MANCHESTER, N.H.—New Hampshire's Roman Catholic Diocese is asking voters to pick the presidential candidate whose leadership would cause the least harm to life.
The diocese is distributing a six-page pamphlet to parishioners containing the message, but not endorsing any candidate or siding with a political party. The pamphlet asks parishioners to weigh church teachings when considering candidates' positions on such issues as abortion, embryonic research and the death penalty.
The diocese has spoken out against abortion and the death penalty before the state Legislature over the years.
Bishop John McCormack said this is the first such pamphlet issued before a presidential primary.
"The church says that there are social issues in society that have moral dimensions, and that Catholics should form their consciences on those social issues and then vote for a candidate who supports those issues the best way possible," he said.
The pamphlet acknowledges they will have trouble finding a mainstream presidential candidate whose stances completely align with church teaching.
Catholics must review whether "candidates support or tolerate policies that include intrinsically evil acts" and then "carefully assess the situation and decide which candidate will produce the least harm to innocent life, if elected" the pamphlet says.
Catholics will have differing viewpoints on important social issues such as war, economic justice and health care, the pamphlet says. But Catholics will recognize -- when they use reason supported by faith -- that abortion, euthanasia, human cloning and the destruction of human embryos for research are intrinsically evil acts, the pamphlet says.
"The best thing to say is they would be choosing a candidate who would produce the most good for people in terms of dignity or, in terms of human life, who would produce the least harm," McCormack said.
More than 50,000 copies of "Conscience and Your Vote" were being handed out at weekend Masses.
Joseph and Theresa Grassi, parishioners of St. Patrick Church in Nashua, got a peek at the pamphlet after Mass on Wednesday.
"You hear candidates say theyre against abortion, but once theyre in office, theyll say, I have to respect the law," Joseph Grassi said. "So you have to judge their sincerity, or ask if it is a cop-out."
Theresa Grassi said she supports Hillary Clinton because of her positions on the economy and the Iraq war.
"Im very much against abortion," Grassi said. "I wish she could change."
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Information from: The Telegraph, http://www.nashuatelegraph.com
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