ONLINE FIRST
published on April 26, 2022
Dennis Feltwell
https://doi.org/10.5840/praxis202242516
Taking a Page from the Popes
Recent Encyclicals and the Future of Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship
After three years of political turmoil, the USCCB decided to reissue its 2015 statement Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. The document lacks theological clarity and reduces all considerations to a narrow set of moral issues. This essay argues that the bishops have an understated framework for robust participation. By analyzing the papal sources cited in Faithful Citizenship and considering the recent insights from contemporary scholars, the author urges the bishops to remain engaged, include the faithful, maintain social teaching, and, at the very least, describe their theological rationale. Above all, the risks remain too great to continue repeating the current iteration of Faithful Citizenship, as they have done for the past three election cycles. The nation¡¯s divisions, injustices, and crises make the bishops¡¯ future work an urgent responsibility.