Voting with a formed conscience

The bishops describe conscience as a judgment of reason, formed by Scripture and Church teaching, and they reject the idea that it licenses whatever we happen to want (nos. 17–18). Forming it takes study, an honest look at the facts, and prayer.

Prudence is the second tool. The bishops call it the virtue that helps us weigh real alternatives in real circumstances, and they note that Catholics may choose different ways to respond to social problems while sharing the same moral obligation. They add that a good end never justifies an immoral means, so not every course of action is morally acceptable (nos. 19–20).

Their 2023 introductory note adds practical counsel (Introductory Note). The bishops say they do not tell Catholics which candidates to support. Voters are asked to weigh character and integrity alongside positions, and the note suggests stepping away from social media, TV, and podcasts to spend time with Scripture, the Blessed Sacrament, and people in need.

Every life is equally sacred. Pope Francis offered a frame for weighing the issues. He wrote that the defense of the unborn must be clear, firm and passionate, then added that the lives of the poor, the destitute, the abandoned, the vulnerable sick and elderly, and the victims of trafficking are “equally sacred” (Gaudete et Exsultate, no. 101).

Some acts are always wrong. The bishops teach that certain acts are “intrinsically evil” and must always be opposed. Their list includes genocide, torture, the targeting of noncombatants, racism, treating workers as mere means or the poor as disposable, abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, destructive embryo research, and redefining marriage (nos. 22–23). Their 2023 note gives particular urgency to abortion and, in the same passage, names euthanasia, gun violence, terrorism, the death penalty, trafficking, injustice toward the poor, the suffering of migrants and refugees, war, racism, and the degradation of creation as threats to human dignity (Introductory Note).

Two temptations. The bishops warn against a moral equivalence that treats every issue alike, since the deliberate destruction of innocent life “is not just one issue among many.” They warn just as clearly against using that distinction to dismiss other serious threats, such as environmental degradation, racism, the death penalty, unjust war, torture, hunger, lack of health care, pornography, redefining marriage, threats to religious liberty, and unjust immigration policy. These, they write, “are not optional concerns which can be dismissed” (nos. 27–29). Elsewhere they put it plainly: “As Catholics we are not single-issue voters” (no. 42). The same paragraph adds that a candidate’s position promoting an intrinsic evil, such as racist behavior, redefining marriage, or legal abortion, can legitimately disqualify that candidate.

The bishops address hard cases directly (nos. 34–37):

• A Catholic may not vote for a candidate because the candidate supports an intrinsically evil act. Doing so would be formal cooperation in grave evil. Nor should a candidate’s opposition to an intrinsic evil become an excuse for indifference to other moral issues involving human life and dignity.
• A voter may support a candidate despite such a position only for truly grave moral reasons, never to advance partisan preference or narrow interest or to ignore a fundamental moral evil.
• When every candidate supports an intrinsic evil, a voter may take the extraordinary step of not voting for any candidate or, after careful deliberation, may choose the candidate judged less likely to advance it and more likely to pursue other human goods.
• All issues do not carry equal moral weight, and the obligation to oppose policies promoting intrinsically evil acts has a special claim on our consciences. The final decision belongs to each Catholic, guided by a conscience formed by Church teaching, weighing each candidate’s commitments, character, integrity, and ability to influence the issue.

• Do I know what the Church teaches on the issues in front of me, beyond what my party or my feed says?
• Look up what each candidate has actually said and how each has voted.
• Where does each candidate stand on war and peace, the poor, abortion, prisoners and the death penalty, the treatment of migrants, the sick, and creation, and how am I weighing them together?
• Character matters too: integrity, honesty, and the ability to deliver.
• Pray before deciding, and plan to keep advocating with whoever wins.

Speaking about the war with Iran, Pope Leo invited citizens of every country involved to contact their political leaders and members of Congress and “to work for peace and to reject war and violence” (April 7, 2026). Faithful citizenship continues after the polls close.