Outspoken NH Bishop says "Catholics must vote"

CNS:

Catholics must not seek to avoid difficult decisions about political candidates by choosing not to vote, Bishop John B. McCormack of Manchester said in a new document on "Conscience and Your Vote."

The bishop's diocese covers the entire state of New Hampshire, where the first primary in the 2008 presidential campaign is to take place Jan. 8. The Iowa caucuses are to take place five days earlier.

... "in order to sustain a healthy democracy, all citizens have a moral obligation to vote," he added. "Deciding not to vote therefore is an unacceptable solution, even to this difficult situation."

... "When candidates support or tolerate policies that include intrinsically evil acts, a Catholic must carefully assess the situation and decide which candidate will produce the least harm to innocent human life, if elected," he added.

The Diocese of Manchester distributed more than 50,000 copies of the bishop's document at Catholic parishes during the Dec. 15-16 weekend.

... "I know that there are some who would prefer to see the church stay out of the debate on the future course of our country," he wrote in the opinion piece. "As Catholics -- laity and clergy -- we see our participation in the public forum as a moral obligation. To sit idly by is to forsake our vocation as Christians to defend the dignity of every human person and to promote the common good."

New Hampshire's primary is January 8th.

Comments on Bp. McCormack's advice to Catholic voters?