That’s false. You’re an adult with a conscience. Use it and be at peace.