SAN ANTONIO, Texas, AUG. 22, 2012 (Zenit.org).- An alliance of Catholic Hispanic leaders in the United States released Monday a guide for the 2012 elections, comparing the positions of the presidential candidates to Catholic social teaching.
The document from the San Antonio-based Catholic Hispanic Leadership Alliance (CHLA) considers 23 specific questions, centered around the priority issues of the United States Catholic bishops. Immigration reform, same-sex «marriage» and the Affordable Healthcare Act are three of the issues on the list.
«Opinions from candidates and the media related to these issues may be debated, but Catholic social teaching is clear,» stated CHLA president Robert Aguirre. «We invite U.S. Catholics to reflect on this document and use it as an aid to decision-making before entering the voting booth in November.»
Though produced by the CHLA, the document (in English) is directed to any Catholic voter. Hispanic voters strongly supported Barack Obama in the last election. In 2010 Hispanics were already more than 15% of the US population.
The candidates’ position regarding each of the issues is presented in an easy-to-read chart.
«Our evaluation of the two candidates was based on 23 key priority issues for which President Obama achieves a score of 17.4% and Governor Romney achieves a score of 52.2%. In terms of being in step with the moral voice of our bishops, the difference between the two major party candidates is very clear,» said Aguirre.
The CHLA’s 2012 Catholic Voter’s Education Guide draws heavily from the US bishops’ «Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility.»
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On the Net:
Guide: www.catholichispanic.org/pdf/Catholic-Voter’s%20Guide-2012.pdf
