Working for the common good requires a call to faithful citizenship — a call to participate actively and effectively in the public square.

If Christians are citizens of a world to come, they are citizens of this world too — citizens whose faith certainly can help to influence and shape society’s well-being.

More than a few Catholic voters in the United States would be delighted if their pope, their bishop, their pastor or someone “in authority” would tell them, come Election Day, whom to vote for. That is not going to happen, but both the catechism and the U.S. bishops’ document, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” offer guidance on church teaching and political life.

Promoting the common good in the public square

The church and the political process: ‘Involved but not partisan’

Being a faithful citizen